WHAT IT IS, HOW IT WORKS
Rapid Bus Transit (RBT) is an emerging transportation concept which is
gaining in popularity throughout the world. RBT ties the speed and reliability
of a rail service with the lower cost and more flexible nature of bus service.
MTC research suggests that, of all candidate Blueprint scenarios, a RBT
transportation alternative will attract the most new riders to the public
transit system at the lowest cost to the region.
A RBT system basically removes buses from mixed flow traffic and allows
buses to move in their own right-of-way, improving travel times for
patrons and simplifying service delivery for transit operators. Stops
are limited, which allows a bus to move quickly through a corridor.
Vehicle designs allow for quick passenger boarding and unloading and
more passenger seating. Passenger facilities are of a higher quality
to make waiting more comfortable. Buses are of a higher quality with
more comfortable chairs and passenger amenities. Local streets and
the regional High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) system function as the guideway
for the regional express bus service, thus eliminating the need for
the expensive design, engineering and construction of a fixed guideway
facility. This transportation option offers Bay Area commuters and
the region a new choice in the transportation marketplace.
RAPID BUS TRANSIT - HOW DOES IT WORK?
A common complaint about bus service is that it is slow, makes frequent
stops, provides an uncomfortable ride, doesn't offer comfortable waiting
areas, and frequently requires a number of transfers to reach a desired
destination. Local bus service by necessity must serve numerous stops
and destinations along a given route. RBT offers a faster, more reliable
option for traveling longer distances throughout the region and functions
as a complement to local bus service and the regional rail, ferry and
HOV network. RBT systems are characterized by the following:
Cities that choose to adopt a RBT system typically do so to provide a
high-quality and frequent transit service without significant capital
costs. These systems also attempt to leverage other regional investments
in the transportation system. The most common facility to leverage is
the HOV networks which were built over the last decade in many major
metropolitan areas. The San Francisco Bay Area already has 270 freeway
miles of HOV lanes with another 150 freeway miles to be constructed in
the next 15 years, thus providing the framework for a potential RBT system.
- Exclusive bus lanes, including grade separated busways
Allows for rapid movement through a corridor improving speed and reliability
- Frequent service
Greater convenience and more attractive to travelers. Service frequency
is repeatedly cited as a primary factor when people choose a mode
- High-quality passenger amenities
Comfortable and attractive waiting areas.
- High-quality vehicles
Provide a more comfortable ride for the longer, interregional trips.
Interiors have high back, airline-style seating, luggage racks, reading
lights, lap top plug-ins, and other amenities to make the longer
trips more comfortable and enjoyable. New doorway configurations
and low floors allow for quick boarding and unloading and maximize
the number of seats.
- Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) including signal
priority and real-time passenger information
Improve operating speed and reliability and provide information
to the public.
- Limited stops and timed transfers between systems
Improve travel times and increasing comfort
- Park & Ride lots
Provide a link from areas with limited local bus services to the regional
EXCLUSIVE BUS LANES
bus lanes remove buses from mixed flow traffic and allow buses to
move unimpeded by traffic throughout a corridor. Bus lanes are typically
marked with special striping and are signed to indicate that only
transit vehicles are allowed. Bus lanes are in certain transit rich
areas of the region. HOV lanes also function as bus lanes. The HOV
network for the Bay Area is detailed in Figure 1 at the end of this
Grade-separated transitways also provide the advantages of busways
and increase the overall performance of the transit system. Transitways
are physically separated from roadways or freeways and are dedicated
exclusively for bus use. Along a given corridor, passengers board and
alight transit vehicles at transfer centers similar to boarding BART
or SCVTA vehicles at rail stations.
RBT also offers high levels of service, which minimizes waits at stations
and ensures the rapid movement of people from trip origins to trip
destinations in a given corridor. Local feeder bus service can be modified
to have a timed transfer between local service and service on the busway.
All regional routes can feed the busway to ensure a high level of service
for transit patrons. This is known as interlining. The service schedule
allowed for bus service at the RBT stations at an average of a bus
every three minutes during peak periods.
INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS (ITS) INCLUDING SIGNAL
PRIORITY AND REAL-TIME PASSENGER INFORMATION
New transportation technologies allow traffic signals to "communicate" with
transit vehicles. Corridors where signals are equipped with this technology
can offer signal priority to transit vehicles. This allows a signal to
cycle to green or to hold a green when a transit vehicle approaches moving
the vehicle quickly through the corridor and minimizing the delays for
transit patrons. In addition to optimizing performance, ITS technology
allows transit providers to provide real-time bus information to transit
HIGH QUALITY PASSENGER AMENITIES
Given the regional significance of transfer points between local and
regional express bus service and the large volumes of passengers who
use these facilities, higher quality passenger facilities are needed.
