California Partners for Advanced Transportation Technology

This report presents the results of its investigation into deployment planning for bus rapid transit systems. In this study, we conducted a macro-scale examination of bus rapid transit systems from technical, operational, institutional, and planning perspectives. We then developed the theoretical foundation for a deployment planning framework for bus rapid transit systems that specifically takes into account the unique features of bus rapid transit that differ from other transit alternatives. The planning process of a BRT system can generally be divided into three inter-related stages initially consisting of a feasibility study or major investment study in which bus rapid transit is investigated compared with other transit alternatives to find out the most cost-effective investment over a corridor; second, deployment planning that determines what BRT elements will be included in the BRT system and their deployment sequence; and finally, operations planning including designing routes and stations, setting timetables, scheduling vehicles, and assigning crew. While the first and third stages are essentially planning-specific for any transit service, the second stage deals with the special features associated with a bus rapid transit system due to its flexibility in incremental deployment of elements. The report focused on this second stage in the planning process for bus rapid transit systems in the development of the deployment planning framework, in which a systems optimization approach was used. We then demonstrated how the framework may be used in the context of a site-specific case study by focusing on the Metro Rapid Wilshire corridor in Los Angeles.