This conference will review the latest international developments in competition and ownership in land passenger transport, with reference to key political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental trends. The main emphasis is on public transport, but the role of reforms in road pricing and of other policy instruments to discourage car use as part of an integrated package to grow demand for public transport is also central to the conference.

The conference series began in Thredbo, in Australia, in 1989. The initial focus was on competition and ownership in the bus and coach industries, but this has been subsequently extended to consider other forms of land-based public transport. The interactions between competition and ownership and wider policy issues have also received increased attention.

The discussions at this conference will build on the dialogue at the Thredbo 12 conference, held in Durban, South Africa in September 2011. It will be based around seven broad workshop themes. The first theme will examine how more effective performance regimes may be developed, including consideration of the better use of management information. The second will consider the extent to which Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has transformed land-based passenger transport and the implications for competition and ownership. The third will look at the scope for institutional reform of public transport markets that remain regulated and will pay particular attention to the role of contextual factors. The fourth will examine the need for regulatory and other controls in broadly deregulated markets. The fifth will consider the role and responsibilities of government and operators in improving contractual design in limited competition models based on tendering, negotiation, and its variants. The sixth will look at issues around the delivery of sustainable public transport and will consider the competition and ownership models that can enhance deliverability. The seventh will examine issues around providing innovative finance for innovative public transport and the extent to which competition and ownership issues can impact on such innovation.

The conference series is intended to be inclusive with coverage of both developed and developing markets and of both formal and informal transport. A mark of its successful continuity as a series over 23 years has been the mix of key stakeholders sharing their experience, especially operators, regulators and government officials, as well as academics.

More information at the official website.
 
 
 
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The goal of the course is to provide local decision makers, as well as urban and transportation planners a broader understanding of the state of the BRT industry worldwide and the issues that are critical in the successful design and implementation of new BRT projects and systems. The course content will range from contracts and regulatory frameworks to technological aspects and operations and control decisions.

The course will follow six one-hour modules:

• Theme 1: History and current state of the BRT industry
• Theme 2: Critical elements of a successful bus corridor
• Theme 3: The Customer Experience
• Theme 4: Fare collection in the broader payments environment
• Theme 5: Near-Capacity Operations
• Theme 6: Regulatory and contractual aspects

The registration fee for the workshop is AUD $150, which includes all refreshments and lunches. You can register for the workshop at the same time as you complete your registration for the Thredbo 13 Conference. Please register here.
 
 
 
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The goal of the course is to provide local decision makers, as well as urban and transportation planners a broader understanding of the state of the BRT industry worldwide and the issues that are critical in the successful design and implementation of new BRT projects and systems. The course content will range from contracts and regulatory frameworks to technological aspects and operations and control decisions.

The course will follow six one-hour modules (download the preliminary program):

• Theme 1: History and current state of the BRT industry
• Theme 2: Critical elements of a successful bus corridor
• Theme 3: Integrating safety into BRT planning and operations
• Theme 4: The Customer Experience
• Theme 5: Fare collection in the broader payments environment
• Theme 6: Near-Capacity Operations
• Theme 7: Regulatory and contractual aspects

The registration fee for the workshop is USD$ 150, which includes all refreshments and lunches.

Registration:

 
 
 
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Juan Carlos presented the case of the transportation reform in Santiago de Chile, Transantiago:
 
 

 
 
During the same week, a meeting was organized between members of the CoE participating in the MISTI project "Designing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Corridors". They are working on the workshop that is being carried out between graduate students from MIT and PUC. The participants of this meeting were:

• City of Cambridge: Susan Clippinger and Jeff Rosenblum.
• City of Somerville: Sarah Spicer and Brad Rawson.
• MassDOT: Scott Hamwey.
• MBTA: Erik Scheier.
• MIT: Chris Zegras, Mikel Murga, John Atanucci, Clara Suh, Anson Stewart, David Block-Schachter
• PUC: Juan Carlos Muñoz, Rocío Hidalgo, Rosanna Forray.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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A preview of the elevated Second Ring Road and BRT stations was released on January in the form of digital still renderings and a video.
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The video gives a brief introduction to the system, or just fast forward to 3:45 to watch a bird's eye view lap of the entire ring, starting from Rennan Lijiaoqiao, all set to a dramatic score.

