Journal of Engineering Research and Studies E-ISSN 0976-7916

Review Article
AN OVERVIEW ON BUS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM
Agarwal P K1, Sharma Anupama2, Singh A. P3

Address for Correspondence

1
Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of
Technology (MANIT), Bhopal MP INDIA
2
Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Maulana Azad National Institute of
Technology (MANIT), Bhopal MP INDIA
3
M.Tech (Transportation Engg.), Department of Civil Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of
Technology, Bhopal 462051, India
E mail: [email protected],[email protected], [email protected]
ABSTRACT
Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) is an innovative, high capacity, lower cost public transport solution that can
significantly improve urban mobility. Public Transport System in most Indian cities is rapidly deteriorating because
of the increasing travel demand and inefficient transportation system. There are various problems related with public
transport such that tremendous increase in number of accidents, Environmental degradation, Congestion,
Overcrowding due to inadequate system, Frequency of service and schedule is not strictly adhered. The problem of
pollution, safety and inefficiency have reached at a alarming level in most of the major cities in India due to
unabated growth of its population -both of people and motor vehicles, combined with inefficient public transport
system and poor enforcement of environmental laws etc. Thus, there is a great need to ensure clean, efficient,
affordable, effective and safe public transportation system and for this Bus Rapid Transit System could become an
appropriate solution. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Systems have emerged as one of the important mode of public
transport. They are Motorized Transport comparatively flexible, easily accessible, and efficient and also cost
effective in terms of being able to transport a large number of people (rather than vehicles). BRT systems can easily
be customized to community needs and incorporate state-of-the-art, low-cost technologies that result in more
passengers and less congestion. This paper presents an overview of BRTS and the salient features of BRTS.
KEY WORDS: BRTS, CBDs, HOV
INTRODUCTION Capacity Bus System’ as it is commonly
Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) takes part referred to, is a flexible mass-transit mode that
of its name from "Rapid Transit", which has the advantage of being the most
describes a high-capacity transport system economical amongst the mass-transit options.
with its own right-of-way, implemented using BRTS flexibility is both in terms of routes and
buses through infrastructural and scheduling areas of coverage as well as in terms of its
improvements, to provide a high level of amenability to features-up-gradation over
service. Complicated as it sounds, this is time. BRTS, as a system, includes a number of
nothing but high-capacity articulated buses broad elements such as running way, stations
operating in lanes reserved for their exclusive (or stops), vehicles, service and operating
use. The Bus Rapid Transit system is expected plans, fare collection, ITS (intelligent
to revolutionize public transport with new transportation system) etc., under which the
buses, special lanes and new routes, all at a different features of BRT are subsumed. In
low cost. Bus Rapid Transit System, or ‘High

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India, roads are often designed to take a urban transport. It is similar to a mass bus network
particular number of users, say 30,000 persons on the road surface on the lines of a local rail

per hour per direction. But the demand for use network, where pre-ticketing, wider and lower
floors, high frequency and efficiency cut precious
of any one road tells us only part of the story;
commuting time and give breathing space to the
looking at corridor volumes using a travel
roads and parking areas which become bereft of
demand model is a flawed approach. A service
private vehicular congestion. It is also a
which delivers passengers from their desired
comprehensive system wherein cycling and
origins to their desired destinations should be pedestrian paths make the roads more people-
conceived while designing roadways. A single oriented. As many as 35 cities in the world have
dedicated lane BRTS is known to carry 20,000 successful BRTS, including five in China, besides
passengers per hour per direction. The Bus North and Latin America and Europe.
Rapid Transit System (BRTS) system project NEEDS
is intended to reduce traffic on roads while There are many reasons for developing Bus

improving service - at no extra cost to Rapid Transit system:

commuters. The new 160-seater buses will be • Central business districts (CBDs) have
continued to prosper and grow in ways that
operated by metro bus and other contracted
require more transport capacity and
operators. The system helped to reduce traffic,
improved access. Given the cost and
air and noise pollution and lengthy commuting
environmental impacts associated with
times. Segregation by vehicle type or travel
parking and road construction and the
mode is the key to improving traffic flow. In a traditional urban form of most CBDs,
BRTS system the median and the inner most improved and expanded public transport
lane or the left most lane can be dedicated to emerges as an important alternative for
the bus. In case of median lanes bus stops or providing that capacity. In addition, many
stations can be built in the median to further suburban cities exceed the aggregate

improve the flow. Passengers are allowed to employment base of many urban city CBDs
but do not currently have the focus and
cross at the nearest signal or intersections. A
density to make rail-based rapid transit a
well implemented efficiently-run BRTS will
cost effective investment.
also cause citizens to switch travel modes
• BRTS systems can often be implemented
from car to bus, which will further alleviate
quickly and incrementally.
the traffic situation.
• For a given distance of dedicated running
BRT has gained considerable respect around the
way, BRTS is generally less costly to
world as a practical and affordable choice for mass

