the Olympic Games Box 3.17 Bus Rapid Transit

BOX 3.17

Bus Rapid Transit

BRT is an integrated system of high-quality bus interventions that may be implemented incrementally and catalyze more substantive reform. Among the key elements of a BRT system are the following: • Exclusive or segregated busways • Stations with boarding at level and the prepayment of fares • Large vehicles with multiple doors • Advanced service and operations plans, including plans for trucks and feeders • Electronic and integrated fare collection systems • Intelligent transportation systems, including the centralized control and effective management of passenger information • Marketing and branding to reinforce a distinct image BRT systems have been shown to improve service by reducing waiting, boarding, and travel times and by offering modern, comfortable, and convenient services more cost effectively than do rail investments. Public BRT services have increased viability relative to other, more polluting energy-intensive modes.

Milestones in the evolution of BRT systems include the following: • Since the 1970s, Curitiba, Brazil, has been a pioneer in developing

BRT systems as part of a long-term vision and implementation strategy, including reserving rights-of-way for structural axes (major city public transportation corridors) and building institutions with signifi cant technical capacity that have endured political changes. • The Transmilenio BRT in Bogotá, Colombia has achieved myriad milestones: (1) a high capacity of up to 35,000 passengers per hour per direction, (2) a shorter implementation period as part of an urban redevelopment plan, and (3) recognition as the fi rst public transportation system approved under the Clean Development

Mechanism for the sale of carbon credits.

• The Colombian National Urban Transport Program is a framework for technical collaboration and fi nancing for BRT systems in seven participating cities to replicate and scale up the success of Transmilenio. The national government has fi nanced most infrastructure investments, while the cities oversee the operations of pri-

Source: Hidalgo, Custodio, and Graftieaux (2007).

vate concessionaires that earn profi ts based on system effi ciency.

Pereira (see photo) was the fi rst city to implement a scaled-down version of the Transmilenio system. The system featured one-way streets in a narrow downtown area and improved solutions for feeders, including an electronic fare system. • Santiago and Seoul have both chosen to implement ambitious public transportation reforms and investments that have included

BRT-type corridors, the integration of bus networks and express trunk feeders, integrated smartcard systems, and centralized controls. Among the main lessons drawn from the Transmilenio experience has been the realization that a realistic or incremental implementation plan (with pilot projects) is critical. • BRT systems may complement other public transportation investments. Several Asian cities have taken steps to discourage private car use and strengthen public transportation by improving bus systems and building or expanding urban rail systems. These cities include Hong Kong, China; Seoul; Singapore; and Tokyo (Wright 2004). For more information about relevant costs, benefi ts, and lessons learned, see Wright and Hook (2007), Levinson and others (2006), and U.S. Federal Transit Administration (2004).

– Start state (that is, to account for the cost of delays) – Revenue or demand variation (that is, less than expected traffi c volumes or ridership)

Forecasts of demand and mode choice are critical elements of an economic analysis. Theoretically, an individual chooses an available mode or service that maximizes utility or minimizes total cost. Utility comprises several variables, including total travel time and total travel cost (fi gure 3.55). Travel time may be monetized into a value of time among diff erent users, and travel purposes may be measured through surveys. Monetary estimates of time are valid only to the extent that there is a real trade-off between time and money. Another limitation of mode