The document discusses best practices for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems based on ITDP's experience working with cities worldwide. It outlines that BRT aims to save passengers time and provide high quality service to attract riders. Key elements of international gold standard BRT corridors include dedicated bus lanes, off-board fare collection, platform-level boarding, frequent service, and beautiful stations. BRT can also stimulate transitoriented development when corridors have developable land, transit-supportive zoning, and financial incentives are provided to developers. The quality of the transit investment is more important than the mode, as seen in the positive impacts of BRT systems in Cleveland and Seattle.

1. Bus Rapid Transit:
Meeting international
best practice
October 26, 2012

2. Who We Are
ITDP is a non-profit that
has worked since 1985
with cities worldwide to
implement sustainable
transport solutions that
curb GHG emissions,
reduce poverty, and
improve the quality of
urban life.

3. ITDP Experience
in BRT system
development
• Argentina
• Brazil
• China
• India
• Indonesia
• Mexico
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• United States

4. What is BRT?

5. Curitiba, Brazil. The first Bus Rapid
Transit (BRT) System: 1974
BRT is a high-quality bus-based transit system that
delivers fast, comfortable, and cost-effective urban
mobility through the provision of segregated right-of-
way infrastructure, rapid and frequent operations, and
excellence in marketing and customer service

6. Curitiba, Brazil. The first Bus Rapid
Transit (BRT) System: 1974

7. The BRT Standard

8. A gold-standard BRT corridor has all of
the most important elements of BRT

9. Why we need a standard
RapidRide: Seattle, WA
Select Bus Service: Fordham Road, Bronx, NY

10. What are the goals that BRT sets out to
accomplish?
1. To save passengers time: Time savings is the
most important factor in a traveler’s choice to
take transit.
2. To provide a higher service quality: A high
quality of service can make a transit mode more
attractive to riders who might otherwise drive.

11. Time-Savings Elements
of BRT

12. Median Alignment
Bus lanes
separated from
traffic with a
median alignment
Eugene, Oregon

13. Prohibiting left turns across the busway
Las Vegas, NV

14. : Ahmedabad, India

15. Off-board fare collection
New York, Los
Angeles, Eugene,
Cleveland have off
board fare collection.
All are ‘proof of
payment’ systems

16. Off-board fare collection
Cities around the
world use gate-
controlled off-board
fare collection.
Mexico City, Mexico

17. Platform-Level Boarding:
Internationally, it is ubiquitous
Quito, Ecuador
Porto Alegre, Brazil

18. In the US, only Eugene and Cleveland
Eugene, Oregon
Cleveland, Ohio

19. High-frequency service at peak periods,
off-peak, late night, and weekends
Bogota, Colombia

20. Quality-of-Service
Elements of BRT

21. High-quality stations:
Wide, weather protected, safe, well-lit
attractive
Johannesburg, South Africa

22. System branding
Las Vegas, Nevada

23. Passenger Information
York, Ontario

24. Integration Elements of
BRT

25. Physical integration with transit network
Miami’s busway is closely integrated with the city’s elevated rail system

26. Bicycle Lanes in Corridor
Bogota, Colombia

27. Secure bike parking at BRT stations
Los Angeles Orange Line

28. Top U.S. BRT corridors
Cleveland Los Angeles Las Vegas Eugene Pittsburgh
Bronze Bronze Bronze Bronze Bronze
Top international BRT corridors
Bogota, Guangzhou, Lima, Peru Johannesburg, Mexico City,
Colombia China South Africa Mexico
Gold Gold Gold Silver Silver

29. Cleveland: the most full-featured BRT in the US

30. Lower capital costs of BRT allow
for a broader network
426 kilometres of BRT 40 kilometres of LRT
14 kilometres of elevated rail 7 kilometres of subway

31. Development Potential

32. Development Potential
Curitiba, Brazil

33. Necessary Ingredients
1. The right corridor
• Is there developable land?
• Is the corridor in or near mixed-use areas
or a downtown?
• Does the corridor have any natural
features?

34. Necessary Ingredients
he right corridor: Las Vegas choose an excellent corridor for
Strip Downtown Express line
Downtown, Las Vegas, Nevada

35. Necessary Ingredients
2. Zoning
• Is the corridor zoned for high-density, mixed-use
development?
• Does this kind of zoning apply citywide or is it
constrained to a few corridors?
• If it is not currently zoned for high-density development,
is it possible to change the zoning?

36. Necessary Ingredients
Zoning: White Flint Sector Plan in North Bethesda, MD
proposes zoning changes favorable to transit
White Flint, North Bethesda, Maryland

37. Necessary Ingredients
3. Incentives for development
• Can the city offer tax incentives to developers?
• Will the city improve the streetscape?

38. Necessary Ingredients
Incentives for development : Cleveland offered tax incentives
for redeveloping historic buildings on Euclid Ave and also
invested in a full streetscaping project
Euclid Ave, Cleveland, Ohio

39. Necessary Ingredients
With these ingredients, a mass transit investment is likely
to have positive development impacts.
But what kind of mass transit investment?

40. It’s the quality, not the mode
Cleveland’s HealthLine Seattle’s Light Rail

41. Cleveland’s HealthLine

42. The Challenges

43. Dedicating a lane: Parking

44. Dedicating a lane: Mixed Traffic

45. You need a political champion

46. Thank you!