 
 
Some highlights:

 
 
 
- There will be 28 stations along the 28.3 - kilometer track, spaced approximately 1 kilometer apart.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- Six stations — Hongpai Lou, Kehua Bei Lu, Dong Da Jie, Jinsha, North Railway Station, and Jianshe Bei Lu — will feature distinct design characteristics, such as the golden sun bird unearthed at Jinsha that is an official emblem of the city.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- The other 22 stations will be located at (counter clockwise, from the north): Shanghuo Dadao, Southwest Jiaotong University, North Yingmenkou, North Shuhan Lukou, Funan New District, Guanghua Dadao, Qingshuihe, Shaoling Lu, Lidu Lu, Zijing Bei Lu, East Rennan Lijiaoqiao, East Lake Park, Chengren Gongjiao Station, Longzhou Lu, Lianhua Xiaoqu, Niushikou, South Shuangqiaozi, North Shuangqiaozi, Wannianchang, Jianshe Nan Lu, Taoxi Lu, Sanyou Lu, and Gaosuntang.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- All stations except for the East Rennan Lijiaoqiao station will be on the elevated roadway.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- Every station is within 120 meters of another public-transit station.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- Adjustments will be made to the 90 bus stations currently lining the Second Ring Road so that they integrate with the BRT stations for ease of transfer.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- The system will have an operational capacity of 250,000 passengers per day.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- The buses will run at an average speed of 25 kmph.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- The entire system is expected to be in operation this June.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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To better survive the economic impact of big storms like Sandy, New York needs a "world class" bus rapid transit system. That's one of the major recommendations in a draft report commissioned by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on how to rebuild New York infrastructure post-Sandy.

Bus Rapid Transit -- basically, fast buses which run on segregated lanes where users pay off board -- mimics a subway system by planning bus routes that can run almost as quickly through streets as trains can underground.

Such a system could be less vulnerable to floods and more able to restart service after big storms. It would also be able to connect neighborhoods that would otherwise be stranded by subway service disruptions.

"A world class BRT network would enhance the resilience and redundancy of the overall transit system," according to a draft copy of the report which was leaked to the New York Times. The report contained no specific recommendations for funding the system.

It also doesn't address the thorny political question which frequently accompanies BRT proposals -- that of of turning over road space traditionally used by cars to buses only.

The recommendation is part of a set of proposals drawn up by the NYS2100 Commission, one of three large commissions set up by Governor Cuomo to address rebuilding New York in the wake of storm Sandy, which caused over $30 billion in damage. The two other commissions, on emergency response and preparedness, delivered their findings directly to the governor last week. No word on when the final 2100 report will be presented to the Governor, or whether or how he'll adopt its recommendations.

BRT advocates, like the Institute for Transportation Development Policy, argue that BRT can be built far more quickly and cheaply than subways. The Second Avenue subway has been under development for half a century, by contrast.

"Financial support from the State would be welcome in helping to bring New York City’s ongoing bus system improvement efforts closer to world class ‘gold standard’ BRT," said ITDP CEO Walter Hook in a statement. "A world-class BRT system would not only have fully dedicated lanes that keep the buses separate from traffic, and off-board fare collection, but also beautiful iconic stations with platforms that allow people to step directly onto the bus."

The NYS2100 commission is co-chaired by Rockefeller Foundation Chairwoman Judith Rodin and financier Felix Rohatyn. (Rockefeller also funds Transportation Nation.)

The Governor's office didn't comment on the draft report, and an MTA spokesman, Adam Lisberg, said the report's recommendations had not been shared with the MTA.

During storm Sandy, the MTA's temporary "bus bridge," which replaced subway service during the period when all the East River tunnels were flooded, came as close to New York has seen of having a true BRT. Though there were long lines to board the buses, the buses, aided by police officers stationed at every corner, zipped through city streets. The ride from the East Village to Barclay's Center in Brooklyn took about 12 minutes.