Shelter from weather, seating, real time information, and vendor activity
all support the activity and comfort of passengers using the regional
LIMITED STOPS AND DIRECT TRANSFERS BETWEEN SYSTEMS
RBT functions on a limited-stop basis to improve the overall travel time
along a route or corridor. Timed transfers between local and regional
service reduces the wait time for transit patrons.
Passengers ride these buses for a longer period of time, they are traveling
farther, and they are paying for a premium service. Higher quality
vehicles are consistent with the transportation market being targeted
by a RBT strategy. In the long haul, inter regional travel market,
to be competitive with the automobile RBT buses must offer a higher
level of amenities and comfort to the traveling public.
The regional express bus network for RBT should utilize a series of
Park-and-Ride lots and key bus transfer points to move people from
outlying areas with limited local bus service to major activity centers
and key transit transfer points. Buses can enter and exit the HOV network
to travel throughout the region and pick up or drop off passengers
at key distribution points. Buses would then continue back on the HOV
network to the destination to regional activity centers.
RAPID BUS PROGRAMS IN OTHER
Several regions in the US and around the world are applying rapid bus
transit to meet regional transportation needs. One lesson to be drawn
from the examples below is that RBT can be implemented in phases or along
corridors with dense trip patterns. RBT can augment local service or
become another regionally significant form of transportation.
Curitiba, Brazil: The most famous RBT example is
the city of Curitiba, Brazil. In Curitiba, the RBT system is known
as the "surface subway." This system carries an average of 1.9 million
passengers a day on local and regional bus service. The city has a
series of different types of RBT lanes providing for express, regional
express and local bus service all of which are separated from automobile
traffic. The system of lanes created an "express bus only" middle lane
with two outer lanes for local traffic and outside lanes for automobiles.
There are now 36 miles of exclusive lanes which crisscross the city
along its north, south, east, west and southwest axes. The impacts
of this system are significant. While Curitiba is one of the wealthiest
cities in Brazil and has the highest rate of automobile ownership per
capita, vehicle fuel consumption is 25% less than other urban areas
and it has the cleanest air of any urban area in Brazil.
Los Angeles: Los Angeles has the oldest busway in
North America, the El Monte Busway. It travels along the I-10 corridor
linking downtown Los Angeles to eastern LA County. The busway is a
shared right-of-way with carpools. Three bus companies use the busway
and currently carry over 45,000 passengers daily, translating to 11.5
million annual weekday passengers. Along the busway corridor are several
transit stations where patrons transfer from local to express bus service,
where local buses become express and enter the transitway and where
transit patrons can park their cars to board regional express bus service.
The El Monte Transit Center marks the beginning of the El Monte Transitway.
The Center provides connections between nineteen different bus lines
serving local and regional needs and three Greyhound bus services.
The Center also offers 2,095 parking spaces for residents of the El
Monte area to park and then use a regional bus service to reach downtown
Los Angeles or other stations on the Transitway.
In addition to the El Monte Busway, Caltrans recently completed construction
of the Harbor Freeway Transitway. Constructed in the median of the
I-110 freeway, four bus routes currently serve transit stations along
the freeway. These median stations are located within the grade separated
HOV network which allows buses to pick up and drop off passengers without
leaving the HOV network, speeding travel times through the corridor
and making for a smoother ride. In addition, the LA County Metropolitan
Transportation Authority is currently developing a regional bus network
that will be built on old railroad right-of-way and in the median of
Wilshire Boulevard - one of the busiest bus corridors in the country
with over 70,000 passengers per day.
Ottawa: Canada's capital also demonstrates the potential
for bus rapid transport. Ottawa's busway is among North America's most
successful new rapid transport systems, carrying 200,000 riders daily,
and nearly 10,000 per peak hour in the peak direction. The busway links
downtown Ottawa to several of the region's major activity centers and
offers three-minute service intervals during the peak periods.
Houston: Houston's Metropolitan Transit Authority
was one of the first agencies in the US to use competitive rapid bus
transit. Nearly 100 commuter express buses operate on Houston's extensive
busway and HOV network. The Houston system enjoys nearly 20,000 boardings
per day on their regional rapid bus transit system.
Vancouver: Vancouver, British Columbia is implementing
a different type of RBT system. Unlike many cities in North America,
Vancouver has very limited freeway facilities. Most transport occurs
on local streets and arterials. The B-Line was developed to serve regional
trips between the University of British Columbia, the Sky Train, and
major cross-town bus routes on local arterials. This service utilized
22 new articulated buses and carries 18,000 passengers a day with minimal
capital expenditures and right-of-way acquisition. The B Line service
proved so popular that lobbying efforts by residents of Vancouver and
the surrounding suburbs yielded the development of another new RBT
service known as the Richmond - Vancouver Rapid Bus. Similar to B-Line
bus service, the Rapid Bus will offer frequent, reliable, limited-stop
service linking downtown Vancouver, the Vancouver International Airport,
Richmond City Center and points in between. Forecasts indicate over
30,000 trips a day will be served on the new RBT line.
