How do you define BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) ? (suburbs, highway, downtown)

[Joke Insurance]

When I think of BRT, I think of it having dedicated bus lines instead of sharing it with other vehicles. If it doesn't have dedicated lanes, it is just another bus route in my eyes.

So how would you define it?

[memph]

I guess that's one way you could define it. There's many way to improve speed and service from regular buses though.

-dedicated or HOV lanes
-signal priority
-smart card payment for faster boarding
-fewer stops
-using highways
-maps at stations
-information on when the next bus arrives
-using smart phone apps to provide maps, schedules, info on delays
-bus shelters, possibly with seats
-longer or articulated buses

In my city, they use many terms, local buses, express buses, BRT-lite and BRT to distinguish between the different variations.

For me BRT should have all of the above except long/articulated vehicles, smart phone apps and using highways.

[pvande55]

In Curitiba Brasil, it is a dedicated lane for bus only, traffic signal priority and also loading tubes. Passengers pay their fare to get into one, when the bus comes they all get on at once, which speeds loading time.
Curitiba's Bus System is Model for Rapid Transit | Urban Habitat

[ssiguy]

When I think of BRT I tend to think of Curitiba or Ottawa's Transitway or Pittsburg's MLK line.
Basically have a bus "road" as opposed to bus "lanes". The latter can certainly enhance service but I tend to put the emphasis on the "R" of the BRT systems. To me the difference between true BRT and enhanced service is akin to the difference between streetcars and LRT,
BRT can certainly have some road interaction especially downtown but primarily has it's own transit infrastructure as opposed to primarily just revamping current roads.
I went to university in Ottawa so I know how REAL BRT works as opposed to Vancouver's BLine system. The BLine is an excellent service with high frequency, POP boarding, some bus lanes, and limited stops. It is a great service but I still think of it as more or an enhanced or "quality" bus service than the true BRT of Ottawa.

[That Ottawa One]

Ottawa's system has an express transitway network for the rapid transit buses, as the poster above points out. Buses are articulated, although our transit will be adding a fleet of double-decker buses in the next couple of years as well. POP boarding, so you don't need to show a pass during rush hour, or board only through the front door of the bus -- during rush hour, all doors of the bus open for people to exit/board the bus, so that it speeds that process up. These buses also run the most frequently, with more buses added during peak commuter times. The express routes are a priority for salting and snow removal in the Winter.

[IAm_FloridaBorn]

Bus Rapid Transit Right? Simple. Here it means a Bus route which transits people at a rapid pace through-out the day. For instance there are many bus route that run every hour or ever thirty minutes. You have a few routes which run every 10-15 minutes and you can see two or three buses running behind each other.


Or The extra long buses with the connector in the middle.

[Joke Insurance]

I personally believe that if the bus line does not have some sort of dedicated lane, it is not BRT. Maybe an express bus route.

[wpipkins]

The city of Pittsburgh invented BRT. BRT systems have been running in Pittsburgh since the 70's. The most popular line which happens to be more popular and heavily traveled than our Light Rail line is the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway. It services the densily populated eastern neighborhoods and suburbs. It is a dedicated highway for buses with limited access. It runs along the original Pennsylvania Railroad tracks from the Rankin bridge in Rankin to Downtown Pittsburgh. Once in downtown, the buses use regular streets and loops around town before returning to the "busway". The articulated buses run every 2-5 minuted during rush hour. During off peak hours, the run approx. every 15 minutes. It takes about 17 minutes to get from penn Station (Downtown) to Swissvale/Rankin at about 55MPH.

[Malloric]

I'll take Fictional for $400, Alex.

Never seen one in my life but maybe they exist somewhere?

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by Malloric

I'll take Fictional for $400, Alex.
Never seen one in my life but maybe they exist somewhere?

Drive up I-5 (about 500miles) to Oregon sometime soon.
Eugene-Springfield has it.

with pictures:
Emerald Express (EmX) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

hth