The city has also installed several "select bus service" lines, which adopt some features of BRT, including off-board payment.

"BRT corridors that serve as connectors to the subway system would provide riders with muliple options for connections and access to the core," the report said.

The draft report suggests creating a bus line that would run the length of southern Brooklyn, connecting the D, F, B and Q lines, and a east-west corridor connecting neigborhoods like Bedford Stuyvesant to lines that run through Brownstone Brooklyn, Midwood, and Coney Island.

The draft report notes that transit ridership has increased 60 percent since 1990, but bus line speeds overall have decreased by 11 percent.
 
 
 
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The researcher can also work with the new Centre for Sustainable Urban Development (CEDEUS) currently being developed as a collaborative project between our department and other areas of the University. We welcome applicants with the ability to carry out interdisciplinary and collaborative research projects and an interest in the role transportation plays in urban sustainability.

Job Description: We are seeking applicants with a PhD or industry experience in an area related to public transport. Candidates need not be fluent in Spanish at the moment of applying; we welcome applications from within and outside Chile. They must exhibit excellent oral and written communication skills and an aptitude for teamwork. It is advantageous to have earned a Ph.D. in a public transport related field, with a demonstrated research potential. While industrial experience is desirable, a strong commitment to rigorous and relevant research is essential. We offer the attractive opportunity of a job working in the field of public transport within an international and interdisciplinary academic setting.

Requirements: Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in related discipline or be about to complete it. It is important that the applicant be able to work collaboratively, and international experience is desirable. Review of applications starts immediately and the positions will remain open until a successful candidate has been found. The position starts in the beginning of 2014 and is for a period of 2 years; however, this is flexible for the right candidate.

Information and application: To apply, interested applicants should forward their CV including a publication list, contact details of three reference writers and a one page description of their experience and research interests related to this position. Please send application information and/or request more information by sending an e-mail to Prof. Juan Carlos Muñoz (jcm@ing.puc.cl).
 
 
 
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Photo: Eric Goldwyn

Bus Rapid Transit, or BRT, has been touted by its proponents as something close to a miracle for cash-strapped cities, capable of easing congestion and improving public transportation without breaking the bank. By separating buses from the irregularities of traffic and dramatically decreasing passenger load times, BRT can approach the same capacities and speed as costlier rail service. By filtering out the main components of delay—traffic and on-board payment—buses can travel faster, maintain reliable schedules, and potentially turn a profit.

In the 1970s, the city of Curitiba in Brazil demonstrated how dedicated lanes—the iconic pre-payment tubes came later—tapped the latent potential of buses to transport millions of people a day more affordably than rail. Instead of building subway-related infrastructure for $90 million per km (or $144 million per mile), local officials prioritized the new buses on existing streets for $200,000 per km (or $320,000 per mile). The costs savings are startling and worth restating: it was 99.8 percent cheaper to roll out BRT in Curitiba than build a subway.

Since then, BRT has been enthusiastically deployed in 147 cities spread over six continents. But as developing countries in Africa and Asia have pumped millions of dollars into new buses, reengineered streets, and stylish loading stations, the results have been disappointing in cities like Cape Town, New Delhi, and Bangkok. Local officials in these cities are finding considerable resistance from drivers and private transit operators, lower than projected ridership, and ballooning costs that threaten the long-term viability of their BRT programs.

Cape Town’s MyCiTi Integrated Rapid Transport system is a world-class BRT system in miniature (one that I was able to observe on a recent unrelated research trip funded by VREF). With only phase 1A operational, MyCiTi serves three trunk routes and additional feeder lines. On the trunk routes, passengers enjoy modern buses, striking pre-boarding payment depots that eliminate passenger bottlenecks, contactless card payment, clear signage, and journeys along newly engineered red lanes that ensure predictable travel speeds free from congestion in neighboring mixed traffic lanes during peak hours.

