PROJECT REPORT

BRT CORRIDOR
MBA- AB
2009-11

Submitted by:-
21 : Amarjeet Punia 26 : Tanvi Jindal
22 : Pranesh Kumar 27 : Anshul Jain
Pathak 28 : Vipul Singhal
23 : Vikas Gupta 29 : Vineet Kumar
24 : Ashish Jain 30 : Ishita Dhingra
25 : Anil Gupta

Date:- November 4,
2009

UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

STUDIES
GURU GOBIND SINGH INDRAPRASTHA
 Table of Contents

1. Executive Summary
2. Introduction of the BRT

a. Introduction of Delhi
b. Introduction of BRT System
c. Need for BRT
3. Financial performance Analysis
a. Company report
b. Interpretation of financial condition

4. Strategies for BRT

a. Marketing
b. Human Resource
c. Finance
5. SWOT Analysis
6. Interpretation and Recommendations
7. Conclusions
8. Bibliography

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 Executive Summary

Around the world, cities face enormous problems of transport

sustainability. Rapidly increasing populations and vehicle use have
created gridlock and sprawl, even in very poor cities, as well as rapid
growth in oil use and unacceptably high levels of air pollution. This project
shows how better bus systems, incorporating new approaches to system
design and new technologies, can put urban transportation on a more
sustainable path. It covers the area: new bus systems in Delhi that are
tackling very difficult traffic-related problems.

Compared to cities dominated by small private vehicles, those with well-

designed bus systems have much less traffic congestion, lower pollutant
and CO2 emissions, and offer better mobility for all social and economic
classes. Bus systems in the developing world carry a large share of urban
travellers but are responsible for only a small part of traffic congestion,
energy use and pollution. This is because reasonably full buses are
inherently efficient – in terms of both road space and fuel use per
passenger kilometre Even “dirty” buses emit far less pollution and CO2

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emissions per passenger kilometre than most other types of vehicles. But
transit shares of travel are declining in many cities and conditions are
worsen in changing these trends and moving toward more sustainable
transport is imperative. Our analysis indicates that for a city like Delhi,
there is a 100% difference in oil use and CO2 emissions between a future
transport system dominated by travel in high-quality bus systems and one
that is dominated by private vehicles.

While many new technologies are emerging to improve buses, perhaps

the most important story to be told is that the systems in which buses
operate can be dramatically improved. Bus transit can be a premier form
of urban travel. A new paradigm in delivering bus services, becoming
known as bus rapid transit, is being developed in a number of cities,
particularly in Latin America, and shows promise for revolutionizing bus
systems around the world. Getting buses out of traffic, increasing their
average speeds, improving their reliability and convenience, and
increasing system capacities can ensure high ridership levels and increase
the profitability of systems.

All in all, the package of improvements described in this book, and being
tested and implemented in various cities around the world, holds the
potential to make all cities more efficient, cleaner, less gridlocked and
more sustainable. But it will not be easy. It will require technical
assistance and the transfer of experience and learning from successful
cities to those just Starting out. Perhaps most of all it will require political
will.
The institutional, financial and operational aspects of bus systems must be
strengthened. In many poor cities, most buses are run by small
independent companies, some of which survive from day to day. These
companies are rarely able to make major investments. Systems must be
reformed to improve service and profitability, by moving from “bus versus
bus” competition on the same route to competition for a licence to serve

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entire routes. The level of service required for the entire route should be
specified in the contract, and provision of this service should be assisted
by supporting policies, such as adequate fares.
Testing of new bus systems in “demonstration corridors” is an important
step. Pilot or demonstration projects can create the “seed” that later
grows into a fully established system of bus rapid transit routes.
Demonstration projects can include dedicated bus lanes, improved bus
stops and terminals and new ways of licensing and regulating bus services
on the route. They can also offer a showcase for advanced technologies,
or simply modern buses.

New, low-cost bus-system technologies can help. When lanes and entire
corridors are given over to buses, bus travel becomes increasingly
attractive. With such additional features as bus priority treatment at
intersections and traffic signals, buses can become a premium form of
urban travel, rather than a last resort. Global positioning systems (GPS) to
track bus position and relay this information to travellers in real time, so
they know when buses will arrive, are also becoming cost-effective.
“Smart card” ticketing systems can allow easy transfers and multiple trips
with one electronic fare card. In such cases, technology “leap-frogging”
makes good sense for many cities in the developing world.

Improved buses and bus systems should be part of a comprehensive

strategy. Improving buses and bus systems will help increase the bus
share of passenger travel in cities around the world. But unless strong
policies to dampen the growth in car travel and, in many places,
motorcycle travel are also applied, the fight for sustainable transport will
be a losing battle. Increasing vehicle and fuel taxes, strict land-use
controls and limits and higher fees on parking are important to ensure a
sustainable urban transport future. Equally important is integrating transit
systems into a broader package of mobility for all types of travellers, for
example non-motorised vehicle lanes. Pedestrians and bicyclists are

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important users of transit, if they can get to it. Finally, all travel is rooted
in the electric-drive structure of a city. Electric-drive development should
be geared toward avoiding cardependence and putting important
destinations close to public transit stations (and vice versa).

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Introduction of BRT

The Delhi Bus Rapid Transit System is a newly introduced concept of

transport in Delhi in which the buses cater to sixty percent of the city's
transportation needs. Together with Delhi Metro and soon to be
introduced Monorail and Light Rail, it will be part of an integrated multi-
modal transport systems operational in Delhi. Delhi BRT work is also being
sped up keeping in mind the fact that the city will be hosting
Commonwealth Games in 2010. The Government of National Capital
Territory of Delhi is undertaking major reforms to make the transport in
the capital city better. This includes introducing the multi-modal transport
system that will interact with each other at common bays as well as other
measures, like the AC buses, privatizing Delhi Transport Corporation etc.
Like other bus-rapid transit systems across the world, Delhi BRT aims to
make public transport a more convenient option for its people. Delhi BRT
is not grade-separated, i.e., the buses do not run at a different level or
height than the normal traffic and share the same traffic signals.

DELHI
Delhi is known as city of flyovers in India. In the last decade, a number of
flyovers were built to ease the traffic condition on the road. Flyovers and
underpasses were built to increase the mobility of the commuters. The
new expanded road spaces were seen as a symbol of progress and speed
and were accepted with much fanfare. However, each action has
tradeoffs. To create a private vehicle oriented infrastructure, the public
transportation system was neglected. Further with the city’s buoyant
economy, cars have replaced buses on the roads and cyclists have
switched to two-wheelers and motorcycles. Pedestrians are now the most
marginalized commuters on the road. Increased number of vehicles on the
road has not only reduced the mobility of a large section of people, but

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has also increased the pollution level, journey time and average per KM
fuel consumption.

In 2002, Supreme Court issued an order to convert all diesel buses into
CNG. The action aimed to reduce the carbon level in the air and also
generated hopes of a clean and healthier society. However, in less than a
decade, the gains that accrued from the CNG program have been lost. All
the options available under the first generation reforms have been
exhausted.

In August 2008, the average total suspended particulate (TSP) level in

Delhi was 378 micrograms per cubic meter—approximately five times the
World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual average standard (Source:
Central Pollution Control Board). It is estimated that over 3000 metric tons
of air pollutants are emitted in Delhi (MOEF, 2002).

To address all these issues, Government of National Capital Territory of

Delhi (GNCTD) envisions an Integrated Multi-Modal Network of Public
Transport system consisting of a network Metro, Mono Rail, Light Rail and
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The overall vision aims to strengthen the public
transportation system and envisage a long-term solution to the city’s
traffic and parking problem.

