Comment box Scope: summary, information Tone: neutral Opinion: none Sarcasm/humor: none "Bus rapid transit" theoretically means a transit line for buses with some sort of guideway, grade...
Comment box
Scope: summary, information
Tone: neutral
Opinion: none
Sarcasm/humor: none
"Bus rapid transit" theoretically means a transit line for buses with some sort of guideway, grade separation, or other infrastructure that increases average bus speeds, like level boarding platforms to make boarding faster, bus station turnstiles like you would see in the metro (rather than bus payment, also to make boarding faster), traffic signal prioritization for buses, etc.
Oklahoma City's new BRT line has surprisingly exceeded expectations! (by about 22%)
After one year of operation, the BRT route along Northwest Expressway has seen an average of 1,220 riders per day. According to Jesse Rush, director of Oklahoma City's public transportation system EMBARK, only 1,000 riders per day were expected when the service launched in December 2023.
About 37,000 riders traveled the RAPID NW route over the past year. In total, Rush said the line serviced over 443,000 riders.
On average, EMBARK saw a 2% growth in ridership each month. The RAPID NW line also enjoys significant customer satisfaction over the national average for public transit, including the city's fixed route bus service.
It seems like the city will be doing much more to expand BRT service in the near future:
Earlier this year, the Oklahoma City Council unanimously approved a 17-mile route for the planned MAPS 4 BRT line in the city's northeast and southwest sides.
The new BRT route will connect northeast Oklahoma City's Adventure District to SW 89 and Portland Avenue near the Amazon fulfillment facility. Other major destinations along the new corridor will include Automobile Alley, Capitol Hill, the Innovation District, Integris Southwest Medical Center, Oklahoma City Community College and the Ralph Ellison Library.
The city's voter-approved MAPS 4 program included $61 million to build the new BRT line connecting northeast and south OKC, and the city will leverage MAPS funding to apply for federal grants. The approved BRT line could be constructed in two phases starting in 2028, will include 26 stop locations and is expected to connect to an estimated 50,000 jobs.
I think transit advocates are usually very train-centric, and for good reason, but a good bus system can be more feasible to implement in many cases. Also, every train system is necessarily supported by a bus system, so it makes sense to improve the infrastructure for both. If a corridor does really well, they can turn it into light rail: with level boarding and other infrastructure, much of the work will have been done at that point.
Comment box
"Bus rapid transit" theoretically means a transit line for buses with some sort of guideway, grade separation, or other infrastructure that increases average bus speeds, like level boarding platforms to make boarding faster, bus station turnstiles like you would see in the metro (rather than bus payment, also to make boarding faster), traffic signal prioritization for buses, etc.
Oklahoma City's new BRT line has surprisingly exceeded expectations! (by about 22%)
It seems like the city will be doing much more to expand BRT service in the near future:
I think transit advocates are usually very train-centric, and for good reason, but a good bus system can be more feasible to implement in many cases. Also, every train system is necessarily supported by a bus system, so it makes sense to improve the infrastructure for both. If a corridor does really well, they can turn it into light rail: with level boarding and other infrastructure, much of the work will have been done at that point.