Newer and more advanced doesn’t always mean better. The innovations of BRT, namely lane separation and pre-payment, are strategies to avoid delays caused by traffic and high passenger loads. When those conditions don’t exist, BRT doesn’t guarantee improved travel speeds. Research from the University of Cape Town’s Centre for Transport Studies shows that the time required for MyCiTi buses to align with pre-boarding payment depots only saves time when approximately five or more passengers enter and exit. When passenger loads fall below five, which is the rule rather than the exception along the primary trunk route, MyCiTi buses idle longer at stops and operate slower than traditional buses.

Inside the Woodstock MyCITI boarding station. Photo: Eric Goldwyn.

When Curitiba introduced BRT to the world in the 1970s it only separated its buses from traffic. It wasn’t until the 1990s that it decided to add pre-boarding payment depots. As daily ridership increased from 50,000 to over 2,000,000, it made sense to reduce the time spent waiting for passengers to enter and pay as they boarded the buses one at a time. Cape Town doesn’t even have half the bus ridership Curitiba did in the 1970s. Daily ridership has risen from about 6,000 to 20,000 daily rides since MyCiTi’s launch, but there’s still a long way to go before pre-payment begins to yield meaningful travel time savings.

International consultants and local advocates built MyCiTi to an idealized standard that’s inappropriate for Cape Town. In trying to replicate Bogota’s TransMilenio BRT system, the South African government has contributed nearly $900 million to build and run MyCiTi through its Public Transport Infrastructure and Systems Grant program. Much of this money has been used for one-time capital expenses, such as the construction of ineffectual pre-payment depots and the reengineering of roads.

Cape Town feels the financial burden of MyCiTi. Since 2010, the city and federal governments have spent $20 million to operate MyCiTi, but generated only $4 million in revenues. MyCiTi’s inability to sustain itself financially has delayed needed network expansion and alienated private operators who are supposed to run and manage the system over the long-term.

The University of Cape Town’s Roger Behrens, Herrie Schaelkamp, and Pablo Salazar-Ferrero argue that the ongoing uncertainty surrounding MyCiTi threatens the city’s ability to negotiate with minibus-taxi owners—the proposed future operators of MyCiTi according to the original plan—which in turn hinders efforts to expand services as promised, build ridership, and reach public transportation-dependent users marooned in low-income, densely populated townships like Khayelitsha, which is 20 miles southeast of downtown and home to over 500,000 residents.

BRT has great potential to revolutionize the image and efficacy of public transport in the 21st century, but officials need to show greater sensitivity to city-specific context rather than chasing a technological ideal. What worked in Bogota is not working in Cape Town. Public transportation riders will be better served when their public servants continuously monitor, revisit, and tweak these new systems.

 
 
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Professor David Hensher

Opinion Pieces: since 2007, Prof. David Hensher has written an opinion column in the Australasian Bus and Coach magazine, where he monthly discusses a lot of different transport-related hot topics. In this section we are revisiting these columns.

February 2012

One of the challenges of public transport service delivery is the measurement of performance and compliance with contractual conditions. These challenges were the main focus of a workshop on performance measurement and compliance at Thredbo 12 (Durban South Africa September 2011). The types of performance measures, incentive and penalty regimes, benchmarking and the associated risks in performance measurement were discussed. Other relevant issues included items such as public transport sustainability, transparency in decision making, innovation (e.g. engineering choices regarding technologies), and the overall benefit of public transport to society. It was also pertinent to consider what evidence exists about the wider impacts of transport interventions on macro policy goals (e.g. the environment, reduction in accident rates, traffic volumes, mode switch etc.); the benefits of integration within the transport system and between transport and related economic sectors.

