BRT quadruples

Globally, bus rapid transit (BRT) has grown by 383% in the last ten years, according to new data released by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. While costs vary across nations, BRT capital costs are generally less than 10% of the cost of metro and 30-60% of the cost of light rail. The Institute said BRT can also be implemented much more quickly that rail based transit, allowing systems to be created and expanded quickly to meet ever growing needs.

China is the global leader in BRT, having added 538km of BRT in the last ten years, up from one system of 14km in 2004. Brazil, spurred the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, has built 206km, with nearly the same amount currently in planning. Mexico has constructed seven BRT corridors in and around Mexico City, as well as systems in six other cities, for 222km of BRT over the years. Even the United States, which has been slow to embrace BRT, added 81km in six new systems in the last decade.