Bus rapid transit

Bus rapid transit (BRT, BRTS, busway) is a bus-based mass transit system. A true BRT system generally has specialized design, services and infrastructure to improve system quality and remove the typical causes of delay. Sometimes described as a "surface subway", BRT aims to combine the capacity and speed of light rail or metro with the flexibility, lower cost and simplicity of a bus system.

To be considered BRT, buses should operate for a significant part of their journey within a fully dedicated right of way (busway) to avoid traffic congestion. In addition, a true BRT system has most of the following elements:

The first BRT system was the Rede Integrada de Transporte ('Integrated Transportation Network') in Curitiba, Brazil, which entered service in 1974. This inspired many similar systems around Brazil and the world, such as TransMilenio in Bogotá, Colombia, which opened in 2000. As of October 2014, 186 cities in all continents have implemented BRT systems, accounting for 4,757 km (2,956 mi) of BRT lanes. It is estimated that about 31.7 million passengers use BRT worldwide everyday, of which about 19.7 million passengers ride daily in Latin America, which has the most cities with BRT systems, with 60, led by Brazil with 33 cities.

Ottawa Rapid Transit

In Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, the public transit service operated by OC Transpo has two rapid transit systems: the Transitway, a bus rapid transit (BRT) network, and the O-Train light rail transit (LRT) service operating on the Trillium Line with diesel-powered train sets.

Bus rapid transit: the Transitway

Major routes

The Transitway was one of the most extensive and successful implementations of bus rapid transit, having begun service in 1983; many of the Transitway roads are above or below the grade of normal streets in Ottawa, by the use of overpasses, bridges, and trench highways. Thus, they rarely intersect directly with the regular traffic, and make it possible for the buses (and emergency vehicles) to continue at full speed even during rush hour. Buses that travel on the Transitway can cross very long distances (especially outside the downtown area) without stopping for a single traffic light. Most sections of the Transitway have a speed limit of 70–90 km/h (43–56 mph) between stations, and 50 km/h (31 mph) in the station areas.

407 Transitway

The 407 Transitway is a bus rapid transit system (BRT) being planned along Ontario Highway 407, spanning the Greater Toronto Area between Hurontario Street in Peel Region, and Brock Road in Durham Region. The 407 Transitway is being planned in three segments:

The Government of Ontario does not intend on opening the first segment, between Highway 400 to Kennedy Road, until 2023. The project is listed in the regional transportation plan The Big Move within the 25-year timeframe.

References

External links