After 3 days of debate and discussion a number of key recommendations were put forward which I believe represent a healthy direction for performance measurement and benchmarking in each State in Australia. The workshop identified nine critical key responsibility areas (KRA) and a key example of a key performance indicator (KPI):
 

 
The workshop concluded that stable frameworks lead to partnerships and trust (and this is where the government sector should take the lead). In terms of KPIs it was concluded that a simple and relevant KPI regime when implemented leads to informed design of contracts which leads to feedback / continues process (government sector). However, it is recommended that the set of KPIs need to be in the contract but levels need to be in schedule (government sector). Setting up appropriate structure to manage performance regime (government sector) is not just for compliance but also to assist operators.

This lead to a series of recommendations:

• Performance measures should be simple and practical but still informative
• Who has control over these KPIs? Policy, regulators expectations? Who bears the risks?
• We need to understand the relationships and obligations of parties / trust
• There should be minimum standards to address the backlog with respect to establishing performance measurement regimes, particularly in the context of creating a formal market which encourages public transport measurement and compliance
• There remain fundamental issues of data availability / integrity / relevance
• Further work is required to establish how much information can be released back in to the market

I acknowledge the contribution of John Nelson and Rico Merkert who co-chaired the workshop.
 
Food for thought.
 
 
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Curitiba, Brazil: advancing a tradition of leadership in advanced bus systems. Photo by Robert Blackie.

Fifteen years ago, Latin America passed a tipping point on the road to becoming a global leader in advanced bus systems, proving that municipalities can inspire meaningful change through a combination of leadership, institutional support, and funding. Today, Latin America has fifty cities with advanced bus systems – bus rapid transit (BRT) and bus corridors – moving close to sixteen million passengers every day (BRT Global Database). Most of the advances happened in the last fifteen years, inspired by the remarkable experiences of the cities of Curitiba, Brazil; Quito, Ecuador, Bogotá, Colombia; and México City. Several barriers have been overcome in the process, but there is still a long road ahead. Latin American cities need to adequately address key institutional and financial barriers to continue advancing integrated public transport systems and providing examples for the rest of the world in the next 15 years and beyond. Cities need to reinforce their efforts in two key areas: the first being quality and associated subsidies for operation, and the second being systems integration. These ideas were shared during a presentation by EMBARQ at the World Bank, on February 27, 2013. The presentation was part of the Sustainable Development Network (SDN) Week 2013, in which the World Bank brings together its staff from all over the world to advance knowledge and enhance dialogue with country members and external partners. EMBARQ’s presentation illustrated the example of Bogotá and how it has influenced other cities and countries in the region. It also highlighted some outstanding issues in the process of expanding bus systems into city-wide integrated public transport networks. In the session, experiences in transport institutional reforms in Romania and India were also presented.

Leadership of Latin America in bus systems: the experience of Bogotá and its influence

Fifteen years ago, the city of Bogotá, Colombia, changed its priorities from moving cars to moving people through the creation of investments and institutions for non-motorized and public transport. Bogotá created pedestrian spaces and bikeways, started controlling the use of cars by placing administrative restrictions and increased fuel taxes, and implemented a bus rapid transit (BRT) system inspired from Curitiba, Brazil. Today, after 15 years of implementation, Bogotá has been able to keep the share of public transport above 70% of total trips, increased non-motorized transport from 8% to 13%, and reduced private car use from 18% to 15% — all while personal income continued to increase. One key outcome of this initiative has been the reduction of traffic fatalities from 1,200 to 500 a year.

Since the reforms in Bogotá, 117 cities around the world have adopted advanced bus systems; a large number of them directly finding inspiration in Bogotá. This inspiration resulted in advanced systems in many cities in Mexico (León, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Guayaquil), but also in Lima, Peru; in Lagos, Nigeria; in Cape Town, South Africa; in Ahmedabad, India; and in Guanghzou, China to name a few. Latin America is championed advanced bus systems in Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Perú, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela, Panamá, Guatemala, and experiencing a strong growth in Brazil in the wake of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.
 
Although the reform is “work in progress,” it has shown interesting results: in 2012 we saw the introduction of BRT in the historic district of Mexico City, with Metrobus Line 4; the introduction of the first BRT corridor, Transoeste, in Rio de Janeiro; and the expansion of the TransMilenio BRT in Bogotá. These and other systems have achieved large gains in travel time, safety and reliability, as well as reductions in energy consumption and emissions, and improvement to the urban landscape.
 
