Bus Rapid Transit Hits Global Milestone

"Last week, bus rapid transit (BRT) reached a global milestone, as the number of mapped BRT corridors and systems in BRTData.org’s database broke 400," reports Ryan WInstead.

Adds Winstead: "BRTData’s most recent update shows that there are now 402 mapped BRT corridors and bus lanes, stretching over 5229 kilometers worldwide. The significance of this figure is twofold: first, it shows that many cities worldwide are becoming increasingly interested in sustainable modes of transport; secondly, the figure is a reflection of the vast amount of free and accessible data that exists online to support the case for BRT."

A few more factoids pulled from that data that Winstead mentions: nearly 33 million people use BRT in 195 cities every day, BRT lines quadrupled from 2004 to 2014, 48 cities are currently expanding BRT systems, and 141 cities are constructing or planning new BRT lines.

Winstead goes on to cite some of the data that describes the effects of BRT systems in cities around the world. In Istanbul, for instance, "the average passenger on Metrobüs saved 28 workdays per year in reduced travel times."