BRT

(Bus Rapid Transit)

“ It’s all about the bus”

 Overview

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is getting

popular today. Because of its ability to
cope with the need of a good
transportation service. BRT is
engineered to be a solution to attract
passengers and improve the flow of
traffic.
 BUS RAPID TRANSIT
(BRT/ BRTS/ BUSWAY)
- A bus-based mass transit system. A
true BRT generally has specialized
design, services, and infrastructure to
improve system quality and remove the
typical causes of delay. Sometimes
described as “surface subway”, BRT aims
to combine the capacity and speed of
light rail or metro with the flexibility,
lower cost and simplicity of a bus
system.
"Bus Rapid Transit" takes its name from rail 
rapid transit, which describes a high-capacity
urban public-transit system with its own 
right of way, multiple-car vehicles at short 
headways, and longer stop spacing than
traditional streetcars and buses. BRT uses buses
on a wide variety of rights-of-way, including
mixed traffic, dedicated lanes on surface streets,
and busways separated from traffic.
The expression "BRT" is mainly used in the the
Americas and China; in India, it is called "BRTS"
(BRT System); in Europe, it is often called a
"busway"; in Australia it is often called a "T-Way"
(short for Transit Way); while elsewhere, it may
be called a "quality bus".
 A true BRT system has most of
the following elements:
 Alignment in the center of the road
(to avoid typical curb-side delays)
 Stations with off-board fare collection
(to reduce boarding and alighting delay related to
paying the driver)
 Station platforms level with the bus
floor
(to reduce boarding and alighting delay caused by
steps)
 Bus priority at intersections
(to avoid intersection signal delay)
List of Countries Applying
BRT


Africa
South Africa
 Tanzania
 Uganda
 China
 India
 Iran
 Indonesia
 Israel
 Japan
 Jordan
 Korea
 Malaysia
 Pakistan
 Thailand
 Vietnam
 Finland
 France

 Netherlands
 Spain
 Sweden
 Turkey
 United Kingdom
 Canada
 Guatemala
 Mexico
 US
 Australia
 New Zealand
 Columbia
 Brazil
 Chile
 Ecuador
 Peru
 Venezuela
 Main Features of a Standard
BRT System
 Dedicated Lanes - are lanes used only
by busses
 Busway alignment - Center of roadway
or bus-only corridor keeps buses away
from the busy curb-side, where cars and
trucks are parking, standing and turning.
 Off-board fare collection – this
eliminates the delay caused by
passengers paying on board
 Intersection treatment - Prohibiting turns for
traffic across the bus lane significantly reduces
delays to the buses. Bus priority will often be
provided at signalized intersections to reduce
delays by extending the green phase or
reducing the red phase in the required direction
compared to the normal sequence. Prohibiting
turns may be the most important measure for
moving buses through intersections.
 Platform – level boarding - Station platforms
should be level with the bus floor for quick and
easy boarding, making it fully accessible for
wheelchairs, disabled passengers and baby
strollers, with minimal delays.
 Additional features of BRT
system
 High capacity vehicles - High-capacity
vehicles such bi-articulated bus may be used,
typically with multiple doors to speed entry and
exit. Double-decker busses or Guided busses
may also be used. Advanced power control may
be used for a smoother ride.
 Quality stations- BRT systems typically feature
significant investment in enclosed stations
which may incorporate attractive sliding glass
doors, staffed ticket booths, information booths,
and other more standard features listed above.
 Prominent brand or Identity- A
unique and distinctive identity can
contribute to BRT's attractiveness as
an alternative to driving cars.
 Rede Integrada de Transport
(RIT, “Integrated Transportation
Network)

The first BRT system in the world

that was implemented in
Curitiba, Brazil in 1974.
Curitiba BRT Tube Station
 The BRT in Curitiba, Brazil