Despite the advances in Latin America, there have been common issues. The two key areas for improvement are the quality of service, and the integration into full-scale integrated transport systems.
 
Raise the appeal of bus systems by improving quality of service and funding
 
Better quality of service is important to keep these systems attractive to the public, and offer them as a real alternative to cars and motorcycles. To provide this quality of service, bus operators have been required to pay for new buses, and pay for advanced systems for fare collection and control systems outside of their base revenues from the sale of tickets, or “fare” revenue. This difficult financial planning has resulted in very high occupancy levels, more passengers charged resulting in higher revenues to pay for the investments. Latin American systems were planned for 160 passengers in articulated buses, which mean more than 6 standing passengers per square meter. This is not acceptable for everyday commuters, and several systems have witnessed declining user acceptance levels because of the lack of quality of operations.
 
Latin America can look to European cities such as Stockholm, Sweden; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; and Copenhagen, Denmark as models for attention to quality, as well as to Singapore and Shanghai in China where the capture of value from land development and vehicle property fiscal tools finance operations beyond revenues from fare collection. This approach of additional sources of funding is needed in Latin America to increase the level of comfort and the overall number of passengers using public transport.
 
Looking toward city-wide integrated public transport
 
The second area of improvement for Latin American advanced systems is in the integration with other modes of transports. As advanced bus corridors developed, they also lacked the connections with other public transport services. Some initiatives for citywide public transport integration are ongoing. Santiago, Chile, implemented a citywide reform in a process that ultimately proved painful. Nevertheless, five years later the city has solved most of the issues, after deciding to subsidize operations permanently and renegotiating the contracts with private providers of bus services, to better align incentives and introduce improved controls. Transantiago has undergone full integration with a high quality metro and impressive reductions in air pollution, and greenhouse gases emissions. Traffic accidents involving all sorts of buses have declined in half over the past five years, from more than 6,000 to less than 3,000 according to national statistics (CONASET).
 
The example of citywide public transport integration in Santiago is being now attempted in Cali, Medellin, and Bogotá, in Colombia and has been announced in México, Lima, and Quito. Assuring the delivery of a service of quality throughout the user experience of the transport system is the key to these efforts. Most Brazilian cities have already advanced integration, as a result of a strong private sector and solid government institutions, and are expected to continue advancing integration during the next years.
 
The global model for advanced integration remains in Europe, in places like Madrid, Spain (Consorcio de Transportes de Madrid), London, England (Transport for London) and Paris, France (STIF). Operations of metro, trams, suburban trains, BRT, and local and regional buses are managed under consolidated institutions, which plan and fund operations and investments in public transport networks in an integrated way.
 
The next 15 years: peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchange
 
International stakeholders like the multi-development banks and international NGOs are instrumental in the process of technical and operational assistance to bring public transport improvements to more cities in Latin America. These stakeholders need to continue their support and increase knowledge sharing to build on the strong base of experience from the past fifteen years. One of the most important ways to build capacity is through peer-to-peer collaboration.
 
With peer-to-peer collaboration and initiative in public reform, Latin America has an unparalleled opportunity in the next 15 years to remain a leader in the development of advanced public transport systems and build upon its historic success.
 
For more information, please see my presentation on Public Transport Reform in Latin America.
 
The author encourages feedback, comments, and questions from readers.
 
Benoit Colin and Elise Zevitz also contributed to this piece.
 
 
 
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This is the text Volvo shared internally about the workshop:

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is not a one man show. It is a solution that involves stakeholders such as city planners, authorities, banks, bus manufacturers and bus operators. As part of the Volvo Group city solution strategy, Volvo Buses gathered this week key stakeholders and experts to discuss, share best practices and inspire to the next step in further developing Volvo Buses BRT strategy.

