Global Number of BRT Systems and Corridors Passes 400
Photo by Mariana Gil/EMBARQ Brasil
August, 2015 marks an important milestone for BRTData.org—an online database that tracks bus rapid transit (BRT) systems worldwide: the number of mapped BRT systems and corridors passed 400.
BRT is expanding globally. Currently, there are 195 cities with bus priority systems, serving approximately 32.4 million people served every day. With the platform’s latest update, the tool registered three new corridors, including Brampton, Canada and Cordoba, Argentina, bringing the total to 402 corridors and systems.
Tracking the Impact of Global BRT Growth
In 2012, EMBARQ (sustainable urban mobility by WRI), the BRT Center of Excellence - Across Latitudes and Cultures (ALC-BRT CoE), the Latin American Association of Integrated Systems and BRT (SIBRT) and the International Agency for Energy (IEA) collaborated to launch the most comprehensive publicly-accessible database of BRT corridors and systems in the world, BRTData.org.
The tool allows users to access data on infrastructure, operational performance, fleets, and road safety. This information helps decision makers meet growing global demand for high-quality bus systems, highlighting the impact that BRT can have on sustainable urban mobility. For example, Rio de Janeiro’s BRT system is particularly effective, serving 9 million people and saving 7.7 million hours every month. Each of the system’s corridors—TransOeste (56 km) and TransCarioca (39 km)—replaces 126 cars on average, and consequently reduces CO2 emissions by 38 percent along these routes.
Since each road dedicated to BRT can carry up to ten times more people than a road full of cars, this growth in BRT is a major step forward for sustainable urban mobility. Furthermore, each new BRT corridor helps lower operating costs, reduce travel times, mitigate emissions, and decrease local air pollution.
The WRI Brasil | EMBARQ Brasil team currently manages BRTData and recently expanded its support: "The team working on data collection has increased. We now have five people in Brazil dedicated to BRTData, as well as individuals from other centers sending us information," explained Cristina Albuquerque, EMBARQ Brasil’s Transportation Projects Coordinator.
About EMBARQ at WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
EMBARQ, Sustainable Urban Mobility by WRI, catalyzes and helps implement environmentally, socially, and financially sustainable urban mobility solutions to improve quality of life in cities.
