Bus Rapid Transit
What is Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)?
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is essentially light rail without the tracks. It combines the frequency, reliability, speed and capacity of light rail with the convenience and affordability of riding the bus. With dedicated lanes and signal priority, BRT moves faster than regular traffic, offering a more efficient ride for passengers. In addition, BRT can be deployed more quickly than light rail and at a fraction of the cost.
BRT is an essential component of TransForm's strategy to create an interconnected regional transportation network, as outlined in our 2002 report Revolutionizing Bay Area Transit on a Budget.
TransForm's BRT Work
For the past six years, TransForm has been working in the cities of Berkeley, Oakland and San Leandro to build community awareness of AC Transit's proposed East Bay BRT project. Our work has helped AC Transit fine-tune their BRT proposal to most effectively meet the community's needs.
Traveling along Telegraph Avenue, International Boulevard, and East 14th Street, BRT will reduce current trip times along this corridor by 39%, and will attract over 9,000 new passengers daily. Currently, TransForm is working with each of these cities to develop a Locally Preferred Alternative for study in a final Environmental Impact Report, to be released in early 2009.
Once implemented, the East Bay BRT project will become a model for other BRT routes around the Bay Area. For more on this project, go to AC Transit's BRT website.
TransForm will also be assisting in the planning and implementation of BRT in other Bay Area cities, to include San Jose (El Camino Real) and San Francisco (Van Ness and Geary Boulevard lines).
Get Involved!
If you are part of an organization that would be interested in hosting a TransForm presentation about BRT for your members, or if you would like to receive campaign updates and learn more about TransForm's next steps to help implement this exciting, new, and revolutionary transit concept in the Bay Area, contact Joel Ramos.
