Public Transportation

This report presents the findings from an investigation of opportunities to implement bus rapid transit systems in the San Francisco Bay Area with a focus on bus transit routes that travel on the state’s highway system. A primary component of this project has been the consideration of inter-connectivity and regional aspects of bus rapid transit systems deployment in the Bay Area. We examined approximately 200 bus transit routes in the Bay Area that lie on the state highway system from which five routes were identified as likely candidates for bus rapid transit implementation. Two of the...

In 1997 the Ann Arbor (Michigan) Transportation Authority began deploying a set of integrated, advanced public transportation system technologies in its vehicles, stations, and control center. Selected findings are summarized of a multidimensional evaluation of the effects of the system on schedule adherence and transfer time, passenger perception, and drivers. Some improvement in on-time performance was observed in vehicle departures from major transfer points, though not in arrivals. Modest improvements were observed in transfer coordination for routes planned for timed transfers....

Busways have been reported to carry up to 28,000 passengers per hour per direction (pphpd). However, recent passenger counts indicate that the exclusive busway in Bogotá, Colombia, has a flow of more than 35,000 pphpd. This passenger flow is achieved despite poor operating conditions and a general lack of maintenance without a city busway management and operation authority. Consequently, there is little police control, no systems management, and scarce information for users. These conditions should affect passenger flow negatively, but the Bogotá busway carries more passengers than...