Vive la bus! The biggest non-rail form of mass transit has long suffered from an image problem, but now buses are beginning to see a comeback.
The resurgence stems, at least in part, from current economic realities — more people are moving to urban areas, requiring more need for mass transit, and trains are extremely expensive to build and maintain. Starting up and running a bus line, meanwhile, is a fraction of the cost.
There’s still the age-old “buses aren’t sexy” problem, which has always been grounded more in perception than reality — the stigma of “riding the bus” has all sorts of sociological roots that, at the end of the day, don’t have a shred of relevance to today’s modern-day commuter. Whether or not it’s traditionally been cool, the bus makes sense — and as we’ve always said, when transportation consumers are presented with a choice that works, they will gravitate towards it. And when you take the best of rail — the reliability, the speed — and apply it to buses, then commuters will make the obvious choice.
Nowhere is the revolution more in play than in New York City, where the Bx12 Select Bus Service, which high-tails it daily along Fordham Road in the Bronx. Launched two years ago, the line has had major growth and inspired intense loyalty among its passengers. It’s not just the adding of a bus lane, and enforcing it with police patrols that make this bus line so great –there’s also the measures taken to make boarding (the major time-waster on buses) more efficient, like offering a rear door for boarding and allowing passengers to swipe their Metro cards for entry while they’re waiting in line at the bus shelter, rather than paying as they enter the bus.
So how is the actual experience of riding this bus? New York magazine’s Robert Sullivan describes it as follows in a big profile this week on the city’s bus upsurge:
All of the sudden, here it comes: the Bx12. Right away, you see it’s different. A different paint job — new branding, as the transit people like to say — and bright-blue lights flashing on the header. Buying a ticket is different, too: You pay before you board, from a little box like a MetroCard vending machine that offers you a receipt. In the world of transit planning, boarding time is everything, and the receipt streamlines the process. “You just hold on to it,” a woman offers, shouting from under her earbuds. She smiles. “It’s much faster.”
Waiting on the curb, you notice that the bus has its own lane, painted terra-cotta, with signs to deflect non-bus traffic…. You see the big, roomy bus shelter holding enough people to fill a subway car, and you wonder if everyone will be able to get on. But when the Bx12 SBS pulls up, this monster of mundaneness opens up not one but two doors….
Traffic geeks know that about a third of bus delays comes from passenger-boarding issues, and now the doors of the Bx12 SBS open. The stopwatch is running … Twenty-two people board; about four get off. The doors close; the bus sets off. Total wait time: 23 seconds.
Riding on, you see that traffic is heavy. The Bronx River Parkway and the Hutch are jammed. The Bruckner looks like a diseased artery. But the bus cruises down the bus lane, with only one car (a Lexus with Connecticut plates) even thinking of getting in its way.
Still skeptical? You may not be when you hear this: The Bx12 can make the full trip during rush-hour in a total of 12 minutes.
If you think that sounds appealing, you’re not the only one: Weekly ridership on the Bx12 has increased 30% in the last year, and a 2009 study found that 98% of riders said they were satisfied with the service. This satisfaction can only be improved by the installation of GPS systems on buses, so passengers waiting at stops can know when the next bus is coming. (In our opinion, not having this technology on public transit is a form of purgatorial torture.) There’s also the introduction of signal priority, which allows buses approaching an intersection to keep the traffic light green until they pass.[SButtonZ button="digg"]
Granted, the holy grail of bus transit — a lane separated by a barrier — is still elusive in the Big Apple. But it may not be for long: The DOT has an ambitious plan for the “34th Street Transitway,” which involves closing the major East Side-West Side artery to cars between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and adding a physically-separated bus line by 2012. Meanwhile, more and longer rapid-transit routes will be opening on First and Second Avenues, where a Select Bus Service will run from South Ferry (the very bottom of Manhattan) all the way to 125th Street (the very top). Now all New York commuters have to do is ride it, and we’ll see that policy skeptics critical of the bus revolution are suddenly very quiet.
Image: MTA and DOT
Tags: The Bus Revolution
Does it run independently of all other vehicular traffic and have its own stations (as opposed to ‘stops’)?
No? Then it’s not bus rapid transit. It’s just a bus. Sorry. Not that there’s anything wrong with buses.
See Curitiba, Brazil for actual BRT: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Curitiba_04_2006_06_RIT.jpg
Jim,
I can see your point, but you’ve got to admit that 1) “actual BRT” is nearly impossible in most of NYC and 2) 12 minutes across the Bronx during rush hour is insanely fast. It can take 3 hours on the expressway in the middle of the day to make the equivalent trip in a car.
No matter what anyone says, a bus is a bus. End of Story. People need to stop portraying buses as a way to solve transportation problems, in lieu of actual rapid transit. A bus has specific uses and all so-called BRT is, is an improved bus line, nothing more.
I frequently ride the Bx12 SBS and don’t agree with a lot of the statements here.
1. I don’t agree at all that the bus lane is regularly enforced. I’ve heard that claim so many times, but the reality isn’t so pretty. In fact, I’d argue that’s it’s more often treated as a regular lane of traffic (yes, during the restricted hours).
2. As a consequence of this, I also don’t believe that the bus ever takes 12 minutes across the Bronx, except at maybe 10pm. More typically it takes about 20-25 minutes to go half way across.
3. The loading and unloading occurs through *three* doors, not two (thanks to new buses earlier this year). I do, however, I agree that it’s much faster loading than the Bx12 local.