Traffic scenario in Delhi

The transportation network in Delhi is predominantly road based with
1,284 km of road per 100 km2. The number of vehicles on Delhi’s road
has increased by 212% in the last 18 years from 19.23 lakh in 1991 to
over 60 lakh by 2008. Road space in Delhi is 21% of the total space
available, thus there is little scope of future expansion of road length. The
road length in Delhi has increased from 22,487 km in 1991 to 31,183 km
in 2008, a modest increase of 17% in the same period. To accommodate
the increasing vehicular population, additional space is increasingly

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sought to be created either over or beneath the road, i.e. Flyovers and
underpasses.

However, traditional approaches do not help to improve the mobility but

help to shift the bottleneck from one point to another. For example,
GNCTD built more than 15 flyovers on Ring Road to increase the
throughput. The condition has improved radically so far as engineering is
concerned, but not necessarily in a mobility context. Ring Road has
become completely signal-free, but not congestion-free.

Increasing vehicle population is also positively co-related with number of

fatalities caused by road accidents, most of these are pedestrians, cyclists
and bus travelers. According to a recent World Bank report (August 2008),
every year road accidents cost India about 3% of its gross domestic
product, which was more than $1 trillion in 2007. In Delhi alone, till July
2008, 1,128 people had lost their lives in road accidents, of which 64
people had died in accidents casued by Bluelines buses. Therefore, a long-
term solution to improve the traffic condition in Delhi, which includes
bringing behavioral, attitudinal and cultural changes, is the need of the
hour. To avoid the chaos caused by the mixed traffic and to mitigate the
risk of accidents, there is a need to encourage lane driving of buses that
had been introduced earlier with the orders of the High Court. Further,
instead of giving more incentive and road space to private vehicles
owners, there is a need to promote public transport.

The success of policy initiatives aimed at public transport is palpable.

Delhi Metro has proved to be a tremendous success story in Delhi. The
idea was approved in 1998, with an aim to improve the traffic condition
and mobility of commuters. Delhi Metro is operating around 90 trains and
carrying approx. 8 lakhs passenger per day. The bus system, however,
has its own importance. Delhi Metro can not completely replace the bus-
based system on all routes. Due to higher capital cost, low capital returns

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and large gestation period, it is not feasible to build Metro line on all
stretchs. The logic of this argument is seen from the situation in other
cities with well developed metro networks like London and Paris, where
buses still cater to a much larger number of passenger trips than metro.

The reason is that the bus system is more flexible compared to other
transportation system. There is, thus, a need to strengthen the bus-based
system. In Delhi, buses are generally considered unreliable and time
consuming, to reach the destination. Thus, there is need to develop a
system to give priority and dedicated road space to buses in order to
make them reliable and faster. BRT system is part of the Multi Modal
Transport Policy of GNCTD, a total of 7 BRT corridors are proposed to be
built in the first phase

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Corridors planned
A total 26 BRT corridors are planned, covering a total length of 310 km
by the year 2020. This will be in addition to more than 400 km of metro
train coverage by 2020 and further coverage by Monorail and Light
Rail.

Corrid Length
Phase
ors (Km)
I (2005-
7 115.5
2010)
II (2010-
3 28.0
2015)7
III (2015-
3 166.0
2020)

Delhi BRT system

BRT means giving right of way to buses and safeguarding cyclists and
pedestrians by encouraging lane driving on engineered road spaces
along large and wide corridors and link them to metros and other
colony roads for easy access. Besides giving priority to buses, the
system also provides dedicated lanes for pedestrian and non-motorized
vehicles like cycles and rickshaws etc.

The corner stone for the introduction of BRT system in Delhi was put up
in 1995, when Central Pollution Control Board commissioned a study
for reducing vehicular pollution in Delhi. The final report, with a
recommendation to introduce segregated bicycle lanes and bus lanes,
was submitted in 1997. An international workshop was organized by
the Delhi Transport Corporation in collaboration with SIAM, IDFC and IIT
Delhi on High Capacity Bus Systems System in January 2002. This was
the first major step in the conceptualization of the BRT System for
Delhi.

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In 2004, GNCTD appointed RITES and Indian Institute of Technology
Delhi (IIT Delhi) for designing and implementing the first corridor from
Dr. Ambedkar Nagar to Delhi Gate. RITES has been appointed the
Project Management Consultant and TRIPP IIT Delhi the technical and
conceptual advisors. In 2006, GNTCD established Delhi Integrated
Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS), a Special Purpose Vehicle to
oversee the establishment of public transport systems in Delhi. DIMTS
is currently entrusted with the operation and maintenance of the
existing corridor as the Corridor Manager.

In October 2006, the construction work on the corridor started. The

stretch from Dr. Ambedkar Nagar to Moolchand is under trial run since
April 20, 2008.

Technical details
The first corridor of BRT in Delhi, from Ambedkar Nagar to Delhi Gate,
is 14.5 km long with ROW varying from 28 meters to 51.5 meters. Bus
Lane is in the middle of the road with a width of 3.3 meters. Motorized
vehicle lane is on the side of bus lane with a width of 6.75 meters.
Separate tracks are made for non-motorized vehicles and pedestrians.

Operation management
Corridor Manager is looking after the operations and maintenance of
the BRT Corridor. The scope of work includes all types of operational
aspects including traffic management, bus operation, public relations,
enforcement, recovery of disabled vehicles, cleaning etc.

Corridor Manager has an internal dedicated team of senior officers to

manage the operation on a day to day basis. The company has also
established an Operational Control Centre (OCC) at Kashmere Gate and
a camp office at DTC Khan Pur Depot to monitor the daily progress.

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Regular monitoring schedules to track operational details are put in
place.

The company has also engaged different third-party services providers

to meet specific requirements. As on date, 180 road marshals are
deployed on the corridor in two shifts. Road Marshals guide bus
passengers, help children and old people to cross the road, manage
traffic, instruct people to follow traffic rules and perform other corridor
management activities.

Corridor Manager had also organized a two-day training session with

Traffic Police and one-day training session with The Institute of Driving
Training & Research (IDTR). This was designed to familiarize marshals
with their assignment at the time of deployment. The company also
organized follow-up training sessions for marshals.

The company has also deployed security guards at the bus platforms
on 24 hrs basis. Corridor Manager has also hired one crane to remove
disabled vehicles from the corridor. Since April 2008, on an average 3
vehicles break down on the corridor each day and all disabled vehicles
including buses are removed in about 10 minutes response time.

Corridor Manager also organized special three-days training sessions at

IDTR for both DTC and Private Stage Carriage drivers. It also organized
one-day training sessions for other drivers like school bus drivers etc.
Over 700 drivers were trained and stipend was paid to all blue line and
contract carriage bus drivers to ensure attendance.

An introduction of the new system requires a change in behavioral

pattern of the users. To address this issue, the Corridor Manager
designed and printed brochures for all types of commuters, traffic
Signage booklets for drivers and a list of do’s and donts’ for general

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public. Wide distribution of this literature was ensured. Further, Bus
queue shelter (BQS) advertising space was used to educate people.

Corridor Manager also took an initiative to involve school authorities

and children to create awareness about the importance of public
transportation system in Delhi. The company communicated with more
than 50 school authorities to address their concerns. The company also
conducted interactive sessions and made presentations in schools on
the BRT system and its key advantages.

