Bus Rapid Transit or BRT is a method of mass transit that pairs modern buses with some sort of infrastructure to move people faster and in higher volumes than a traditional bus line. BRT can operate in physically-separated busways or in designated express lanes with very few stops. Because of lower construction costs, It is often seen as a more practical alternative to rail-based systems such as a subway or light rail.   Latin American cities of Mexico City, Mexico, Bogota, Colombia , and Curitiba, Brazil all have extensive and expanding systems.  Several cities in the United States have installed limited versions of BRT, including New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and Pittsburgh.

Main Features

Exclusive Right of Way.   Ideally,  BRT networks would employ separated guideways (also known as “busways” or  “quickways”) so that buses do not encounter motor vehicle traffic.  This infrastructure allows the system to achieve speeds and efficiency close to that of light rail because lines run mostly on elevated structures, underground or on at-grade dedicated busways [1, 2].   BRT routes may also be designed into an existing roadway and separated from traffic by a concrete median or with a brightly painted lane (though it is unclear whether a painted lane can be considered a true busway).   Because these routes will conflict with traffic at intersections, they need to be designed with transit priority, such as traffic signal priority that can speed approaching buses through a green light.

Frequent service.  A large number of buses may arrive at stops as quickly as every 5 minutes.  A particular bus may be local (many stops) or express (few stops).

High capacity vehicles (though not as high as rail cars that can be strung together).  

Low-emissions technology.  BRT planners aim to use hybrid or electric vehicles.

Prepaid boarding.  To prevent delays at each stop, riders may pay before boarding via automatic ticketing machines, staffed ticket booths or a refillable smartcard system.

Low floor buses.   These “subways on wheels"  allow passengers to board quickly through at least 2 different entrances.   However, some BRT systems use high-floor buses or standard articulated (accordion-type) buses [2]

Improved stations, including shelters, information booths and curb extensions (bulb-outs) to accommodate waiting passengers.  

Open or closed lines.    An open bus line allows the vehicle to venture off the established corridor and onto local streets [1].  This flexibility helps BRT cover suburban areas well.  

Full Separation:  Quickways

Quickway infrastructure fully removes a bus route from intersecting automobile and pedestrian traffic.   This typically involves the construction of elevated or underground guideways, or the use of existing grade-separated infrastructure like freeways and former railways [1].  Quickways are rarely placed within existing roads [2]. 

Quickways allow for high speed transit, which is more fuel efficient and limits wear on the vehicle fleet.  High speeds also attract ridership:  most cities that have invested in quickways have seen substantial increases in ridership and therefore in revenue [2].  

Unlike light rail, buses have the option to leave the quickway and pick up passengers on nearby arterials or local roads.  This mobility eliminates the need, in some locations, for additional bus lines or for increased service.

World’s Best BRT

Latin America and Australia and are considered leaders in Bus Rapid Transit, while the United States and Europe have implemented mainly single-corridor projects that tend to be less efficient. According to BRT experts Alan Hoffman and Alasdair Cane, “the international cities followed a different model. They focused on the creation of grade-separated bus guideways, or “Quickways,” that support not just a “light rail-like” service, but a variety of express and branching services that extend the benefits of the infrastructure far beyond the guideway itself.” [2]

The best, most extensive projects are currently found in Bogota, Colombia; Curitiba, Brazil; Brisbane, Australia; and Ottawa, Canada.  Bogota’s TransMilenio carries over 1.4 million passengers per day across 50 miles of guideways, using a combination of local, express and super-express bus lines [2].    Brisbane’s system, which looks to mimic a big-city subway network, travels over bridges and under the downtown core [3]. Because it already had an electric rail system, Brisbane was able to increase transit ridership systemwide by adding busway routes into the mix [2]. 


Mexico City’s Metrobus started as a single dedicated bus lane on the enormous and congested Avenida de los Insurgentes.  Now with two BRT lines covering 32 miles [4], the expanding project could be an answer to the city’s traffic and pollution woes.

 

Halfway Approaches Not Necessarily BRT

Bus Rapid Transit has become an appealing transit choice for cash-strapped cities because it can be established more quickly and at much lower cost than rail. However, when a BRT line is imposed into an existing streetscape, buses may get stuck at intersections or behind parked cars.  If not given transit priority or separated busways, BRT may not offer much advantage over a typical city bus [5]. 

Such projects are sometimes referred to as “light rail lite” because they are designed to look like rail but end up traveling much more slowly.  They also tend to span only single corridors rather than form part of a comprehensive BRT system.  For example, New York’s Select Bus Service , which the city hopes will serve areas that do no have subway access, has had issues with slow speeds and unreliable service [5, 6]. The Los Angeles Metro Rapid, while enjoying increased ridership, has been delayed by traffic congestion [1].   However, both of these were a first attempt at BRT and improvements are planned, as officials work to better integrate the bus route with pedestrians, bike lanes and traffic lanes [5].