@Jim. The Bx12 SBS stops (stations? whatever) are usually separated by about 10-20 meters from the Bx12 local. This gives you the option to hop on whichever bus you see coming next. If you’re going more than a few stops you obviously want to wait for the SBS either way.
Jeffrey
It’s still a vast improvement over the existing system. Up here in Albany, CDTA is rolling out their own “bus rapid transit” system (I use the term *very* loosely) but apart from fewer stops, fancier shelters, and buses with different paint schemes it’s just another express route. They still need to use the same congested lanes as every other vehicle with no attempt at implementing lane restrictions. Next to that, the Bx12 is a public transit renaissance.
*Sigh.* I long for the day when I can buy a bus ticket on the bus by just swiping a credit card.
I mean, really.
I suspect real BRT is going to be a rare bird indeed. Building and maintaining a separate busway is always going to be expensive, and if you are going to spend that much money, localities might as well just build some form of rail transit instead.
Who says buses aren’t sexy? How about the bus from Curitiba: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7E1rExsKvM
[...] The above image from Transportation Alternatives (a New York advocacy group)–and similar to a more photographically deceptive German image–illustrates the incredible power of public transit. Moving many people from many moving motorized vehicles into one is a huge coup for traffic flow (not to mention safety) and commuter sanity. Even though some companies are trying to solve the problem by building smaller cars–and admittedly bikers are very efficient on smaller vehicles–organizing people into larger systems is not efficient and clean, but creates more usable streets. It is one of the many reasons I applaud New York’s engagement with bus rapid transit. [...]
Was in Vegas yesterday and checked out their BRT (the Ace Gold Line). The different lane color seems to very effective at keeping regular traffic off in the areas that aren’t physically offset. Also, Vegas has a lot more cops. Also, most bus companies could take a lesson from RTC’s branding. The Deuce and the Ace are genius and get great ridership (although the ends of the Ace Gold line are underutilized – hopefully development catches up or the Ace extends into residential areas). Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to source the unique buses in the US. What a bummer.
I think it all depends on the situation/application. New York is a megalopolis. It has bus, subway, commuter rail (into and out of the city), and who knows what other kinds of public transit. There is development – high-rise, medium-rise and low-rise. So, depending on application and whether or not transit-oriented development (TOD) is the goal, it’s application-dependent. Moreover, I believe BRT I believe would work best if it works in tandem with existing modes and intermodalism (connectability with other modes) is part and parcel of any such application. In Ottawa, Canada, I understand, BRT was so successful, that due to capacity/throughput constraints, that city is replacing BRT with LRT (light rail transit).
In Fresno on the left coast, there is an effort afoot to implement two BRT applications on two existing transit bus corridors. The funding isn’t there and consequently these two applications are being delayed. Here’s my question, though. Just replacing two existing transit bus corridors with BRT, what is the likelihood that these buses will attract a significant number of new riders with sprawl being what it is with very little in the way of infill development or redevelopment being part of the overall goal? One of those corridors serves a predominantly lower socio-economic demographic.
BRT I believe in Fresno might be much more feasible on corridors where transit buses are not currently operating, they are used in tandem with other public transit services, and operate on a corridor where it is likely to attract a whole new set of riders, transporting people to where they obviously want and need to go. I also think the Bus Rapid Transit name is a misnomer as it is being sold to Fresnans. Stops or stations will average one every half-mile. Where’s the “rapid” in that type of application?
In every other city that implements BRT or light rail, fare inspectors randomly board some vehicles and ask to see everyone’s proof of purchase. In New York it’s the same, except the bus has to sit five minutes during the inspection, as the inspectors both arrive and leave by SUV.
This Bx12 bus is extremely impressive. It’s a great way of implementing good, efficient, and reliable transportation for low costs and cutting corners that can be cut (obviously the lack of a separated lane isn’t hurting it too much with only a 12 minute commute through the Bronx). However, it’s been proven time and again that streetcars have far lower maintenance costs than buses do. And buses cannot do what streetcars do. The development, etc. I really like this article and love that NYC did this. But in my opinion every good and new bus system (be it BRT or not) should be considered as temporary (whether it’s slightly long-term or not) solution and the ultimate plan should be to implement streetcars or even ROW separated rapid transit (heavy rail, etc.) where the demand is existent.
Have a great day all!
Jake
“Vive LE bus” (bus is masculine in French)
Most French cities that didn’t already have a metro or a tram have now a “bus en site propre” (bus on proper site, to translate roughly). It makes public transportation really efficient and it’s not too expansive.
Example: http://bhns.fr/IMG/jpg/Sans_titre-4.jpg
Between Schiphol airport and Hoofddorp in Holland there is a cool busline like that with nice bus stops
The classic ones (on top): http://www.noehill.com/travel/amfoot/images/hoofddorp.jpg
The brand new one: http://aedesign.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/fluid-vehicle-bus-station1.jpg
[...] Will New York’s Bus Rapid Transit System Cause a Bus Revolution? » INFRASTRUCTURIST [...]
Can we please stop sending around links to the Curitiba bus system? The thing is what, twenty years old? More? I think we’ve all discovered it by now. Yes, it’s great. Thanks.
Bus lanes get some people out of the way, but hardly all of them. Taxis are especially bad at avoiding those lanes. And why would you, if there is no bus coming? It seems to me that you’ve got to have some kind of physical barrier.
Laurent: “On its own site” — just as my own amour-propre is rather improper, so too is proper an improper marker for propre