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build than rail transit. Moreover, where separated rail rapid transit lines. For
BRTS vehicles can reliably operate at high example, Bogota’s Trans Milenio system
speeds on high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) serves more than 25,000 peak-hour (Trans
lanes or general-purpose highways and Milenio, 2008), peak-direction maximum
streets over significant proportions of a load point riders. The efficiency of the
given route, running way capital costs will system and high capacity of the passengers
be even lower compared to those for rail depends on the system as a whole and not
modes, which must be purpose-built over necessarily on the size of buses, though
the entire distance covered. when necessary articulated buses could be
• BRTS can be the most cost-effective means used with ease. However, BRTS in other
of serving a broad variety of urban and countries can handle passenger flows in the
suburban environments. BRTS vehicles, range of 5,000 to 25,000 passengers per
whether they are driver-steered or hour per direction. BRTS is designed and
electronically guided, can operate on streets, developed to tackle all the drawbacks of the
in freeway medians, on railroad rights-of- existing bus system in an economical and
way, on aerial structures, and underground. efficient manner. It is a low-cost option for
BRTS systems can also provide a broad providing cities with a quality transit option.
array of express, limited-stop, and local all- MAJOR ELEMENTS OF BUS RAPID
stop services on a single facility without TRANSIT SYSTEM
complex signal and guide-way switching The major elements of bus rapid transit are
systems. described below.
• BRTS can provide quality performance with • Running ways-running ways drive travel
sufficient transport capacity. For example, speeds, reliability and identity. Options
the Ottawa transit way system’s link to the range from general traffic lanes to fully-
CBD carries more people in the peak hour grade separated BRT transit ways
than most LRT segments in North America. • Stations –Stations, as the entry point to the
The Brisbane South East Bus way carries system, are the single most important
approximately the same number of customer interface, affecting accessibility,
maximum load point, peak-hour, and peak- reliability, comfort, safety and security, as
direction passengers about 10,000 per hour well as dwell times, and system image. BRT
(Translink, 2008). Many BRTS lines in station options vary from simple stops with
South American cities carry peak-hour basic shelter to complex intermodal
passenger flows that equal or exceed those terminals with many amenities.
on many U.S. and Canadian fully grade-

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Photo 1: Attractive Stations for comfort of BRTS Passengers

• Vehicle-BRTS system can utilized a wide process, particularly when a variety of fares
range of vehicles, from standard buses to are collected for different destinations and/or
specialized vehicles. Options vary in term of classes of passengers.
size, propulsion system, design, internal An alternative would be the collection of
configuration, and horizontal/longitudinal fares upon entering an enclosed bus station or
control, all of which impact system shelter area prior to bus arrivals (similar to
performance, capacity and service quality. fare collection at a kiosk prior to entering a
Aesthetics, both internal and external are also subway system).
important for establishing and reinforcing the This system would allow passengers to board
brand identity of the system. through all doors of a stopped bus. This also
• Off-bus fare collection: Conventional on includes smart cards and payment through
board fare collection slows the boarding credit cards.

Photo 2: Improved and Attractive Vehicles for passengers

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Photo 3: Off-bus fare collection shows the efficiency of BRTS

• Intelligent transportation System (ITS): A BUS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM (BRTS) IN
wide variety of ITS technologies can be INDIA
integrated into BRT System to improve BRT With the unprecedented and rapid pace of
System performances in terms of travel times, urbanization, The BRTS is successfully running
reliability, convenience, operational in a number of cities the majority of the million
efficiency, safety and security. plus cities in India are facing across the world
ITS options include vehicle priority, like, Curitiba, Bogotá, Sao Paulo, Mexico
operations and maintenance management, serious problems of traffic congestion and
operator communications, real time pollution.
passenger’s information, and safety and The City, LA, Beijing, Taipei, Seoul, Beijing,
security systems. Johannesburg and solution to these twin
• Service and operation plan-designing a problems is being increasingly seen Lagos. In
service plan that meets the needs of the India the BRT System is being implemented in
population and employment centers in the area Delhi, Ahmedabad and Pune while, Jaipur,
and matches the demand for service is a key Bhopal, Hyderabad, Indore and few other cities
step in defining a BRT system. How it is will be following soon. Table 1 presents the
designed can impact system capacity, service details of various BRTS projects being
reliability, and travels times, including wait implemented in India.
and transfer times.