The company has also installed PIS (Passenger Information System)

boards on all the 58 BQS. Currently, GPS (Global Positioning System) is
installed in the new low-floor buses on four routes – 419, 423, 521 and
522. The boards also help to reduce the waiting anxiety of passengers
waiting at the BQS.
Cleaning and landscaping are the key prime issue for the Corridor
Manager. The company ensures that all lanes, BQS and signage are
cleaned on daily basis. State of art mechanized cleaning equipment is
deployed for the purpose

Traffic volume
Traffic volume on the BRT corridor is very high. The corridor is situated
along some of the prime colonies in South Delhi and is the main
connecting road to the large commercial development in Gurgaon. On
the stretch from Dr. Ambedkar Nagar to Moolchand, there are 6 key
intersections, of which Chirag Delhi and Moolchand are the busiest
ones. According to a DIMTS Survey, Chirag Delhi is one of the busiest
junctions in Delhi.

More than 1.35 lakhs vehicles cross the junction in a day (16 hours).
Motorised vehicles consisting of cars, two wheelers and auto rickshaws
constitute more than 90% of the vehicle traffic, of which the number of

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cars/Jeeps constitute around 35-40% of total motorized vehicles. These,
however, carry only 15-20% of the total commuters. On the other hand,
buses account only for 2.0-2.5% of total vehicles, but carry around 55-
60% of the total commuters, thus using road space more
democratically.

Approximately 200-250 buses move on Chirag Delhi Junction (the

busiest section) during peak hour, catering to passenger load of about
11,000 - 12,000 on an average day. It has been observed that net
throughput of all kinds of vehicles have significantly improved after the
implementation of the BRT and bus and cycle transit time through the
corridor has reduced.

Commuter socioeconomic profile

According to a DIMTS commissioned socio-economic survey at BRT
Corridor, it is observed that more than 60% of commuters use BRT
Corridor mainly for work. Most of the respondents showed their
discontent with the existing public transportation system. Respondents
preferred to use their private vehicles due to inflexibility and
unreliability of the bus system. Regarding perceptions about a good
bus system, more than 50% of respondents suggested timeliness of
bus service, clean bus and well behaved staff and certainty of bus
service. The research agency also enquired about the willingness of the
respondents to use the BRT System. Interestingly, 85% of the
respondents, who are currently not using public transport system,
showed their willingness to use new BRT system if it is good.

The study clearly predicts that commuters are willing to shift to public
transport system, if the service delivery is improved and responds to
their requirements and expectations.

Need of BRT Corridor

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1) The coverage looses sight of the fact that every bus carries at least
40 passengers (in fact, the way public buses in Delhi are
overcrowded; this number can touch 80-100 at times). In contrast, a
private vehicle in Delhi usually carries about 1 passenger. On an
average, it would carry less than 2 passengers.
• Pollution per passenger in a bus is about 1-tenth of the pollution by
the most fuel-efficient (hence, less polluting) car on Delhi roads.
• Fuel consumed by the buses in Delhi is much cleaner (CNG) than the
fuel of an average private car (petrol). This adds to public health
benefits and saves the burden on govt. health facilities (that they
are not in good shape is another matter altogether and a different
point of discussion).
• higher fuel consumption in private cars is actually a drain on India's
forex reserves
• According to Delhi govt. statistics 70-80% of road users are
pedestrians, cyclists and bus travelers.
• According to Delhi traffic police statistics about 88% of fatalities in
road accidents involve the vulnerable 70-80% of road users
(mentioned above).
• When buses have to compete for road space, it creates problems. In
recent times, we have experienced hundreds of deaths by DTC
buses and Blue Lines (remember the recent campaigns).
• Production of a private car wastes at least 10 times more raw
materials per passenger than a bus. This means more private
vehicles are a "much bigger burden" on the planet.
2) Delhi government has in the past many years (except the few very
recent ones) promoted private transport at the cost of severely
neglecting public transport.
• Flyovers have been built left-right-and-center in various parts of the
city. They definitely speed up motor vehicles, but add to the plight

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 of pedestrians and cyclists. In fact, most of the flyovers don't even
have mechanisms to allow pedestrians cross the road.
• While thousands of crores were spent on building such new
infrastructure, DTC used to get limited budget to upgrade its fleet of
buses. This has thankfully seen some change in the last year.
• Even in this year's budget, the fly-over projects get more than 4-
times the allocation to DTC for fleet up gradation.
• In earlier years, this ratio touched 8-10.

3) BRT is a project that upgrades the traffic sense of Delhi's

commuters to safer levels.
• It promotes lane driving
• It offers higher priority to vehicles carrying larger number of
passengers
• It offers safe travel opportunity to the people who travel in an eco-
friendly way
• It prevents the kind of accidents that buses cause on other Delhi
roads because they have to compete for road space.
• It makes roads safer for the huge majority of more vulnerable
sections of the society (many of whom can't even afford insurance
in case of death or injury)

4) Every such up gradation project - a project that brings about a

change - is bound to see resistance from public. Even abolition of
Sati saw resistance. It is in such times that the newspapers should
take the lead to ensure that such up gradations are accepted more
gracefully. It can be tried to interview a few bus commuters who
benefited from the faster and less rash travel in Blue-lines on that
route.

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5) Such projects that involve change in the way public behave are
bound to see glitches. We have to tweak our designs after testing it.
When we write a piece of article, we also review it and make
changes.

6) In the case of BRT, the government started with a pilot project (did
not spend exorbitantly on it when you compare it with numerous
other flyover / construction projects). It must have definitely made
some miscalculations in traffic volumes at the time of deciding the
signaling duration etc. and hence landed itself into a mess. Such
long jams are clearly not desirable even for private vehicles.

7) Top article on front-page of one of the newspapers (27-Apr-2008)

harped about the Rs.4 cr additional cost in managing the Rs.60
crore project. This clearly is a 7.5% increase in expenditure.
However, to put it in perspective, this cost is almost inconsequential
when compared with the cost of other fly-over and road projects
operated by the Delhi Govt. In fact, many of those projects - of
which the government has so much of experience - also see similar
and higher cost escalations. This was the first project of its kind, and
if this cost escalation happens, it can be taken as a learning
experience. While we should always bring financial impropriety to
light and such financial imprudence shouldn't be spared, we should
give the government enough leverage in the "first of its kind"
initiatives, where they also don't have prior experience.

Also DTC introduced A/C and also more comfortable buses on Delhi
roads. At such times, such corridors promote use of public transport
and hence reduce pollution, vehicle density, transport time and also
curb inflation due to reduced fuel demand. Public transport should
definitely be promoted - even if at the cost of inconvenience to private
transport. Look at the example of Singapore where public transport

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(through taxis, buses, MRTS etc.) is the preferred modes of travel.
Hope Delhi becomes a world-class city like that.
Hope that we give due weight to the additional safety and benefit that
this corridor offers to the majority of commuters in Delhi. If successful,
we can hope to see better road sense prevail in other parts of the city
and many other Indian cities. Hope that we respect the people who
respect the environment and public health, as much as they respect
their commuting experience and travel time - either due to need or due
to their condition.

Vehicle Composition in the Corridor

Congested Chandni Chowk to get its own BRT

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Despite the bus rapid transport (BRT) corridor leading to traffic snarls
in south Delhi, a similar plan is in the pipeline for thecrowded Walled
City. The Chandni Chowk redevelopment plan entails a dedicated bus
corridor as part of the traffic circulation plan for decongesting the area.

"One part of the central verge will be dedicated to special buses similar
to the open-air buses plying in Pragati Maidan while the other side will
be for private vehicles to move out of Chandni Chowk. A detailed
project report of the redevelopment plan has been submitted to Delhi
Urban Art Commission (DUAC) for approval,'' said deputy commissioner
city zone, Vijay Singh.

According to Singh, this dedicated corridor is being built to encourage

use of public transport within Chandni Chowk.

Private vehicles entering from Delhi Gate and S P Mukherjee Marg will
have to park in Parade Ground and Gandhi Maidan respectively and
take the bus inside Chandni Chowk or walk inside. These vehicles will
then exit from the Walled City via Town Hall, H C Sen or Church Mission
Road and will take the motor lane.

The idea of using trams as a mode of transport in Chandni Chowk has

been put on hold. Said Singh: "Special emphasis has been laid on
pedestrian walkways. A space of 6 meters has been dedicated on both

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 sides on the road for footpaths. The cost of re-laying of the main
Chandni Chowk road along with other roads in the Walled City and
carrying out ducting of service lines is Rs 45crore approximately.

We will build centralized plazas around Fatehpuri Masjid, Town Hall and
Lajpat Rai Market which will serve as open public spaces.'' There are
plans of reviving water canals and other water bodies that once existed
in Chandni Chowk.

The plans also includes facade improvement of government buildings.

Shopkeepers will be encouraged to restore the facades of their
properties.

Financial performance Analysis

The work construction of BRTC from Ambedkar Nagar to Delhi Gate was
awarded by M/s RITES in September 2006. The design approved for the
corridor envisaged construction of bus lane, MV lane, NMV lane and
footpath in concrete pavement. The concrete road was preferred for
better strength, longer life and less periodic maintenance.

When the proposal came up for consideration in the 12 th meeting of the

EFC held on 28th December 2005, the Chief Engineer PWD had stated that
the scheme off RITES envisages construction of cement concrete
pavement. In other countries like Indonesia and China, rigid pavements
have not been provided. Cities like Jakarta, Beijing as well as Kunning, the
HCBS corridor system were using the existing lanes. Only one lane has
been segregated by providing a detachable railing. It is therefore felt that
in Delhi also we should go for existing flexible pavements for High
Capacity Bus Corridors. This would not only reduce the cost of the project
but would save great inconvenience to the road users during the period of
construction.

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Despite such strong reservations from the PWD department, Government
went ahead with cement concrete construction. However, it will not be out
of place to mention that as per the information furnished by transport
department (December 2008), the expenditure on C.C. pavement in Bus
and MV lanes was 2320/- per sq. meter and the same was Rs. 1608/- per
sq. meter in the Bituminous pavement. The department incurred an
excess expenditure of Rs. 4.29 crore on construction of bus and M.V. lane
of 110815 sq. meters in concrete from Ambedkar Nagar to Chirag Delhi.

As mentioned earlier, BRT corridor is a dedicated lane carved out of an

existing road which has bituminous surface. Thus adoption of concrete
surface for the BRT would result in same stretch of road having two
different pavement structures part of it concrete while the remaining the
remaining part is bituminous. Half way through the construction, the
agencies realized that there was difficulty in going ahead with a concrete
surfacing as the deployment of heavy mechanical pavers were posing
serious problems and the cost on account of concrete was working out
much higher than the estimates. The matter was placed before the
Cabinet and its approval obtained for switch over to Bituminous surfacing
of MV lanes and bus lanes beyond Chirag Delhi and cycle track & footpath
only will be in concrete. There was no recorded justification for retaining
cycle track and footpath across the entire length of corridor in concrete
pavement against the bituminous surfacing which was cost effective.

It would thus be seen that there was no consistency in the bus design
parameters of this project. Government invested heavily in creating
concrete structures for the BRT corridor, which was later on abandoned
after construction of only three kms.

As per allocation of business, road maintenance and construction of roads

are the responsibility of the Public Works Department. The BRT corridor is

4
a dedicated lane within the existing road network, its construction and
maintenance should have legitimately been allocated to the PWD. It is
however, seen that the entire work of design construction and supervision
was entrusted to the Transport Department which had no technical
expertise or experience in taking up this kind of work.

Cabinets approval was obtained for assigning the entire work relating to
implementation of the BRT corridor by DIMTS on payment of consultancy
fee of Rs. 1.50 crore, out of which a sum of Rs. 44.97 lakh has been paid
as of June 2008 for monitoring /supervision of the BRT corridor. Rs. 6 crore
were to be paid to RITES and Rs. 1.50 crore were to be paid to DIMTS.

During the test check of records for construction of above HCBS corridor,
it has been observed that an amount of Rs. 45.33 crore approved in the
Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) in its meeting was withdrawn by
the Transport Department and kept in fixed deposit. That same amount
was released to the concerned agencies i.e. Rs. 15 crore to RITES and Rs.
30.33 crore to DIMTS. Thus, the amount was withdrawn to avoid lapse of
budget.

Rs. 30 crore as revolving fund was sanctioned and payment was made to
RITES in November 2006. There is no enabling provision in General
Financial Rules to empower State Government to advance crore of Rupees
to a Public Sector Undertaking for maintaining a revolving fund, thus
keeping large funds out of Consolidated Fund.

Out of Rs. 100.33 crore released to DIMTS during October 2006 to October
2007, it released only Rs. 48 crore during August 2007 to May 2008.
Funds ranging from Rs. 10 crore to Rs. 90.33 crore were lying with DIMTS
for the period ranging from 7 days to 7 months 2 days in excess of the
requirement. Even if the DIMTS had kept the spare funds in saving
account it could have earned interest of Rs. 2.32 crore. GNCTD should

4
take measures to recover the interest amount from DIMTS. Release of
funds in excess of requirements tantamount to undue financial assistance
to DIMTS.

In the first phase, when Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit presided over an
Expenditure and Finance Committee (EFC) meeting to clear escalations in
the cost of the Bus Rapid Transit Corridor (BRTC) pilot project from
Ambedkar Nagar to Delhi Gate she found that due to escalation the cost of
the BRT pilot project has risen from Rs 216 crore to Rs 361 crore.

Then the consultants for BRT project — DIMTS and RITES — had put up an
additional demand of Rs 119 crore for extra infrastructure on the
Ambedkar Nagar-Delhi Gate corridor in October 2008.

Strangely, the cost escalation increased to Rs 145 crore in March 2009

from Rs 119 crore in October 2008 even as prices of steel and cement
came down.

Recently, when Walia inspected the implementation of the present

corridor said the Transport Department had sought an additional amount
of Rs. 54 crore to build more parking space and foot-over bridges in the
second phase of the project and eight foot over bridges will be coming up
on the stretch of which five will be built at bus stops and three will built at
other crossings.
The 14.5-km Ambedkar Nagar-Delhi Gate project being built at a cost of
Rs.18.19 billion will be a milestone for the infrastructure upgradation
being carried out in the national capital for the Commonwealth Games in
2010.

A few days back, the EFC (Expenditure Finance Committee) of GNCTD has
cleared the proposal for undertaking these six BRT Corridors at a total

4
cost of Rs. 1819.10 crore. Execution of the Project will begin on clearance
of the proposal by the Cabinet of GNCTD.

Cutting from Hindustan Times

4
Defying Media Spin, Poll Shows Public Support
for Delhi BRT

4
 Strategies for BRT

Marketing Strategy:

Ahmedabad BRTS has the best marketing strategy. The specialty of the
Ahmedabad Janmarg is that the best marketing strategy has been chosen,
that of introducing free trials. The people of Ahmedabad get to see the
bus operations and provide feedback well before the launch of the Bus
Rapid Transit System (BRTS).

The best awareness campaign should have three elements -- the abilities
to enable, educate and enforce. And this should not be the other way
round. The convention method of raising awareness, by raising hoardings
in order to educate people about something, may not work as it may not
explain the infrastructure of the system. The best way to make people
understand something like this is by making them part of the
infrastructure.

Although there is scope for improvement in respect to the waiting space

at intersections, safety of pedestrians while crossing the road, traffic
engineering etc.

Reality Check:
Car vs. bus drivers
• 65 per cent of car drivers feel the Bus Rapid Transit System(BRT) has
made traffic congestion worse in the areas where the BRT runs.
• A whopping 75 per cent of bus drivers say the BRT is a huge
improvement for buses.
• More than 50 per cent of car drivers say that the new bus stops in the
middle of the road do not make driving more difficult.

4
• Bus drivers say it's easier to pick up passengers from the new bus stops
and 72 per cent of them say the middle-ofthe-road stops are working
better than the earlier system.
• Most car drivers, 76 per cent, however, say that they are worried about
hitting pedestrians crossing the road.
• 61 per cent of car drivers say driving is easier now that buses have their
own lane bus drivers.
• 82 per cent of them say the new bus lanes for them make driving easier.
Bus passengers
• 88 per cent of bus commuters feel the new BRT and its buses are an
improvement on Delhi's public transport system
• 71 per cent believe it will help in reducing travel time - most bus users
say their commute time has already been slashed by 50 per cent after the
BRT was introduced.
• 60 per cent of bus commuters say there are enough Marshals and traffic
policemen to help guide them to their buses.

The scope of transit marketing

Promotional tools are a must to ensure strategic marketing. The tools are
branding and positioning, targeted marketing and special events. They
also include customer information, fare, incentives etc.
When transit customers board a bus or train, they are not just
participating in a transaction — they are making transit an integral part of
their lives. Transit systems have responded with a customer-centered
approach to marketing that moves beyond the conventional "product,
pricing, promotion and placement" approach to product marketing. The
full scope of transit marketing involves a broad range of actions to identify
and meet customer needs. These include service planning and promotion,
setting of fare structures and levels, public information and education, and
management of community and customer relations. All these actions
involve an iterative cycle of researching customer needs and strategic

4
opportunities, planning and implementing measures, then evaluating and
reviewing objectives and tactics.

Key challenges
Transit marketers face several unique challenges that are not shared by
their colleagues in more conventional areas of product marketing.

Diverse customer needs: The transit market includes a variety of

groups including students, seniors and commuters. Each of these groups
has different interests and lifestyles; each travels for different purposes;
each chooses transit for different reasons; each responds to different
messages; and each is best reached in different ways. This diversity
requires marketers to think and work in multiple, parallel channels.

The challenge of selling social benefits: Traditional marketing works

by emphasizing a product’s direct benefits to consumers. However, transit
provides several vital community benefits (social, economic and
environmental) that can also be used to attract riders. Finding strategies
to carry these social marketing messages effectively, however, requires
creativity.

Service development constraints: Transit systems are constrained in

their ability to add or modify services in support of marketing objectives.
Municipal budgets are limited, the logistics of route and schedule changes
can be complex, and transit systems must mind their social objectives as
well as their business goals. These factors can make it difficult for transit
systems to respond quickly to new market opportunities.

Limited resources: While effective marketing need not be expensive, it

must compete for resources with the day-to-day operating needs of transit
systems. By definition, marketing opportunities are almost limitless. It is a

4
constant challenge to identify innovative, cost-effective strategies and
delivery mechanisms that make the best use of available dollars.

Strategy: Branding & positioning: Every transit system works to

develop a positive brand, which is the sum of the perceptions and
experiences of its customers. As such, a transit system’s brand plays a
large role in influencing the attitudes and travel decisions of both riders
and non-riders.

Brand creation or enhancement: Marketing tools can reshape or

enhance a transit system’s brand. The goal is to improve the competitive
position of transit services, relative to car travel, as perceived by current
and potential customers.

Positioning campaigns: Marketing tools can also be used more subtly to

position transit as an attractive and beneficial public service. A common
positioning strategy is the development of messaging campaigns to
strengthen the public perception of transit as a smart and sensitive way to
get around.

Strategy: Targeted marketing

While branding and positioning strategies target a wide public audience,
more selective approaches can bring other benefits. Targeted marketing
campaigns let transit systems offer customized information to specific
audiences like commuters, students, festival patrons, families on weekend
outings, or tourists. “Individualized marketing" is an emerging form of
targeted marketing. It uses one-on-one consultation to identify and
overcome obstacles that prevent individuals from taking transit more
often.

Strategy: Special events

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Transit marketers know that special events can encourage non-users to
try transit, and create opportunities for free media exposure. A special
event revolving around a major public concern like air quality can boost
visibility and ridership while also benefiting a transit system’s brand and
competitive position.

Strategy: Customer information

Transit marketers know that potential customers can be discouraged
when information is hard to find or understand. As a result, they have
made rider guides and schedules easier to read and interpret, and
expanded customer information onto the Internet with cutting-edge
technologies like web-based trip planners. New operational and
communications technologies have led to realtime arrival displays and
multipurpose video displays at passenger terminals and bus stops. Such
tools offer more than information.

4
Human Resource(HR) Strategy:

As an HR practice, “BRT Training Workshops” were held for the resources

recruited for top level management for BRT in order to train them in the
following domains.

• Overview of BRT planning

• Demand analysis
• Operational plan / Customer
• Marketing plan / Stakeholder analysis
• BRT infrastructure
• Modal integration
• Infrastructure design
• Technology plan
• Business and regulatory plan
• Financing
• BRT budget
• Measuring the impacts
• Implementation plan

Finance Strategy:

• To complete the BRT project, as envisaged now with six corridors,

would cost the Delhi government Rs 2,100 crore

• Govt. released Rs 12 crore for construction of a parking lot and a

portion of the road to help reduce the traffic load on the Moolchand-
Ambedkar Nagar stretch

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 • When 50 per cent work on the project was completed Rs 115 crore
had already been spent.

SWOT Analysis
STRENGTHS

1. Bus only, grade-separated (or at-grade exclusive) right-of-

way : The main feature of a BRT system is having dedicated bus lanes
which operate separate from all other traffic modes. This allows buses
to operate at a very high level of reliability since only professional
motorists are allowed on the busway. A side benefit of this are lower
construction costs since busways can be engineered to tighter
standards and still remain safe compared to a roadway open to non-
professional drivers.
o Such a right of way may be elevated; on rare occasions, the
right of way may be a modified rail right of way.
o A bus street or transit mall can be created in an urban center
by dedicating all lanes of a city street to the exclusive use of
buses.
o Low-cost infrastructure elements that can increase the speed
and reliability of bus service include bus turnouts, bus boarding
islands, and curb realignments.

However, the biggest benefit of this corridor will turn out to be

uninterrupted traffic flow because of the segregated bus lanes in the
centre of the Road. What has been the real cause of traffic jams is the
mix of vehicles being driven on different speeds with different routes to
follow. But now it’s all going to be specific for all range of vehicles.

2. Level boarding : Many BRT systems also use low floor buses (or
high level platforms with high floor buses) to speed up passenger
boarding and enhance accessibility. It has been observed that it is very
difficult for the women, senior citizens and the physically challenged

4
people to board the buses because of their stairs being at certain
height, But corridor comes to its rescue in a way that the height of the
platforms has been matched to that of the floor of the buses, so that
passengers from all ranges can travel comfortably. Not only the
boarding and landing will be eased up but also the accidents or the
injury ratio will come down dramatically. It will increase the speed with
which passengers can board and come out so saving the time of both,
themselves and the bus as well and it might be able to take one more
round on the day on an average term.
3. Saves Time And Money : As BRT intends to provide a service that
is of a higher speed than an ordinary bus line, it is obvious that it will
save a lot of time of the commuters. As observed it used to take
somewhere around 35-45 minutes for crossing area ambedkar nagar to
delhi gate but now after corridor it takes only 25-30 minutes which will
further lessen after some improvements in the structure. Apart from
this as the people reach home early it directly saves there fuel and
thereby money. It is assumed that cars takes anything less than half
the time taken by the bus to cover the same distance, but in these
corridors there would largely remain any difference in time taken to
reach same destination. So it will also increase the customer base and
the number of person using public transport will be on a roll and thus it
would further reduce traffic on the roads and thus bringing further
efficiency.
4. Reduction In Accidental Rate : This corridor is an answer to
‘killer line’ or the ‘blue line’. The reasons for so many accidents taking
place on the roads with the buses was the merging of different sorts of
traffics and the crowdiness. But corridors comes to the rescue in a way
that now it will be separate lane for the buses and separate for other
motor vehicles like bikes, scooters, cars, etc. it is expected that it will
lower down the accidental rates dramatically.

4
Now it is also that slow moving vehicles like bicycles, rikshaws, bullock
carts, pedestrians can all move in their respective lanes without feeling
the threat of those over speeding cars and bulky buses and trucks.
They can move on as per their convenience and on their own speed.
Also it will not interrupt further traffic and thus would not become the
cause of traffic jams thereof.

5. Urban Rejuvenation : Once these corridors are made in any city,

it definitely adds up to its infrastructural values and its level of
urbanization. The flaunting of these corridors makes city look descent,
disciplined, and stable as well. As the flyovers and underpasses adds
up to its credentials , same way BRT corridors do but at higher rates
even. The city definitely becomes the talk of the day and also it is been
appreciated by the local commuters, national tourists and commuters
and finally by international tourists.

4
WEAKNESSES

1. Scarcity of Space : The biggest of the weakness of this BRT corridor

is the limitation on the part of availability of space to construct this
Corridor. Well successful implementation of this corridor, separate lanes
have to be constructed for the high capacity buses, for different motor
vehicles and also a different lane for slow moving vehicles and the
pedestrians as well. It means that a total of 4 lanes are mandatory on
each side of the road. Moreover motor vehicle would individually demand
two adjacent lanes looking at heavy traffic of this type. Because of this
deficiency, traffic jam problem could not arrive at a solution, and rather
problem has actually stiffened due to reason that thousands of light motor
vehicles travels every hour which needs more space. So non performance
space management has become its most severe weakness. Most of the
roads of delhi are just 12-15 metre wide, which are half of the
requirements. To make shelters also a lot of space will be required which
further needs expansion of roads .
2. Safety Compromised : In order to meet the deadlines of common
wealth games , delhi’s safety is compromised . even geneva based
International Road Federation has expressed concern at the safety and
feasibility of this corridor and called for its immediate stacking. Latest
example of this negligence is the crater on the BRT Corridor pathway
which states that these corridors are constructed without prior testing of
roads. The compatibility of the current roads is not checked to ensure
further construction on them, which results in accidents and injuries only
and even deaths sometimes. Since October 2007 to February 2008, there
has been 12 major accidents with 4 of them leading to death.
3. Lack Of Proper Planning : lack of efficient planning made the BRT
come across hard situation. If this corridor would have been planned
properly keeping in mind all the parameters affecting it, it might result
into a benefit for the city. Planning with respect to how to go about it, in

4
which areas to make it and what should be the components, so that the
things happens to be as per the requirements of the city. Planning should
have been given the edge over just the implementation part as it has
been Emphasized upon b y the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.
4. Lack of technical knowledge : just by copying the western
countries, Corridor has been made in Delhi as well, but the reason for its
turmoil is the lack of technical knowledge as to how to proceed for these
corridors, without going into research work with respect to whether delhi
needs it at the moment. Just copying is not going to benefit, it is also
mandatory to know whether it is required or not. Moreover the structures
which are created outside India, in countries like America, Europe etc.. are
way ahead advanced with latest technologies which are installed in them.
Also before creating , they also see to requirements of bro0adning the
road width, which was absent in the case of Indian roads to a large extent.

OPPORTUNITIES

1. Bus priority / bus lanes : Preferential treatment of buses at

intersections can involve the extension of green time or actuation of
the green light at signalized intersections upon detection of an
approaching bus. Intersection priority can be particularly helpful when
implemented in conjunction with bus lanes or streets, because general-
purpose traffic does not intervene between buses and traffic. Large
green signals would allow passing of traffics quickly.

2. Off-bus fare collection : Conventional on board fare collection slows

the boarding process, particularly when a variety of fares are collected
for different destinations and/or classes of passengers. An alternative
would be the collection of fares upon entering an enclosed bus station
or shelter area prior to bus arrivals (similar to fare collection at a kiosk
prior to entering a subway system). This system would allow
passengers to board through all doors of a stopped bus.

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3. Increased capacity (bi-articulated or double decker) : Another
benefit of this corridor is that now it is possible to run high capacity
buses normally called as double decker. Earlier it was difficult to run
these buses because of limitation of space with respect to clear width
and height as well, but this brt corridor takes care of all issues and is
created in a way that nothing can stop them, no pole, no wire to
interrupt etc.

4. Serves a diverse market with high-frequency all day service : A

BRT network with comprehensive coverage can serve a diverse market
(all income ranges) by moving people from their current location to
their destination with high frequency and reliability while maintaining a
high level of customer experience.

In view of the commonwealth games which will be held in October ,2010. , it is

expected that the work of these corridors would be finished way before its
deadlines. Moreover these kinds of projects generally requires huge funds and
delhi government is definitely eager to invest on it looking at its benefits to come
in the coming years. So these games are an opportunity which needs to be
grabbed as early as possible.

THREATS

1. Road Congestion : The biggest threat to the existence of the BRT

corridor is the congested roads not in the context of traffic but with
respect to width which is not sufficient on most of the roads for
segregation. If we segregate the road for the buses and the other
vehicles, the problem is that buses would be able to move swiftly but the
problem will be for thousands of other vehicles which will have to use area
which is less than earlier. The frequency of buses is just 10% of that of
other vehicles, so it is totally unfair that both kind of vehicles uses same
space when the difference in their frequencies is almost 8-10 times.

4
However the widening of roads could have been an ideal solution of this
problem, but the difficulty in implementing this is that there is not enough
space available along both the sides to expand the road width. Availability
of service lanes can be helpful, but they are not that wide at every road
and even at some points they do not even exist. So the planners will have
to deal with it before they actually start making it, otherwise it would
result into nothing but the wastage of time, money , and efforts and also
roads would get busy meanwhile.

Min. Width Comfortable Width

1. Bicycles only 1.5m 1.8m

2. Bicycles and Passenger Rickshaws 1.8m 2.0m
3. Bicycles and Goods Rickshaws 2.0m 2.2m
4. Passenger and Goods Rickshaw 2.2m 2.5m
5. Heavy Goods Rickshaw traffic 2.5m 3.0m
2. Failure Of First Stretch : The stretch from Ambedkar Nagar to Delhi
Gate has been a big failure which increases the odds against the corridor.
If this corridor would have been an success then there not have been
anybody opposing it. But the problems, which came into limelight after its
construction, have posed an threat to its future. To evade from this threat,
the government will have to consider each and every problem, their
causes and the probable solutions so that it comes to the rescue of the
delhi commuters.

3. No Prior Tests : In view of the CommonWealth Games, the

constructors are in a hurry to implement these projects, but the only
result would be loss, loss and loss for the citizens of delhi. The
implications of this hurry would be that the corridors would be constructed
prior to tests which should be undertaken after checking their
compatibility. So the quality with which they would be made will be way
lower than expected, and the consequence of it would be that after few

4
years only they might be required to made again quiet early and thus
again investment, wastage of money, time and effort.

4
 Recommendations

Mr. Manoj Aggarwal, Head of Transport DIMTS said, “The concept of

BRTS was designed and devised to empower each and every citizen of
Delhi. We have made special efforts to ensure that persons with reduced
mobility/ disabilities / visual impairment / hearing impairment have ease
and convenience while commuting on the corridor. We are also thankful to
Samarthyam for their support and we have ensured that their
recommendations have been incorporated to make the BRT corridor easy
and convenient to navigate.”

According to Mr. Sanjeev Sachdeva, Founder Member, Samarthyam,

“We appreciate the efforts of DIMTS that has made the dream of
accessible transportation for the public a reality through the BRTS. We
have been actively involved in studying this corridor and have given our
suggestions to DIMTS on a regular basis. DIMTS has considered the
specific requirements for differently-abled persons that would allow them
from traveling comfortably. The new buses that would be plying on the
BRT corridor will have low floors and would also be equipped with a ramp
to enable people to board and disembark conveniently. In addition, these
buses would also have reserved space to accommodate wheelchairs apart
from having audio announcements and digital display for the hearing and
visually impaired”.

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4
 Interpretation

Delhi Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) – a boon or a bane?

This trial corridor, going through the extended South Delhi, is undergoing
trials and every day we are treated to the specter of day long traffic jams.
It is good for the newspapers as they can scream “bloody murder!” with
banner headlines, and they do. I think the situation was equally bad even
when the corridor was being built. It looked very much that not much
lessons were learned form the construction procedural aspects of Delhi
Metro.

But one good thing indeed is happening. The lawlessness of Delhi traffic is
for every one to see; no one can hide it: lane driving is for the birds. If it is
a designated bus lane, you will know it by counting the number of cars on
it, which will be non-zero within any time interval at a control section.
“How dare the pedestrians cross the street when I am driving through the
red signal?” I heard a car driver screaming. The notorious Blue Line buses
do not stop the buses at the stops but park them to pick up as many
passengers as possible – nothing but the usual.

The above scenes are witnessed when the number of traffic patrolmen
outnumbers the number of vehicles. One thing for sure – BRTS will give a
boost to employment on this count!

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4
 CONCLUSIONS

Third model for Delhi BRT corridor

Even as the fate of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor from Ambedkar Nagar
to Delhi Gate remains uncertain, the government has finalized a third
design for the next corridor being planned in northeast Delhi from Shastri
Park to Karawal Nagar. This time, the government has come up with a
new model in which buses in both directions will run on one side of the
existing road. Sources said this will help provide an exclusive passage for
buses without disturbing traffic on the main road. In the new model, the
existing road will not be disturbed. The 15-km stretch from Shastri Park to
Karawal Nagar runs along Yamuna Pushta, where the land is largely for
agricultural use. The plan is to widen the road from this side by about 8
metres and construct a dedicated corridor for buses on one side of the
road. By doing this, the problems faced in the existing corridor — traffic
snarls due to road space being eaten into by the dedicated bus lane in the
first model (Pilot A from Ambedkar Nagar to Moolchand) and then conflict
of vehicles turning into establishments along both sides of the corridor in
Pilot B (Moolchand to Delhi Gate) — will not be encountered. After burning
its fingers with two BRT different models on the pilot corridor, in which
buses run on the extreme right (Pilot A) and extreme left lane (Pilot B) of
the main road, the government has decided not to go ahead with either
for the next BRT corridor.

‘‘The new model will have the bus lanes on the side of the road where
there is no habitation,’’ said an official. The new model will be a close-loop
BRT, where the transport department will have the advantage of adding
as many buses as possible. The bus lane will be created by widening the
existing road. Also, footpaths will be redone and cycle tracks will be
added. The transport department anticipates problems at three
intersections — Khajuri Khas, Shastri Park and Bhajanpura — during

4
construction, which will also get sorted out once the bus lane is
constructed. The corridor will have 30 bus stops and there is a proposal to
extend it to Bhajanpura and Gandhi Nagar. The corridor will also have
automated ticketing at all bus shelters. The major difference in this
corridor and the existing one is the population demographics of the road.
According to a survey, the share of non-motorized vehicles like cycles and
cycle rickshaws is as high a 53.8% here, while the share of private cars
ranges between 12-16%. The number of two wheelers (seen as
prospective bus users) is also very high as it ranges between 21.8 and
42.5% on the road. The survey took into account traffic on Gandhi Nagar
Road, GT Road, Shastri Park-ISBT Road, Yamuna Marginal Bund Road and
Wazirabad Road (see graphic). A detailed project report (DPR) has been
prepared by DIMTS and sent to the government for sanction of funds. The
cost of the new BRT model has been worked out to Rs 20 crore per
kilometre, including all the systems, which is about the same as the
existing models. Sources said the corridor will become operational only
after the Commonwealth Games.

Running Ways
BRT systems in the United States have incorporated all types of running
ways – mixed flow arterial operation (Los Angeles, Honolulu), mixed flow
freeway operation (Phoenix), dedicated arterial lanes (Boston, Orlando),
at-grade transitways (Miami), and fully gradeseparated surface
transitways (Pittsburgh), and subways (Seattle, Boston in late 2004). The
only application in the United States of running way guidance occurred in
Las Vegas with optical guidance used to provide precision docking at
stations. The use of unique running way markings to differentiate BRT
running ways was rare, with the use of signing and striping the most
common form. This suggests that articulation of brand identity to running
ways is still not yet widespread.
There has been a broad range of sophistication and design attention in
BRT stations.

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Almost universally, BRT station designs are significantly different than
those of standard local bus stops, while the level of investment in the
stations has generally been related to the level of investment in running
way infrastructure. Exclusive transitways are most often paired with the
most extensive and elaborate station infrastructure. Most systems
incorporated stations designed to allow passing of vehicles at stations
through the use of either adjacent mixed flow lanes or passing lanes. Only
one system in the United States has platforms high enough to allow level
boarding. The mix of station amenities varied across systems. The most
common station amenities were seating and trash receptacles. Many
systems (e.g., Los Angeles Metro Rapid, Boston’s Silver Line, Las Vegas
MAX, and AC Transit’s Rapid Bus System) have real-time schedule and/or
vehicle arrival information. Communications infrastructure such as public
telephones and emergency telephones are starting to be installed in
systems.
Most systems have intermodal transfer facilities where there are specially
designed interfaces with other bus services and rapid rail systems (e.g.,
Los Angeles, Miami).
Stations including park and ride facilities are generally part of systems
with exclusive transitways (e.g., Miami-Dade South Busway, Pittsburgh
Busways).

Vehicles
Early BRT systems used standard vehicles that were often identical to the
rest of a particular agency’s fleet. A mix of standard and articulated
vehicles reflects the different levels of demand and capacity requirements
across BRT systems. Three systems, Los Angeles Metro Rapid, AC Transit’s
Rapid Bus, and Boston’s Silver Line, began operation with standard size
40-foot buses with and are phasing in 60-foot articulated buses as
demand grows.
The use of vehicle configurations or aesthetic enhancements to
differentiate BRT is gaining momentum. Some agencies have recently

4
added differentiated liveries, logos, and color to these vehicles as a way to
differentiate BRT service from other service. As agencies become more
conscious of the visual impact of vehicles, they are slowly incorporating
Stylized versions of their Conventional Standard and Articulated vehicles.
The only case of the use of a Specialized BRT Vehicle is in Las Vegas.

Fare Collection
Use of alternate fare collection processes has been rare in the United
States. The only implementation of anything other than a Pay On-Board
process is the proof-of-payment system associated with the Las Vegas
MAX system. Anecdotal observations suggest that
The dwell times at high demand stations of some BRT systems has
increased significantly as demand for BRT systems have grown. Over-all
running times and reliability, therefore, have been negatively affected.
This indicates an opportunity to introduce fare collection processes that
allow for multiple-door boarding.
Electronic fare collection using magnetic-stripe cards or smart cards is
slowly being incorporated into BRT systems, but implementation is largely
driven by agency-wide implementation rather than BRT-specific
implementation. Smart cards are gaining wider application than magnetic-
stripe cards among BRT systems.

The most common ITS applications include Transit Signal Priority,

Advanced Communication Systems, Automated Scheduling and Dispatch
Systems, and Real-Time Traveler Information at Stations and on Vehicles.
Installation of Security Systems such as emergency telephones at stations
and closed circuit video monitoring is rare, but increasing as newer, more
comprehensive systems are implemented.

Service and Operating Plans

In general, the structure of the routes correlated with the degree of
running way exclusivity. The service plan for systems using at-grade

4
arterial lanes, either in mixed flow or designated lanes generally
incorporated a single BRT route replacing an existing local route or a
single BRT route following the same route as a local route, which has its
frequency reduced. For example, AC Transit’s Rapid Bus, Las Vegas RTC’s
MAX, Los Angeles Metro’s Metro Rapid have a single BRT route overlaid on
a local route. Station spacing, generally between 0.5 and 1.0 miles for the
BRT route, was higher than that of the local route. Service plans for
systems that use exclusive transitways (Miami-Dade’s at-grade South
Busway and Pittsburgh’s grade-separated transitways) are operated with
integrated networks of routes that include routes that serve all stops and
a variety of feeders and expresses with integrated off-line and line-haul
operation. Service frequencies correlated with demand in the respective
corridors. Individual BRT systems on arterials operated with headways
between 5 and 15, with Boston and Los Angeles operating shorter
combined headways in some corridors. Services operating on Pittsburgh’s
exclusive running ways have the lowest combined headways observed in
the United States for BRT, approximately 1 minute along the trunk
transitway at the maximum load point.

Travel Time
With respect to total BRT travel times, BRT projects with more exclusive
running ways generally experienced the greatest travel time savings
compared to the local bus route. Exclusive transitway projects operated at
a travel time rate of 2 to 3.5 minutes per mile (between 17 and 30 miles
per hour). Arterial BRT projects in mixed flow traffic or designated lanes
operated between 3.5 and 5 minutes per mile (between 12 and 17 miles
per hour). Performance in reliability also demonstrated a similar pattern.

Reliability
As expected, systems with more exclusive transitways demonstrated the
most reliability and the least schedule variability and bunching. The ability
to track reliability changes has been limited by the fact that most transit

4
agencies do not regularly measure this performance attribute. Passenger
surveys, however, indicate that reliability is important for attracting and
retaining passengers. New automated vehicle location systems, may allow
for the objective and conclusive measurement of reliability.

Image and Identity

Performance in achieving a distinct brand identity for BRT has been
measured by in-depth passenger surveys. The more successful BRT
systems have been able to achieve a distinct identity and position in the
respective region’s family of transit services. BRT passengers generally
had higher customer satisfaction and rated service quality higher for BRT
systems than for their parallel local transit services.

Safety and Security

Data measuring the difference in safety and security of BRT systems as
compared with the rest of the respective region’s transit system have not
been collected. Drawing conclusions about the efficacy of BRT elements in
promoting safety and security is therefore premature. Data from
Pittsburgh suggest that BRT operations on exclusive transitways have
significantly fewer accidents per unit (vehicle mile or vehicle hour) of
service than conventional local transit operations in mixed traffic.
Customer perceptions of “personal safety” or security reveal that
customers perceive BRT systems to be safer than the rest of the transit
system.

Capacity
For virtually all BRT systems implemented in the United States, capacity
has not been an issue. To date, none of them have been operated at their
maximum capacity. On all systems, there is significant room to expand
operated capacity by operating larger vehicles, higher frequencies, or
both.

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Ridership
There have been significant increases in transit ridership in virtually all
corridors where BRT has been implemented. Though much of the ridership
increases have come from passengers formerly using parallel service in
other corridors, passenger surveys have revealed that much of the
increased number of trips have been made by individuals that used to
drive or be driven, passengers that use to make the same trip by walking
(e.g., the Boston’s Silver Line Phase I) and by passengers taking
advantage of BRT’s improved level of service to make trips that were not
made by any mode previously.
Increases in BRT ridership have come from both individuals that used to
use transit and totally new transit users that have access to automobiles.

Aggregate analyses of ridership survey results suggest two conclusions:

The ridership impact of BRT implementation has been comparable to that
experienced with LRT investment of similar scope and complexity
The ridership increases due to BRT implementation exceed those that
would be expected as the result of simple level of service improvements.
The implication here is that the identity and passenger information
advantages of BRT are seen positively by potential BRT customers when
they make their travel decisions.

Capital Cost Effectiveness

BRT demonstrates relatively low capital costs per mile of investment. It is
worth noting, however, that recently implemented BRT systems have
focused on less capital-intensive investments. More capital intensive
investments will begin service in the next few years.
Depending on the operating environment, BRT systems are able to
achieve service quality improvements (such as travel time savings of 15
to 25 percent and increases in reliability) and ridership gains that compare
favorably to the capital costs and the short amount of time to implement

4
BRT systems. Furthermore, BRT systems are able to operate with lower
ratios of vehicles compared to total passengers.
Operating Cost Efficiency
BRT systems are able to introduce higher operating efficiency and service
productivity into for transit systems that incorporate them. Experience
shows that when BRT is introduced into corridors and passengers are
allowed to choose BRT service, corridor performance indicators (such as
passengers per revenue hour, subsidy per passenger mile, and subsidy
per passenger) improve. Furthermore, travel time savings and higher
reliability enables transit agencies to operate more vehicle miles of
service from each vehicle hour operated.

Environmental Quality
Documentation of the environmental impacts of BRT systems is rare.
Experience does show that there is improvement to environmental quality
due to a number of factors. Ridership gains suggest that some former
automobile users are using transit as a result of BRT implementation.
Transit agencies are serving passengers with fewer hours of operation,
potential reducing emissions. Most importantly, transit agencies are
adopting vehicles with alternative fuels, propulsion systems, and pollutant
emissions controls. Progress in reducing emissions of particulate matter
and oxides of nitrogen is on pace to meet standards imposed by the
United States Environmental Protection Agency.
This edition of the CBRT represents a snapshot of BRT experience as of
the summer of 2004. It contains a wealth of data and information, but
there is much about BRT that can be explored further. This is why the
CBRT is intended to be a dynamic document, one that evolves along with
the experience of the transit community with BRT. As the number and
sophistication of BRT applications increases, CBRT will reflect this
experience in future editions. Data on system experience in future
editions will allow for the analyses to be more robust and for lessons

4
learned to be more definitive. The FTA encourages the use of CBRT as a
key tool to disseminate information on the evolution of BRT to the transit
community.

4
 Bibliography

Wikepedia.org
Delhi Transport Journal
Need for BRT in Delhi, 2005, Kapil Nath, Govt of NCT of Delhi
BRT Designsum, Dec 2005, TRIPP, Govt of NCT of Delhi
Ay, M. A., “Using Ordered Probit Modeling to Study the Effect of ATIS on
Transit Ridership”, Pergamon Transportation Research Part C, 2001
Darido, Georges, Managing Conflicts Between the Environment and
Mobility: The
Case of Road-Based Transportation and Air Quality in Mexico City, MIT,
2000
Diaz, Roderick and Donald Schneck, Bus Rapid Transit – An Overview,
presentation by
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. Washington, DC
Fleishman, Daniel, Carol Schweiger, David Lott, and George Pierlott,
Multipurpose Transit