Other cities in North America that have implemented some form of RBT
system or are planning RBT system expansions include: Miami, Seattle,
Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Eugene, San Diego, and Toronto.
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
We have defined a preliminary rapid bus system for the MTC region that
exploits all the aforementioned attributes of the rapid bus concept.
Our proposal extends the reach of BART by providing vastly improved feeder
buses in potential future BART corridors, connects the far flung parts
of the region to the region's core employment centers using an expanded
carpool lane system, and fills in gaps in the region's trunkline transit
The concept includes a number of elements, such as buses on carpool
lanes, improved bus access into and out of carpool lanes, expanded
Park-and-Ride lots at convenient locations to the freeways, hubs for
timed transfers, long-haul bus service in lengthy corridors, and late-night
service in certain corridors. In a number of corridors, the buses also
provide local circulation at the origin or destination end of the route.
At the Super Hubs, the rapid buses connect to suburban bus systems,
BART, Light Rail Transit (LRT), commuter rail and ferries, depending
on the location. The rapid bus system takes advantage of the regions
investments in the HOV network. The HOV network is detailed in Figure
1 following this proposal.
The total capital cost of our proposal is about $178 million, including
$108 million for comfortable buses with high back seating, and $70
million for Park-and-Ride costs and direct HOV access facilities. In
terms of operating costs, we have estimated over a 15-year period,
the rapid bus system would need about $722 million in net operating
subsidy, or approximately $48 million per year.
The system as a whole would generate about 26,600 new daily transit
riders in 2020, which means the bus system would convert this number
of daily trips from autos to transit. The actual number of passengers
boarding the bus system would be larger, but our analysis has focused
on the new rider number as a measure of the comparative effectiveness
of different transit investments.
We next describe the rapid bus concept in each individual corridor
in terms of the services provided, support facilities required, and
Bay Area Rapid Bus Corridors
Here we attempt to replicate the comfort and convenience of a rail system
by operating frequent buses on carpool lanes that extend all the way
from Santa Rosa to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge on US 101. We assume
the bulk of the new carpool lanes would be funded by state and local
sources. A critical project is the completion of the San Rafael gap-closure
project, as this project would convert the reversible lane into a separate
northbound and southbound HOV lane necessary for all day bus service.
Rapid bus service would run from Sonoma and Marin counties into San
Francisco via the San Rafael transit center and from Sonoma County
to the Larkspur ferry. The buses would operate on several city routes
in San Francisco to provide the widest distribution of passengers.
Super hubs would be created at the Santa Rosa Transit mall, San Rafael
Transit Center, and Larkspur Ferry Terminal.
Costs: Costs include vehicles ($14.1 million) and
funds for upgrading Park-and-Ride lots and transit centers ($10 million).
this corridor, rapid buses would provide service from the Fairfield
Transit Center, down the I-80 HOV lane expanded from the Carquinez
Bridge to the Bay Bridge, connecting to BART at the del Norte station,
and terminating at the San Francisco Transbay Terminal. This key
commuter route would operate with extended hours and serve Park-and-Ride
lots adjacent to I-80 throughout the corridor. Additional components
of the service include a route between the Vallejo Ferry Terminal
and Sacramento and strengthened linkages between local Solano County
communities along the I-80 corridor. A new West Contra County line
in the East Bay is envisioned, traveling on San Pablo Ave. and the
I-80 carpool lane, connecting to employment and activity centers
in West Berkeley and Emeryville, and continuing on to San Francisco.
Fairfield's Transportation Center would be the "anchor" Super Hub
in the corridor with supporting hubs at such locations as the Vacaville
Downtown Transit Center, Vallejo Ferry, and Curtola Park-and-Ride lot.
Cost: Costs include new vehicles ($19 million), a
slip ramp at University Ave. in Berkeley to provide easy bus access
into and out of the I-80 carpool lane ($10 million), and a set-aside
to improve Park-and-Ride facilities and transit centers ($5 million).
The rapid bus proposal expands bus service in the congested San Mateo-Hayward
Bridge and the Dumbarton Bridge corridors. While there are no special
lanes for these services on Bay Area bridges, the toll plazas provide
bus bypass lanes giving bus riders a significant travel time advantage.
The routes are designed to connect to Caltrain and BART, intermediate
Park-and-Ride lots, and employment centers. The BART and Caltrain connections
are critical links in the Bay Area's trunkline transit system.