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Table 1 Details of various BRTS projects being implemented in India

BENEFITS general about 1.5 to 2 minutes per mile (Hobert

BRTS serves following benefits et al, 2004). Actual time savings are greatest
Saving in travel time on the exclusive travel when the previous speeds were the slowest.
ways the person minutes saved is more than the Reduced congestion
person minutes lost by people in automobiles, Congestion has long been recognized as an
which means significant saving in travel time. environmental problem. Other than causing
Exclusive travel ways reduce travel times in delay, it causes noise and fumes and increases

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health risks to road users and residents. Cost it can carry 5400 bicycles per hour. Average
estimates for HCBS are significantly less than occupancy of a car is 1.15 persons and bicycle
the cost of grade separators, provided to reduce carries one person. This implies that in order to
congestion. move the same number of people we would need
Increased safety 2.6 times the roads are that would be required
By creating segregated bicycle lanes and re- for bicyclists. Give the fact that there is not
designing intersections, conflicts between much space available to expand existing road the
motorized traffic and bicyclists can be reduced future mobility needs and projected trips can
leading to a sharp decrease in the number of only be met by increasing the capacity of the
accidents and fatalities for bicyclists and existing road network. This can be achieved by
motorized two-wheelers. encouraging modes, which are more efficient in
Increased capacity terms of space utilization. Motorized vehicles
An exclusive bus lane carries significantly more benefit because of improved capacity of road
people than an adjoining general traffic lane and improvement in speeds. Capacity estimates
during the peak travel periods. The number of of a typical arterial road in Delhi show
bus riders in an exclusive bus lane exceeds the improvement in corridor capacity by 19-23
number of automobile occupants using adjacent percent by providing an exclusive cycle track. If
lanes. Thus exclusive travel ways result in to the full capacity of the corridor is utilized, i.e.,
increased capacity. If a separate segregated lane provision of a high capacity improvement by 56-
is constructed for BRTS and bicycles, the 73 percent (present carrying capacity is 23,000
curbside lane, which is currently used by passengers/hour to 45,000 passengers/hour)
bicyclists, becomes available to motorized (Tiwari G., 2004). BRT systems provide a
traffic and buses. This relatively small dedicated corridor for quicker bus movements
investment in bicycle lanes can increase the road (coupled with bus priority signaling system) and
space for motorized traffic by 50% on three lane give a segregated and safe corridor for
roads. Bicycle lanes also result in better space pedestrians and non-motorized transport like
utilization. Not only does extra space on the cycles and cycle rickshaws. Salient Features of
main carriageway become available to other Bus Rapid Transit System can be summarized as
modes, the dedicated bicycle track also provides follows:
a higher capacity for bicyclists. Provision of • Bus only, grade-separated (or at-grade
exclusive bicycle track also provides an exclusive) right-of-way: The main feature
opportunity to develop left lane as an exclusive of a BRT system is having dedicated bus
bus lane. For instance a 3.5 m wide lane has a lanes which operate separate from all other
carrying capacity of 1800 cars per hour whereas traffic modes.

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Photo 4: Exclusive right of way to improve efficiency of BRTS

• Comprehensive coverage: In addition to Increased Accessibility: BRTS being a
using dedicated bus lanes, BRTs can also flexible system can run on the street across
take advantage of existing roadways in cities the street, over the street or on canal banks.
that already have a comprehensive road Although it serves communities best when
network for private automobiles. Service can built on surface, BRTS can be run on
be made more time efficient and reliable elevated structures or in tunnels if necessary.
than a standard bus system by taking Stations and right‐of‐way are compact and
advantage of bus priority methods. efficient.
• Bus priority at Intersections /Signals: Identity and Image: Through articulated
Preferential treatment of buses at metro‐like BRTS System elements viz.
intersections reduces delay to buses to a Running Ways, Stations, Vehicles, Fare
great extent. Intersection priority can be Collection, ITS, Service and Operating
particularly helpful when implemented in Plans, BRTS will have a unique identity and
conjunction with bus lanes or streets, public image.
because general-purpose traffic does not Travel time savings: With respect to total
intervene between buses and traffic signals BRTS travel times, BRTS projects with
Positive Impacts more exclusive running ways generally
From the socio‐economic and safety perspective, experience the greatest travel time savings
post‐project evaluation studies suggest that compared to the local bus route. Exclusive
BRTS can bring a range of benefits for users as transit way projects abroad operate at an
well as the community residing along the project average speed of 35 kms per hour and
corridors through different BRTS System Arterial BRT projects in mixed flow traffic
elements, BRTS performance, and BRTS or designated lanes at 20‐25 kms per hour).
System benefits:

