Bus Rapid Transit Nearly Quadruples Over Ten Years
According to new data just released, bus rapid transit has grown by 383 percent in the last ten years, with hundreds of systems in dozens of countries qualifying as true BRT.
Noted the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, while costs vary across nations, “BRT capital costs are generally less than ten percent of the cost of metro, and 30-60 percent of the cost of light rail.”
Another compelling advantage also stands clear: BRT can also be implemented much more quickly that rail-based transit, allowing systems to be created and expanded quickly to meet ever growing needs.
“For developing cities to compete globally, they urgently need high quality public transportation,” says Jacob Mason, Transport Research and Evaluation Manager for ITDP. “We’re seeing that when it’s done well, BRT attracts large ridership and can provide similar levels of speed, capacity, and comfort as metro and light rail transit options.”
China is the global leader in BRT, having added 538 kilometers of BRT in the last ten years, dramatically up from only one system of 14 km in 2004.
Brazil, spurred the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, has built 206 kilometers, with nearly the same amount currently in planning.
Mexico has built seven high quality BRT corridors in and around Mexico City as well as systems in six other cities, for 222 kilometers of BRT in ten years.
Even the United States, which has been slow to embrace BRT, added 81 km in six new systems in the last ten years.
For complete scorecards and a breakdown of categories, visit brtstandard.org.
Category: Featured, General Update, Transit News
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