BRT [BUS RAPID TRANSIT] - The future of public transport

[Sunbus610]

BRT – A Public Transport Solution
The growth in population of Australian cities and major regional centres has seen an increased reliance on the car and growing congestion.
Concerns about climate change, the problems of social isolation, health and the ageing population make it vital to put a new public transport system in place.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) will meet this need.

BRT is a roadway based rapid transit system that offers a high capacity transport service in dedicated right of way (ROW) lanes.
BRT systems are sleek and modern in design and can offer passengers a high quality, fast and flexible public transport experience.

Read the full report HERE
Source:- www.ozebus.com.au

[#Metro]

Sigh. Once again Mode X vs Mode Y rather than integrated networks vs THE CAR.

BRT is a great PT solution and is widely applicable. But it is important to sort the spin from the facts. BRT or ANY mode for that matter is not the future of public transport. Integrated networks with high frequency service and proper Service Characteristics are. (What mobility means ---> http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=5958.0)

By using roads BRT won't require expensive tracks and other support
infrastructure, saving millions of dollars in capital investment costs.

A wildly broad generalisation about mode. The per km costs of the busways being built in Brisbane is HIGHER than light rail on the Gold Coast and similar to that of heavy rail construction. The class of right of way (Class A, Class B, Class C) is a very significant determinant of the cost.

Unlike rail, this dedicated ROW lane can be shared with emergency vehicles,
providing congestion-free travel for public safety.

True, but not likely to be used, most freeways have emergency lanes plus can also have traffic move out of the way and if you have LRT emergency vehicles can also run on that ROW provided the tracks are set in concrete.

The latest worldwide BRT initiatives have passenger capacity capabilities at
around 38,000 – 42,000 passengers per hour in one direction.

At these levels of patronage BRT becomes wildly inefficient vs Rail operation. These examples come from developing countries where the cost of labour is very very low vs capital. You would not build something like this in a country like Australia using buses, and if you did it would need to be Class A row (so same costs as rail) plus have lots of drivers (high operational cost vs rail which can be automatic!!!).

BRT provides a high frequency service eliminating the need to consult a trip
schedule. BRT also provides the unique ability to offer a combination of express
and "all stop" services.

Gee whiz. Unique Ability! Anyone would think that trains to the Gold Coast and Ipswich stop all stations! Have they even looked at the TL website? There are express trains DO exist!

This is because BRT systems use Hybrid technology to meet stringent emission standards. Also, the visual amenity of the streetscape is not obstructed with BRT compared to Light Rail Transit (LRT) where overhead contact systems need to be
in place.

Sigh. You can get LRT operating on liquid fuels, you can get buses operating on liquid fuels. You can get buses operating on electricity, you can get LRT operating on electricity.

BRT capital costs per kilometre are significantly lower.

Not necessarily.  The Gold Coast RT project showed that lifecycle costs came in LOWER than BRT. The SE busway in Class A ROW also cost MORE per km than GC LRT!!!

BRT has been very successful in attracting increased patronage to public
transport, as Brisbane's South East Busway has shown.

People are NOT using the SE Busway because the vehicles have rubber tyres! They are using it because it is an open system and Class A ROW whereas with the rail system which is hardly fed by buses, effectively operates as a CLOSED system which can only really take passengers up and down the track-- so less useful. It doesn't have to be this way if buses actually ran to train stations- something there seems to be an almost religious fervour against doing.

BRT's flexibility makes it possible to design systems that offer more passengers the option of a no-transfer, one-seat ride to their destination.

Sigh. This is the demonisation of interchange- something ESSENTIAL to good PT in all big cities.

If you insist on a direct service model you are going to have a lot of duplication on the core when what you need is high frequency on the feeder sections in the suburbs where the people are. This is an advantage but only up to a certain point. You are going to have a lot of different routes and operating patterns and not only that you have to wait for your particular bus when with a feeder model you just catch the first service... so less waiting not more...

[colinw]

That document is not serious analysis, it is a marketing document designed to sell buses.

You can find equally one-eyed pro-LRT documents at the likes of http://www.lightrailnow.org/

Passengers want frequent & speedy services, sensible ticketing & easy interchange.  Other than "wacky dudes", they probably don't much care what mode provides that service.  That means the mode should be chosen based on required capacity, level of service and total lifecycle cost, rather than blind assertions that "mode A is better than mode B".

[ozbob]

I have always thought Steam Rail Cars had a great future ..

[colinw]

Steam trams rock!  Bring back the Rockhampton Council Tramways!

[O_128]

Yep I the only reason I use the busway is because it has rubber wheels and i can get an express bus unlike on rail. 

[#Metro]

With all due respect, steam tramway replacing a bus would be an expensive vehicle swap and would not result in a net mobility improvement. 

[SurfRail]

With all due respect, steam tramway replacing a bus would be an expensive vehicle swap and would not result in a net mobility improvement. 

But you could power it by burning TransLink media releases - think of the fuel savings...

[#Metro]

Ah, but they are all electronic. The timetables are still paper though...

[colinw]

Looks like I may be on my own in campaigning for a Rockhampton Steam Transit (RST) system. 

[Sunbus610]

Looks like I may be on my own in campaigning for a Rockhampton Steam Transit (RST) system. 

Ha ha , yeah Young's and Capricorn Sunbus could do with some more competition up in Rocky