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Reliability: One of the basic objectives of information advantages of BRTS are seen
any transport infrastructure projects is positively by potential BRTS customers
saving in travel time. Systems with more when they make their travel decisions.
exclusive transit ways would demonstrate When considering impacts on rider‐ship, it
the most reliability and the least schedule is important to note that BRTS systems
variability and bunching. Passenger surveys attract three types of trips:
around the world indicate that reliability is a) Existing transit trips that diverted to the
important for attracting and retaining new BRTS system from other
passengers. New automated vehicle location systems/services
systems allow for the objective and b) Totally new or “induced” trips that were
conclusive measurement of reliability. not made before by transit or any other
Safety and Security: BRTS will be a safe mode
mode of public transportation. Passengers c) Trips that were previously made by
traveling by BRTS are very safe and another, non‐transit mode (drive alone,
neighborhoods through which the system carpool, walk or bicycle) now opt for
passes are also much safer. A single bus BRTS service.
will remove about 50 cars from the road and • Transit Supportive Land Development:
scientific signal systems will make the BRTS will enhance property value along the
neighborhoods safer for local traffic and corridor. In some cases, the development
pedestrians. Customer perceptions of will take place adjacent to transit to the
“personal safety” or security reveal that transit facility, while in other places the
customers perceive BRT systems to be safer development would be integrated with the
than the rest of the transit system. transit stations. Generally, it is being
Increased Rider‐ship: Attracting higher recommended to link transit and land
rider‐ship is one of the main goals of any development around the world and even in
rapid transit investment. The ability to Indian cities where BRTS is being
attract rider‐ship reaffirms the attractiveness implemented including Ahmadabad wherein
of the transit service and confers many increase in FAR is being proposed along
benefits to a region, including reduced BRTS corridor on ring road. Hence, transit
congestion, increased accessibility, and oriented development is envisaged for
reduced pollution. The number of Bhopal also.
passengers is the surest indicator that a • BRTS reduces pollution: When discussing
service is attractive and appropriately urban transportation systems, the primary
designed. The identity and passenger way to improve the environment is through

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reduction of vehicular emissions to improve
Improved Economic

air quality. The BRT System will take large Opportunities – Providing
number of individualized vehicles off the additional mobility choices can
road, thereby reducing air and noise enhance the pool of employment
pollution. opportunities a regional population
• Other Benefits: Like all successful transit can pursue and reduce costs
modes, bus rapid transit may also result in associated with more expensive
other system benefits. These benefits can modes. Retail establishments and
include: other businesses benefit from

Increased Revenue – Ability to increased sales and labor force
generate revenue from new riders, availability.
new ways of collecting fares, or new
Job Creation – Transit investment
auxiliary revenue sources (e.g., has direct positive impacts on
advertising opportunities on employment for the construction,
passenger information). planning, and design of the

Reduced Congestion – The ability facilities.
to attract riders from the automobile Negative Impacts
can help reduce or limit the growth On locations where the existing carriageway is
in congestion. too narrow, due to many reasons including

Economic productivity – encroachments to allow construction of new
Improvements to BRTS system corridor and consequent widening, construction
design can save time for existing of stations and depots, additional land
BRT passengers, improve mobility acquisition is unavoidable. There are few
for new BRTS passengers, and stretches along identified corridors where
reduce congestion on the road existing carriageway is just insufficient for the
network, saving time for automobile system to be built, thereby, necessitating
users and freight carriers. clearance of structures.

Quality of Life – Providing CONCLUSIONS AND
mobility alternatives and improving RECOMMENDATIONS
transit supportive development can • An important advantage of BRTS is its
improve the quality of life of a flexibility. This approach lends itself to
region. Transit also supports incremental learning of the problem, and
community preservation. eliminating mistakes as the development
proceeds. The relatively low

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implementation costs also don't leave suitably redesigned to take care of safety
taxpayers tied to one particular aspect.
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