Bus Rapid Transit

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) refers to the adaptation of rubber-tired road buses to serve rapid transit purposes within metropolitan areas. In many ways, the kind of transportation service offered by BRT systems is analogous to traditional rail rapid transit systems, such as metros (subways) or light rail, because they are designed to operate at higher frequencies and generally serve fewer stops, spaced farther apart from one another, than bus stops in a regular city bus service. The first comprehensive BRT system was implemented in Curitiba, Brazil, for its cost advantages and the operational flexibility it offered over rail systems. As a result of the success of the system in Curitiba, BRT has been growing in popularity around the globe, in both the developing and developed worlds, where cities are increasingly faced with limited resources for providing transportation services.

BRT systems, like this one in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, are designed to operate at higher frequencies, and generally have fewer stops spaced farther apart, compared to regular city bus service

Source: S.P. Smiler/Wikipedia

[Page 47]Similar to rail rapid transit systems, BRT is designed to transport larger numbers of riders over longer distances than traditional bus systems operating in mixed traffic. BRT systems incorporate design features meant to distinguish them from regular bus service, including some, if not all, of the following elements: the construction of permanent stations and stops that are an improvement over conventional bus stops, enhanced efficiency of passenger boarding and fare collection to speed up service, the use of traffic signal priority and intelligent transportation system technologies, and service that is branded separately from conventional bus service, often using distinctive bus designs and special labeling as a rapid transit service on transit maps. Often, but not always, BRT buses travel in a dedicated right of way that is separated from the city's public road network. This is done either by marking off a separate lane or, in more advanced circumstances, by constructing a unique roadway—often referred to colloquially as a “busway”—that is physically separated from city streets.