Dario Hidalgo

Bus Rapid Transit Systems in Latin America and Asia: Results and Difficulties in 11 Cities

This paper summarizes technical, financial, and performance information regarding bus system improvements in 11 cities in Latin America and Asia. The cities selected in this review improved their transport conditions either through citywide bus reorganizations (São Paulo, Brazil; Santiago, Chile) or through improvements in selected corridors and areas of the city (Beijing; Bogotá and Pereira, Colombia; Curitiba, Brazil; Jakarta, Indonesia; León and Mexico City, Mexico; and Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador). Both citywide reorganizations and corridor improvements included the introduction of bus rapid transit (BRT) elements. The reviewed systems improved the transport conditions for the commuters served and had other benefits, particularly the reduction of pollution and accidents. The BRT corridors implemented show high performance (carrying 3,000 to 45,000 passengers per hour per direction) and have generally been well received by the users, with relatively low capital investments (

The promise and challenges of integrating public transportation in Bogotá, Colombia

1.4 million/km to

Citywide transit integration in a large city: the Interligado System of Sao Paulo, Brazil

8.2 million/km) and small or no operational subsidies. The systems have faced problems related to planning, implementation, and operations, mostly as a result of institutional and financial constraints. Most problems were solved in the initial months after implementation. The experiences in developing cities show the potential of BRT for a wide range of applications, from medium-demand to very-high-demand corridors. Lessons learned from these applications are useful for the development of similar projects.

Bus Rapid Transit in Curitiba, Brazil A Look at the Outcome After 35 Years of Bus-Oriented Development

Several cities in the developing world are transforming decentralized bus transit services into integrated transit systems. These programs aspire to improve service quality and mitigate negative impacts such as pollution and traffic injuries and fatalities. However, implementation processes in Santiago, Chile and elsewhere have proven difficult. One contributing factor has been a lack of integration of community concerns in the planning process. In this paper, we provide a framework for direct identification of user needs and apply it to an ongoing transit reform process in Bogotá, Colombia. Bogotá is integrating its bus rapid transit system with reorganized bus services throughout the city. Using expert interviews and a semi-structured community survey, we identify awareness, expectations and aspiration gaps between transit users and planners, as well as equity concerns. These gaps are part of a conflict we refer to as vision dissonance. We suggest specific actions to mitigate these problems in Bogotá and actions that may help reformers in other cities avoid encountering similar problems. A key lesson is that user consultation is valuable for identifying incompatibilities between users’ self-identified needs and project goals. If such consultation is conducted early in a planning process, planners of future projects may be able to prevent rather than correct unanticipated incompatibilities. The methods developed for this research can help planners in other large-scale transit integration processes conduct effective user consultation.

Understanding Road Safety Impact of High-Performance Bus Rapid Transit and Busway Design Features

The Interligado System is a large-scale transit modernization plan for the Municipality of São Paulo, Brazil, which optimizes bus routes and services through the use of advanced technologies for fare integration, bus fleet renovations, new requirements for the companies delivering transit services, and support infrastructure for buses (e.g., priority and exclusive lanes, bus stops, integration terminals, and user information and control systems). The implementation of the Interligado System represents a significant planning and implementation effort involving 39 private bus providers, cooperatives of 6,000 self-employed van operators, and 13,700 vehicles. Electronic farecards allow passengers to ride a combination of lines within a 2-h period. Integration of municipal bus services was completed in May 2004, and integration with Metro and state buses was completed in 2006. The name “Interligado” is no longer used to brand the transit reform, but the project components not only remain in place but have been upgraded over time. The main outcome of the reform has been an increase in public transportation usage within the city of São Paulo. Transit trips grew 15% and boardings grew 49% between 2002 and 2006. The temporal integration scheme has changed the way passengers select a combination of services and has resulted in travel-time and cost savings. Users have responded well to the operational improvements in the priority corridor Passa-Rápido. Nevertheless, the overall rating of municipal buses has declined. The main complaints were high levels of pollution, long waiting and travel times, and congestion. This paper presents a description of the city context and project implementation; an assessment of planning, implementation, and operational issues; and recommendations and lessons learned.

A review of technological improvements in bus rapid transit (BRT) and buses with high level of service (BHLS)

Curitiba, the worlds cradle for bus rapid transit (BRT), is an affluent city in Brazil. Its integrated transit network (RIT) is one of the most successful bus transit systems in the Western Hemisphere. RIT is the result of 35 years of continuous upgrades to bus service, which ultimately led to the creation of the BRT concept and lent structure to Curitibas urban development. The recently inaugurated Green Line (Linha Verde) is the backbone of a renewed urban structural concept, with a linear park and the redevelopment of low-density, industrial properties. The line takes full advantage of evolved BRT concepts, such as cleaner vehicles and fuels and the introduction of passing lanes at stations to increase capacity and improve commercial speeds. The success of Curitiba derives from a mix of political leadership, innovation, pragmatism, technocracy, and continuity. This paper presents Curitibas main transit milestones over time, barriers to planning and implementation, and measures adopted to solve or mitigate them. A series of recommendations includes (a) improvements in the delivery of quality of service to transit users, (b) conduct of a home-based origin–destination survey to identify the mobility pattern within the metropolitan area, and (c) consideration of value capture mechanisms and public–private partnerships in transit projects.

