01046158

Component

This paper provides a review of planning, implementation, and operation of bus system’s improvements in six cities in Latin America and Asia, with a focus in problems and shortcomings. Cities selected in this review greatly improved transport conditions in selected corridors and areas of the city with the introduction of Bus Rapid Transit. The reviewed systems show high performance (3,000-45,000 passengers/hour/direction) and good perception by the users, with relatively low capital investments (USD 1.8 million/km - USD 8.2 million/km) and small or no operational subsidies. Nevertheless, many things could have been done differently: implementation was rushed, financial and institutional sustainability was not necessarily assured, and integration to the rest of the transport system and between some components was incomplete. There were also some problems with pavement and segregation devices and unsolved bottlenecks and conflicts with the general traffic. User education was also an issue, especially at systems initial operation and large scale expansions. The paper provides some recommendations for planners and decision makers of such systems, especially in developing cities.

01042056

07-0938

English

22p

2007

Transportation Research Board 86th Annual Meeting

CD-ROM

References (12) ; Tables (5)

Bus rapid transit; Highway operations; Implementation; Public transit; Transit operating agencies; Transportation corridors; Transportation planning

Asia; Beijing (China); Bogota (Colombia); Jakarta (Indonesia); Latin America; Leon (Mexico); Mexico City (Mexico); Quito (Ecuador)

Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Research; Terminals and Facilities

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2007 Paper #07-0938

TRIS, TRB

Feb 8 2007 5:31PM