By Carolina Aliaga SANTIAGO, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The Chilean capital Santiago is gearing up for the biggest ever shake-up of its transport system this weekend, and while the government is urging calm, many commuters are predicting delays, chaos and frayed tempers. "Transantiago," a much-delayed project designed to streamline mass transit and rid streets of fume-belching old buses that add to the city's notorious pollution problem, comes into being on Saturday. "On that day I'm going to leave home an hour earlier than usual," said Sonia Lopez, a 45-year-old secretary who has taken the same bus to work for the past 10 years but now will have to change her plans since her old bus route has been scrapped. "I just hope people don't faint in all the confusion, or on the metro, which is going to be packed." Changes include redrawn bus routes to make them more efficient and compatible with Santiago's modern light-rail and subway system, known as the metro, and extension of the metro's no-cash payment system to bus routes. In addition, efforts to replace older buses will continue. Few people question the need for an overhaul of Santiago's transport system, which at times appears totally unregulated. Hundreds of battered yellow buses, operated by scores of small private companies, compete for customers along the city's main arteries. But while the need for change is evident, many object to the way in which Transantiago is being implemented. For weeks, Chile's newspapers have been packed with predictions of doom, photographs of half-built bus stops and extensive reports on the city's general state of unreadiness for such a large project. Some bus drivers have threatened to strike over the changes and passengers have predicted there could be protests or even riots if the system collapses. Starting Saturday, staff from the government's National Emergency Office, usually on hand to deal with disasters like earthquakes or floods, will be dispatched to the city's streets to help bewildered commuters. NO MORE CASH Under the new system, passengers will no longer be able to use cash to pay for bus rides but must use a swipe card loaded with credit. The card also will be valid on the metro rail system. But there have been serious problems installing machines capable of reading the cards on the new buses. Many Santiaguinos say they fear the system will not work. The integrated transport system also is expected to put more pressure on the metro, as commuters switch from using buses to using a combination of bus and train. In recent months, the metro has been plastered with posters telling people the number of passengers will double once the new system is in place, to about 2.4 million people. The metro's operators have spent $150 million on 11 new trains to absorb the extra traffic along its five lines. City authorities have sent out maps and guides to Santiago's 6 million inhabitants to inform them how the system will work and what their best routes to work will be. "There's a lot of confusion. I don't understand how it works or how I'm going to get to work that day," said Roberto Canas, a 28-year-old audiovisual communicator. Despite the uncertainty, Transantiago has its supporters, who see it as progress in a country that likes to hold itself up as an example of modernity to the rest of Latin America. "I have faith in Transantiago," said Daniela Easton, a 24-year-old university student. "It's going to be difficult at first but it's for the best. At last the transport system is going to change."