Cost: The main cost is for vehicles ($14.1 million).
This is another long-distance corridor, with buses originating in Central
Contra Costa County, serving the Bishop Ranch business park, Dublin
BART, the Hacienda business park, stopping at the ACE station in Pleasanton
and continuing over the Sunol Grade and into Santa Clara County. Each
of these locations provides convenient transfer access to dozens of
other suburban bus routes. The rapid bus route has a twofold purpose:
1) linking Contra Costa County with the Tri-Valley, and 2) linking
fast-growing residential areas in the Tri-Valley with the jobs in Silicon
HOV lanes would extend from the Benicia Bridge down I-680 to the Silicon
Valley. Construction of a southbound carpool lane over the I-680 Sunol
Grade is on a fast track, and there is also interest in expediting
the construction of a new northbound HOV lane in the opposite direction.
The rapid bus system would be enhanced by an HOV gap closure project
from Route 84 through the I-680/580 interchange to connect with the
existing carpool lanes at the Contra Costa County line. This extension
will permit express buses originating as far north as Concord/Pleasant
Hill to use carpool lanes to Milpitas where the buses would branch
off to major employment destinations along I-880, Route 237, and the
Montague Expressway. The only HOV gap would be a short stretch through
the I-680/24 Interchange in Walnut Creek. In addition to the Bay Area
buses, the San Joaquin SMART buses would also use the carpool lanes
over the Sunol Grade.
The major support facilities in this corridor include a super hub
in Pleasanton at Bernal Ave. which will provide parking space for Tri
Valley residents and provide intermodal transfers with suburban buses
and ACE commuter rail. There would also be slip ramps off of I-680
to access the Bernal hub and the Montague Expressway HOV lanes in Santa
Costs: Costs include vehicles ($14.1 million), the
cost of the Bernal Super Hub, direct access to/from I-680 ($10 million),
and the slip ramp between I-680 and the Montague Expressway ($5 million).
This service connects residents of Central Alameda County to growing
employment centers in the Silicon Valley. The route would travel along
the I-880 corridor taking advantage of HOV lanes to optimize time performance.
The buses would connect with the Tasman Light Rail line at I-880 and
provide timed transfers between local bus service and VTA Light Rail
vehicles. The route would access local arterials to connect with major
employment sites in downtown San Jose.
Costs: The main cost would be for vehicles ($8.7
SANTA CLARA VALLEY
The rapid bus concept for this area focuses on increasing service on
the extensive system of freeway and expressway carpool lanes that have
already been constructed. Many of the existing county express routes
would see expanded hours of service to accommodate work schedules in
Silicon Valley. There would also be new bus service connecting Caltrain
to San Benito County as this county experiences new housing demand
from Santa Clara County job holders.
Support facilities include freeway HOV-to-HOV connectors on Route
85, one in South San Jose and one in Mountain View. A number of existing
transit hubs would be further developed for timed transfers and real-time
transit information, including Eastridge Mall, Great Mall Light Rail,
Mountain View Light Rail/Caltrain, Diridon intermodal, Stevens Creek/Wolfe
Park and ride, and others.
Costs: The main cost is for vehicles ($15.8 million).
STATE ROUTE 4
This service is intended to connect the growing East Contra Costa County
area with BART at the existing Bay Point station as a possible precursor
to further extension of the BART system. The rapid bus service would
essentially replicate BART frequencies with Park-and-Ride lots located
at the site of potential future BART stations. An extension of the
Route 4 carpool lanes would lengthen the HOV lanes from Railroad Ave.
to Loveridge Rd.
Cost: Costs include vehicles ($6.2 million), and
Park-and-Ride lots ($10 million).
This is a highly congested interregional corridor where we propose upgrading
express bus service from the rapidly growing San Joaquin Valley to
the existing BART station in Dublin /Pleasanton. The service would
replicate a future BART system with Park-and-Ride lots located at the
three sites of these stations off of I-580. There would also be an
ACE commuter rail connection at Greenville Rd. allowing ACE riders
to transfer and reach BART via a short bus ride and connections with
suburban buses. The rapid buses would be able to take advantage of
a new I-580 HOV lane.
Costs: Costs include vehicles ($2.5 million) and
the cost to develop new and improved Park-and-Ride lots along I-580
at future BART station sites ($10 million).
The Peninsula will be well served by the proposed upgrading of Caltrain,
hence the rapid bus proposal adds service in the I-280 corridor both
north to Colma BART and south to the Palo Alto industrial parks. These
services would travel on I-280 HOV lanes on the south end of the Peninsula.
The main infrastructure needed would be additional park and ride lot
development along I-280.
Cost: Costs include vehicles ($13.3 million) and
the costs for park and ride lots on I-280.
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