Was pioneered by Curitiba, Brazil Mayor

Jaime Lerner in the year 1974. At first,
BRT system was just lanes dedicated for
buses at the middle of major arterial
roads. In the year 1980 BRT system was
improved by adding feeder bus network
and inter-zone connections. Off-board fare
collection, enclosed stations, and platform
level boarding was then implemented in
the year 1992.
 The BRT System in Curitiba, Brazil
The bus system of Curitiba, Brazil, exemplifies a
model Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, and plays a
large part in making this a livable city. The buses
run frequently—some as often as every 90 seconds
—and reliably, and the stations are convenient,
well-designed, comfortable, and attractive.
Consequently, Curitiba has one of the most heavily
used, yet low-cost, transit systems in the world. It
offers many of the features of a subway system—
vehicle movements unimpeded by traffic signals
and congestion, fare collection prior to boarding,
quick passenger loading and unloading—but it is
above ground and visible. Around  70 percent of
Curitiba’s commuters use the BRT to travel to work,
resulting in congestion-free streets and pollution-
Guangzhou Bus Rapid
Transit
 Guangzhou Bus Rapid
Transit
is the bus rapid transit (BRT) system of the city
of Guangzhou in the People's Republic of China. Its
first line was put into operation on 10 February
2010. It handles approximately 1,000,000
passenger trips daily with a peak passenger flow of
26,900 pphpd (second only to the TransMilenio BRT
system in Bogota). In fact, this rapid transit system
contains the world's longest BRT stations - around
260m including bridges - with bus volumes of 1 bus
every 10 seconds or 350 per hour in a single
direction. The BRT system has two new lines and
two extensions planned.
 TransMilenio
(BRT system in Bogota, Columbia)
 TransMilenio
(BRT system in Bogota, Columbia)
TransMilenio is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system that
serves Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. The system opened to
the public in December 2000, covering Av. Caracas and Calle 80.
Other lines were added gradually over the next several years,
and as of 2012, 12 lines totalling 112 km (70 mi) run throughout
the city, making it the world's largest bus rapid transit system.
Inspired by Curitiba's Rede Integrada de Transporte (Integrated
Transportation Network), TransMilenio consists of several
interconnecting BRT lines, each composed of numerous elevated
stations in the center of a main avenue, or "troncal". Passengers
typically reach the stations via a bridge over the street. Usually,
four lanes down the center of the street are dedicated to bus
traffic. There are both express and local buses, the latter
stopping at every station to pick up passengers. The outer lanes
allow express buses to bypass buses stopped at a station.
Passengers typically reach the stations via a bridge
over the street. Usually, four lanes down the center of
the street are dedicated to bus traffic. There are both
express and local buses, the latter stopping at every
station to pick up passengers. The outer lanes allow
express buses to bypass buses stopped at a station.

Users pay at the station entrance using a smart card,

pass through a turnstile, and wait for buses inside the
station, which is typically 5 m wide. The bus and
station doors open simultaneously, and passengers
board by simply walking across the threshold. Like a
subway system, the elevated station platform and
the bus floor are at the same height.
The Sao Paulo BRT
System
São Paulo has one of the most extensive
networks of bus exclusive lanes in the
world with 129km over 10 lines. The
development of the BRT system has
seen a reversal in 30 year decline of
public transport's share of trips, up from
44.7% in 2002 up to 55.7% in
2007.While the system lacks platform
level boarding normally associated with
BRT, the exclusive lanes offer a high
average speed of almost 20 kph and
3,164,000 passengers a day were
carried in 2013.
 TransJakarta
(Jakarta, Indonesia)
TransJakarta is a bus rapid transit (BRT)
system in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was the first
BRT system in Southern and Southeast Asia.
The TransJakarta system began operations on
January 25, 2004. TransJakarta was designed
to provide Jakarta citizens with a fast public
transportation system to help reduce rush
hour traffic.
 Currently TransJakarta has the world's longest
BRT system (208 km in length), with 12 
primary routes and 10 cross-corridor routes. 
Performance:
The following table lists the seven system that
were rated Gold based on the 2013 standard
Other metrics used to evaluate BRT performance include:

 The vehicle headway is the average time interval between

vehicles on the same line. Buses can operate at headways of
10 seconds or less, but average headways on TransMilenio at
busy intersections are 13 seconds,14 seconds for the busiest
section of the Metrobus (Istanbul).
 Vehicle capacity, which can range from 50 for a conventional
bus up to some 200 for an articulated vehicle arranged for
standing passengers. Merobus Istanbul operates both
Mercedes Citaro with a capacity of 150 and Mercedes
capacity with a capacity of 193.
 The effectiveness of the stations to handle passenger
demand. High volumes of passengers on vehicles required
large bus stations at busy interchange points.
 The effectiveness of the feeder system — can these deliver
people to stations at the required speed.
 Local passenger demand. Without a local demand for travel,
the capacity will not be used.
 Operating Speed
The higher quality of BRT services, the faster
the average operating speed, and
correspondingly competitive BRT becomes
to the private car and Metrorail services.
Hidalgo and Graftieaux(2008) reviewed BRT
systems in 11 cities in Latin America and
Asia, finding that average speeds increased
by between 15 kph and 26 kph following
the conversion from regular to BRT services,
depending on the quality of the busway.
 Comfortable Ride
BRT earns high marks for passenger
comfort. In Istanbul, 58% of surveyed
residents were either satisfied or very
satisfied with BRT service. BRT scores even
when compared to rail. Surveys from
Adelaide show customers rated BRT more
highly than on-street bus or rail services. In
Los Angeles, riders on the full-service
Orange Line rated BRT comparable to the
brand-new Gold Line(LRT) in terms of
comfort and convenience.
 BRT’s Safety
Safety precautions have modest effect
on reducing BRT bus speeds thus the
safety benefits are viewed as more
than offsetting slight declines in
service quality. Road safety
improvements implemented in concert
with BRT deployment in Bogota have
been credited with an 88% reduction in
traffic fatalities on TransMilenio
corridors.
 Environmental Impacts
Urban buses emit relatively high levels of
particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides
(NOx), a precursor to photochemical smog.
As noted earlier, the widespread use of
clean diesel and other low emission fuels
have moderated the air quality impacts of
BRT. Accounting for indirect impacts, the net
air quality impacts of BRT are likely positive.
By removing cars from city streets and
replacing slow moving buses in mixed traffic
and stop and go conditions with smoother
flowing, dedicated lane services, BRT
improves air quality relative to the status