Bus Rapid Transit

Number 2 -- rev. November 2005

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) combines the quality of rail transit and the flexibility of buses. It can operate on exclusive transitways, HOV lanes, expressways, or ordinary streets. A BRT system combines intelligent transportation systems technology, priority for transit, rapid and convenient fare collection, and integration with land use policy in order to substanTIAlly upgrade bus system performance.

Overview

Bus Rapid Transit and Other Bus Service Innovations. US Senate, Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, June 24, 2003
Committee testimony from FTA Administrator Dorn, JayEtta Hecker, US General Accounting Office, Gary Brosch, National Bus Rapid Transit Institute, Kenneth Hamm, Lane Transit District, and others. Topics addressed include: funding sources, defining BRT, and current applications of the technology.
Source: US Senate web site at: http://banking.senate.gov/03_06hrg/062403/index.htm

Bus Rapid Transit Volume 1: Case Studies. Herbert Levinson, Samuel Zimmerman & others, 2003.
Twenty six case studies of BRT in North America and abroad demonstrate that BRT does work. BRT systems can attract new transit riders and induce transit-oriented land use and economic development. Report includes several tables comparing running way characteristics, development costs, and ridership increases, etc.
Source: TCRP Report 90 v.1, Transportation Research Board,National Research Council.
Location: http://gulliver.trb.org/publications/tcrp/tcrp_rpt_90v1.pdf

Bus Rapid Transit Volume 2: Implementation Guidelines. Herbert Levinson, Samuel Zimmerman & others, 2003.
Provides specific technical information on running ways, signal prioritization, stations and facilities, BRT vehicles, ITS applications, and operations. Also includes chapters on desirable conditions for BRT, on financing and on development of BRT systems.
Source: TCRP Report 90 v.2, Transportation Research Board,National Research Council.
Location: http://gulliver.trb.org/publications/tcrp/tcrp_rpt_90v2.pdf

Bus Rapid Transit: An Integrated and Flexible Package of Service. A. Kang & R. Diaz
Presents five main elements of BRT technology -- vehicles, guideways, control systems, fare systems and passenger information systems.
Source: APTA 2000 Rail Transit Conference Proceedings paper. Click here for PDF file.

Bus Rapid Transit Shows Promise. U.S. General Accounting Office, September 2001
Provides a review of funding available for BRT, and compares capital and operating costs for BRT and light rail systems.
Source: U.S. General Accounting Office Report #GAO-01-984. Click here for PDF file.

Characteristics of Bus Rapid Transit for Decision-Making. R. Diaz, editor, August 2004.
This almost 300-page report draws information from the first wave of BRT projects to be implemented in the US, plus additional information from selected sites worldwide. It presents performance data on BRT systems as well as case studies on key BRT elements - running ways, stations, vehicles, fare collection, ITS, and operating plans.