BRT solutions are growing on global basis, and operate today in 149 cities. Additional 84 cities are in the planning phase, which is a great opportunity for the Volvo Group. "Bus Rapid Transfer is a corner stone in Volvo Buses long term strategy towards sustainable bus transport solutions. We have a leading position globally within this area", says Håkan Karlsson, CEO, Volvo Buses.

"Historically we have a strong presence in BRT solutions in South America, but now we need to expand our BRT plans to other parts of the world. I think megacities in Asia have huge potential from a mass transportation perspective along with smaller European cities where the purpose is more related to improving quality of life in the city centre" he continues.

"It will however require a business approach that focuses on the total offer and solution and we need to get involved outside the bus. I am very satisfied with the seminar and it will serve as a base for developing and concretizing the next step in Volvo Buses BRT strategy".

Participants in the meeting were among others Fanalca Group, HSBC, Volvo Group, EMBARQ, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Anneli Hulthén, Mayor and Chairman of the City Executive in Gothenburg.
 
 
 
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Ahmedabad’s Janmarg is a world-class BRT system. Photo by velaparatodo.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, along with CEPT University, launched the Asia BRTS Conference that was held on September 6-8, 2012, with the goal of improving knowledge, sharing experiences and advancing the concept of bus rapid transit (BRT) in India and across Asia. Currently, more than 25 Asian cities have implemented BRT systems and bus corridors, with varying degrees of success; and many more are at different stages of planning and implementation. The conference comes at a critical point in the evolution of BRTs in Asia. Recognizing that while existing debates have focused on architecture and engineering, there is a lot to learn from successful cities about engaging stakeholders, branding and communication, network selection, and operations planning.

The conference had local and international experts, including those from the Ministry of Urban Development, the Asian Development Bank, the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities, the Latin American Association for Integrated Transport Systems and Bus Rapid Transit (SIBRT), the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), and EMBARQ. The Asia BRTS Association (ABA) was launched as an international network of Asian cities, transit authorities, operators, policy and decision-makers, technical institutes, and the public transport manufacturing and service industry.
 
 
 
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The Transjakarta Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) will operate more articulated buses to cope with the increase in people using public transport, an official says.

Ten of the new articulated buses — manufactured by Chinese bus manufacturer Zhongtong — went on the road last week in Corridor 1, the route between Blok M in the south and Kota in the north.

An articulated bus can accommodate up to 160 passengers, while a normal single bus can only transport 85 passengers.

“We will cut waiting time with these buses. Some of the old buses will be retired and replaced with these new buses,” Transjakarta chief Muhammad Akbar said on Saturday.

“The new buses should balance the expected increase in Transjakarta passengers this year,” he said.

At the moment, Transjakarta carries 320,000 passengers per day.

Corridors 1 and 8 (Lebak Bulus to Harmoni) will have 66 new “flexible” buses early this year.

Another 36 buses will run on the new Corridor 12 (Tanjung Priok to Pluit via Manggadua in the north of the city) that is expected to open this January.

The natural-gas-fueled buses are equipped with closed circuit television (CCTV) to ensure the safety of passengers.

“CCTV footage can be used as an evidence should any crime occur in the buses. It is also useful for the drivers to monitor the passengers,” he said.
Fika Rahmi, 23, a Transjakarta passenger, said that the CCTV would be very useful to prevent crime and sexual abuse of female passenger using the service.

“Even though the buses already provide female-only spaces, they are cramped most of the time, and the passengers are intimidated, be it from harassment or pickpockets. I think CCTV will help prevent these things happening in the future,” she said.

“However, these new facilities should be looked after by the passengers. The interiors of most of the buses nowadays are wrecked, the doors are jammed and the overhead straps are detached. I don’t know how long these CCTV cameras will last if the passengers don’t change their attitude,” said the advertising agency employee.

Lariza Adisty, 23, hopes the new articulated buses will cut the waiting time and be less crowded.

“One of the reasons that people are reluctant to travel with Transjakarta is because the buses are overcrowded most of the time. It’s not as comfortable as it could be. It is really not much different from the non-air conditioned minibuses,” she said.
 
 
 
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