Saturday, April 30, 2011

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)

While reading about the Ottawa bus network on the Transit Politic, this quote struck me:
"Unlike most “BRT” lines in North America, ’s are mostly grade-separated, producing actually high-speed buses".
One of the questions I get asked the most is when I talk about transit is "What is BRT? How does it differ from a bus?" For me, the distinction is as follows:

  • Class III - 'Basic': Longer hours, 15 minute service, special branding, substantial stations, CNG/Electric bus, signal pre-emption. 
  • Class II - 'Arterial': Dedicated lanes, off-board fare collection, 3 door boarding.
  • Class I - 'Busway': Limited access, often grade separated, with no traffic lights. 


To my knowledge, the only cities in the world with Class I BRT are Brisbane, Ottawa, and arguably Curitiba.

2 comments:

  1. Class 1 BRT? Try:

    Mexico City
    Bogota
    Ahmedabad
    Guanzhou
    Jakarta
    Cape Town
    Istanbul

    I could go on and on.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, oh excellent. I am always glad when someone is willing to fill the gaps in my knowledge. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete

And your thoughts on the matter?