International Bus Rapid Transit Initiative

Institute for Transportation & Development Policy

New York: On October 1, 2001, the International Institute for Transporation & Development Policy (ITDP) launched a new initiative to support the development of Bus Rapid Transit systems worldwide. Bus Rapid Transit offers the opportunity to provide high-quality, state-of-the-art mass transit at a fraction of the cost of other options. Bus Rapid Transit utilises modernised buses on segregated busways and incorporates such features as pre-board fare collection, safe and user-friendly transit stations, simplified transfers and routings, and superior customer service.

Beginning with the great urban success story of Curitiba, Brazil in the 1970s, the concept of Bus Rapid Transit has now spread across the globe to cities in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America as well as other cities in South America. The relative low-cost of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is making it possible for cities in a range of financial and developmental circumstances to develop an effective and sophisticated mass transit system.

The principal objective of ITDP's Bus Rapid Transit Initiative is to provide assistance to municipalities, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders in order to realize a fully implemented BRT system. ITDP will be providing the following types of assistance to a select group of municipalities:

• Catalyse the needed political support and develop the institutional capacity to move BRT options towards implementation;
• Provide supporting technical documentation and background information on other BRT systems in the world including Curitiba, Bogota, Quito, Kunming, Los Angeles, Ottawa, and Brisbane;
• Support the conception, planning, and execution of a BRT through the provision of information on busway design, fare collection, intelligent transportation systems, bus technology options, branding and marketing, and customer service;
• Help facilitate a process of public participation to gather a range of community and private sector inputs and ideas; and
• Assist municipalities in the identification of specialised consultants and in the identification and selection of financing options

ITDP will be providing this assistance without cost to a select group of municipalities showing the greatest potential for BRT implementation. If your organisation or your municipality is interested in participating in the Bus Rapid Transit Initiative, please contact an ITDP representative:

Institute for Transportation & Development Policy
115 West 30th Street, Suite 1205
New York, NY 10001, USA
Tel. +1 212 629 8001, Fax +1 212 629 8033
Email LFWright@usa.net
Web www.itdp.org

ITDP is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to the promotion of economically and environmentally sustainable transport for countries in the developing world. The Bus Rapid Transit Initiative has been made possible through grants made by the W. Alton Jones Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation