Research Project Description
Mineta Transportation Institute
From Buses to BRT: Case Studies of Incremental Bus Rapid Transit Projects in North America.
Project Number: 2704
Project Abstract:Many transit agencies are taking an incremental approach to implementing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems. As described in the BRT Handbook for Partners developed by the Mineta Transportation Institute and Caltrans, agencies that take this approach implement BRT infrastructure and service elements in distinct phases over time. This enables transit service improvements to be implemented quickly and at low cost, thus helping to build transit ridership and take cars off the road in the short-term. In the longer term, the incremental approach can build transit demand to a level that justifies investments in higher capacity transit systems.
To create this “best practices” guide, the research team will develop four detailed case studies of urban transit agencies that have implemented phased BRT projects. The case studies will be based on interviews with the transit system managers and local planners, as well as any available research and analysis on these systems. The researchers will select a diverse set of case study sites, to enable the report to compare and contrast different phased BRT applications. Their interviews will explore both positive and negative lessons learned on all phases of BRT deployment: planning and funding, implementation, operations and future plans.
The objective will be to create a report that will be a complementary extension to the MTI BRT Handbook. They will investigate how the lessons learned about phased BRT implementation as described in the BRT Handbook are being applied in enhancing bus service incrementally along existing routes in urban areas.
The proposed research will provide policy-oriented R&D support to several research priorities outlined in the RFP document, including case studies of major capital projects, gaining approval and public acceptance for transit priority, and promoting environmentally and financially sustainable transportation systems. In the course of their work, they also will seek out and report examples of either planned or implemented transit-oriented development (“TOD”) along BRT routes, thus addressing another MTI priority.
Principal Investigator:John Niles, President, Global Telematics, Seattle; Research Associate, Mineta Transportation Institute
Team Member: William Vincent, General Counsel, Breakthrough Technologies Institute, Washington, D.C. (Research Associate
Team Member: Charles Rivasplata, Ph.D., San José State University, Research Associate
Team Member: Richard Lee, Ph.D., San José State University, Research Associate
Team Member: Lisa Callaghan, Technology Director, Breakthrough Technologies Institute, Washington, D.C. (Research Associate application attached)
Team Members: Eric Ganther, Ramses Madou, Student research assistants, San José State University
Institution:
Mineta Transportation Institute
Telephone Number:
(408) 924-7560
Email Address: mti@mti.sjsu.edu
Milestones Dates:
Note: The plan includes two tasks (A and B) for which no project funding is requested.
Task A: Project team establishment; off budget
Task 1: Establish industry & research peer awareness of project
Task 2: Background research and case study site selection
Task 3: Development of interview guides
Task 4: Telephone and e-mail interviews
Task 5: Circulation of write-ups for feedback
Task B: Site Visits; off-budget
Task 6: Analyze findings and reach conclusions
Task 7: Final Report
Deliverable: Final revised report formatted per MTI for immediate publication
Following delivery of revised report, MTI will complete editing, prepare FrameMaker files, proofread and print the final report. Allow two months.
Total Budget: $51,089 (Includes $6,450 for MTI costs)
Student Involvement:
Student Research Assistants, Two
Technology Transfer Activities:
Upon publication, pdf and html versions will be available on the Mineta Transportation Institute web site. The project experience and data will be available for community meetings. Authors are encouraged to submit articles based on the research to relevant journals and to present the information to end-users at conferences.
Potential Benefits of the Project:
The proposed research will provide policy-oriented R&D support to several research priorities outlined in the RFP document, including case studies of major capital projects, gaining approval and public acceptance for transit priority, and promoting environmentally and financially sustainable transportation systems. In the course of their work, they also will seek out and report examples of either planned or implemented transit-oriented development (“TOD”) along BRT routes, thus addressing another MTI priority.
The research also will support USDOT’s new emphasis on congestion reduction expressed in FTA’s research goal to improve capital investments and operating efficiencies in public transportation and increase transit ridership. The BRT proposal is aligned precisely with the USDOT milestone to Identify Methods and Technology to Improve Transit Operational Efficiency, specifically, (a) Update characteristics of bus rapid transit systems, and (b) Develop bus rapid transit design guidelines manual for transit agencies. This milestone is listed in Table 4-1 on page 56 of the RITA Strategic RD&T Plan cited in the RFP, and found at http://www.rita.dot.gov/publications/transportation_rd_t_strategic_plan/.
TRB Keywords:
Bus Transit Operations, Bus Rapid Transit, Public Transit
Subject Category/Mode:
Planning, Research, Finance and Economics, Energy and Environment/Public Transportation