Indian Bus Rapid Transit Systems Funded by the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission

The design choices made in the planning of a new bus rapid transit (BRT) or busway corridor (e.g., use of a center-lane or curbside configuration, counterflow lanes, and open or closed stations) affect not only the operational performance of the system but also the risks of crashes, injuries, and fatalities on the facility over its lifetime. With data from nine BRT systems and busways around the world (including Bogotá, Colombia; Curitiba, Brazil; Mexico City, Mexico; and Delhi, India), some of the road safety impacts of major BRT–busway corridor design characteristics are illustrated. The approach included a combination of crash frequency modeling, road safety inspections, and interviews with transit agency staff and safety experts. Center-lane systems tended generally to be safer than were curbside systems, and counter flow lanes were the most dangerous possible configuration. Some of the features that provide higher passenger capacity (such as multiple bus lanes and multiple docking bays at stations) may introduce new types of conflicts and crashes. In the planning of any bus system, trade-offs often need to be made between capacity, safety, and pedestrian accessibility along the corridor. This study provides the necessary elements for successfully integrating road safety considerations into the design and operation of future BRT systems and busways.

Traffic safety in surface public transport systems: a synthesis of research

Bus rapid transit BRT, and its European counterpart buses with high level of service BHLS, have been adopted by more than 160 cities around the world as a low cost, rapid implementation option for improved transit services. This paper summarizes some past advances of BRT and BHLS and presents some trends in vehicle guidance, propulsion technologies and information systems which are shaping the future of bus systems. We use the cities of Curitiba, Paris, Bogotá, Santiago, Istanbul, and Guangzhou to present relevant breakthroughs in bus system evolution. Thanks to the advances pioneered in these cities, BRT and BHLS became feasible alternatives to or complement metro and trams, and an integral part of integrated transit solutions, even in megacities like Mexico, Rio de Janeiro, Beijing, and New York. Evolution is ongoing; cities and providers are advancing technological components to enhance passenger experience and improve the technical, economic and environmental performance of BRT and BHLS.

BRT and BHLS around the world: Explosive growth, large positive impacts and many issues outstanding

This paper reviews the planning, implementation, and initial operation of bus rapid transit systems (BRTSs) in India. The initial four cities that received funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) are reviewed: Ahmedabad, Indore, Jaipur, and Pune. JnNURM is a Government of India (GOI) program to support state and local investment in urban development. GOI also adopted a National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP). Indian states and municipalities are required to follow NUTP rules and regulations, including clear incentives for the implementation of public transport systems and nonmotorized infrastructure projects, as opposed to general road construction or expansion projects. This paper describes relevant characteristics of the BRTSs being implemented in each city and provides comments on planning, design, and institutional arrangements. The projects are an important departure from traditional urban transport practices in Indian cities: they prioritize the use of public transport and nonmotorized modes. Nevertheless, this preliminary survey suggests that in most cases a strong focus remains on infrastructure, while other elements of BRTSs receive less attention. As a result, the full potential of BRTSs is not necessarily attained. Regarding planning activities, it is noted that demand estimation and operations design could have been more elaborate. This paper provides general recommendations for planners, decision makers, and funding agencies in an effort to improve the state of the practice in India and other developing countries.

TransMilenio BRT system in Bogota, high performance and positive impact – Main results of an ex-post evaluation

While there is a growing body of literature on transit safety, most studies on this topic tend to focus on a single type of transit system or on a single city. There is a need for a better understanding of safety issues across different transit modes and in different geographies in order to help inform city or transit agencies choosing between different transit system design options on the safety implications of their choices. We address this gap by reviewing the existing literature on transit safety for different bus and rail surface transit systems. We found that the main safety issues and common crash types depend more on the geometry of intersections and the corridor layout than on the type of technology used for transit vehicles (i.e. bus or rail) and that these issues are similar across different regions of the world. Furthermore, we found that there is a good understanding of the problems faced by transit systems, and a wide range of suggested countermeasures, but little evidence on the effectiveness of the different countermeasures in reducing target crashes. By taking an approach that cuts across different transit modes, we are also able to suggest solutions from one type of system that could be applicable to another. For example, we point out that Bus Rapid Transit agencies could learn from light rail operations about best practices in managing conflict points between transit vehicles.