Bus Rapid Transit - the affordable transit megaproject alternative

First implemented in its contemporary form in Curitiba, Brazil in 1974, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) combines the separated right-of-way, fixed stations and higher speeds of urban rail systems with the lower capital and operating costs and routing flexibility of urban buses. As of this writing, some 180 cities, primarily in Latin America and Asia, have initiated service in over 400 separate BRT corridors, with most having done so since 2000. While most individual BRT corridors fall below the USD $1 billion threshold used to identify megaprojects, when considered city-wide, BRT functions as an affordable alternative to traditional urban transport megaprojects like metros and light-rail systems. This chapter compares the design, performance and effectiveness of six contemporary BRT systems, all connected to each other via multilateral agencies and NGOs. The chapter includes three pioneer BRT systems in Latin America (Curitiba, Quito, and Bogotá) and three systems in Asia (Jakarta, Seoul, and Guangzhou) that followed built upon the experiences of their Latin American counterparts. Among the lessons these six cases offer for transportation megaproject sponsors and planners are: (i) actively learning from prior applications, even those in faraway places, can pay big dividends when it comes to improving project design, delivery, and operating practices; (ii) urban transport planners should focus on accurately estimating and meeting potential passenger demand rather than favoring one transit technology over another; (iii) urban transport investments do best when they offer good value-for-money - that is, they provide modest service improvement for many users at a minimal increase in price; (iv) the managed competition model in which operators compete to provide citywide service using publicly-planned and owned facilities offers significant service quality and efficiency advantages compared to either publicly-provided service or contracting with multiple concessionaires; and (v) entrepreneurial political leadership plays a key role in ensuring the success of urban transport investments.