Option for Rail Conversion

Light rail works best in areas with distinct centers of high population density.  It is also helps to drive land use patterns toward higher density centers.   BRT, on the other hand, tends to conform to suburban sprawl development.

But Bus Rapid Transit can be a stepping  stone to light rail because corridors cleared for BRT may eventually hold rail infrastructure instead.  When BRT vehicles start to exceed their capacity, light rail may serve a particular line better than buses could [1].

Ottawa, Ontario is in the process of converting its extensive busway network to light rail. 

Criticisms

- Critics have pointed out that Bus Rapid Transit serves sprawl and therefore it may perpetuate sprawl and motor vehicle travel.

- In the United States, there is an ingrained negative image of bus travel, especially when compared with the rail systems of Europe.

- Elevated busways can look a lot like freeway viaducts, which can damage city aesthetics and neighborhood character.

- The system likely will not be fast enough if buses are not given full priority on the roadway.

- BRT may not work everywhere.  It seems to be ideal for cities with wide roads and serious cost constraints [7].

 

Cities with BRT

Bogota, Colombia – TransMilenio

Mexico City, Mexico – Metrobus [4]

Curitiba, Brazil

Ottawa, ON, Canada - Transitway

Brisbane, Australia – runs on fully separated busways. 

Los Angeles, CA –  The Metro Rapid and the Orange Line.  

New York, NY – Select Bus Service .  This network is in its beginning stages and will serve areas that lack subway access [5]. 

Boston, MA - The Silver Line links downtown with Logan Airport and appears on the subway map. 

Eugene, OR – Emerald Express or “EmX”

Miami, FL – South Miami Dade Busway

Pittsburgh, PA – This city’s Busways come closest to the quickway model used in international cities like Brisbane [2]

Denver, CO – 16th Street Shuttle, aka the “Mall Ride”. [8]

ALSO ON THE LIVABLE STREETS NETWORK

• All Streetsblog articles on BRT

• Streetswiki: Select Bus Service
  

• Streetfilms: Bus Rapid Transit: Bogota
  

• Streetfilms: Lessons from LA: Looking at BRT
• Streetsblog: Defying Media Spin, Poll Shows Public Support for Delhi BRT
• Streetsblog: A Bridge and Tunnel Transit Solution
• Streetsblog: COMMUTE's BRT Plan: A Denser Network and Interborough Lines
• Streetsblog: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About BRT
• Streetsblog: The Human Rights Argument for BRT and Pricing
• Streetsblog: Penalosa to New York Pols: BRT & Pricing Benefit Working Class
• Streetsblog: NYC's First Bus Rapid Transit Line Debuts in Bronx 
• Streetsblog: Bus Rapid Transit Under Fire in Delhi, India 

• Streetsblog: High Hopes — And High Standards — For Bloomberg 3.0.
  

   

REFERENCES

Each source is referred to by the same number every time it is cited. Please keep citation style consistent.

[1]  Walker, Jarrett.  Bus Rapid Transit:  Some Questions to Ask.  Human Transit.   November 26, 2009. 

[2] Hoffman, Alan and Alasdair Cain.  Beyond Light Rail Lite.  Mass Transit Magazine.  June 2008.

[3] Walker, Jarrett.  Brisbane:  Bus Rapid Transit Soars. Human Transit,  November 17, 2009. 

[4] Russell,  Cristine.  Take the Metrobus in Mexico City.   The Atlantic.  November 17, 2009.

[5] Freemark, Yonah.  Integrating Bus Rapid Transit Into the Streetscape.  The Transport Politic.  January 18, 2010.  

[6] Aaron, Brad.  Eyes on the Street:  Words Fail. Streetsblog NYC.  September 26, 2008.

[7] Rosenthal, Elizabeth. Buses May Aid Climate Battle in Poor Cities.   The New York Times.  July 9, 2009.

[8] Aaron, Brad.  Eyes on the Street:  Livable Streets a Mile High.  Streetsblog NYC.  January, 28, 2010. 

PICTURE REFERENCES

Pictures are cited in the order they appear above. Please keep citation style consistent.

[1] Streetfilms. "Bus Rapid Transit: Bogota."

[2]

 

FURTHER READING

•  Bus Rapid Transit.   Federal Transit Administration.
  

• National Bus Rapid Transit Institute
• The Bus Rapid Transit Policy Center
• Hoffman, Alan. 2008. Advanced Network Planning for Bus Rapid Transit: The "Quickway Model" as a Modal Alternative to "Light Rail Lite"(pdf). USDOT Report No. FL 26-7104.
• Lew, Alexander. Rail’s New Competitor: Buses. Part I: What Is Bus Rapid Transit?  Wired, September 15, 2007.
  

 

 

KEYWORDS

Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, public transportation, Quickway, busway, dedicated bus lane, T-Way, infrastructure, network planning, transit strategy, Ottawa, Brisbane, Bogota, Mexico City, San Diego