Editing Bus rapid transit (section)

== Additional features ==
[[File:Highland ART Station Albuquerque.jpg|thumb|right|[[Albuquerque Rapid Transit|ART]] level-boarding station in the center of a public roadway with guideways on either side and a dedicated traffic signal in [[Albuquerque]], [[New Mexico]], United States]]Groups of criteria form the [[BRT Standard]] 2016, which is updated by the Technical Committee of the BRT Standard.<ref>{{cite web |date=24 July 2014 |title=The Scorecard - Institute for Transportation and Development Policy |url=https://www.itdp.org/library/standards-and-guides/the-bus-rapid-transit-standard/the-scorecard/}}</ref>

=== High capacity vehicles ===
[[File:Metrobús_at_Paseo_de_la_Reforma.jpg|thumb|Double decker bus at [[Mexico City]] with capacity for 130 passengers]]
[[File:Transmilenio vehicle interior.jpg|thumb|[[TransMilenio]] vehicles carry up to 270 people.]]
High-capacity vehicles such as [[Articulated bus|articulated]] or even [[bi-articulated bus]]es may be used, typically with multiple doors for fast entry and exit. [[Double-decker bus]]es{{citation needed|date=March 2013}} or [[guided bus]]es may also be used. Advanced [[Powertrain Control Module|powertrain control]] may be used for a smoother ride.

=== Quality stations ===
[[File:TransMilenio Calle 63.jpg|thumb|Ticket barriers at the entrance to a [[TransMilenio]] station in [[Bogotá]]]]
Bottleneck BRT stations typically provide loading areas for simultaneous boarding and alighting of buses through multiple doors coordinated via displays and loudspeakers.

An example of high-quality stations include those used on [[TransMilenio]] in Bogotá since December 2000,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transmilenio.gov.co/es/articulos/historia|title=Historia|publisher=Transmilenio|access-date=20 August 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919011327/http://www.transmilenio.gov.co/es/articulos/historia |archive-date=19 September 2015}}</ref>{{Verify source|date=March 2018}}<!-- The article doesn't give any details about the stations --> the [[Masivo Integrado de Occidente|MIO]] in [[Cali]] since November 2008,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://historico.elpais.com.co/paisonline/calionline/notas/Noviembre152008/calimio.html|title=Cali inauguró el MÍO |newspaper=El País|access-date=20 August 2015}}</ref> [[Metrolinea]] in [[Bucaramanga]] since December 2009,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vanguardia.com/historico/48967|title=Arrancó inauguración de Metrolínea|date=22 December 2009 |publisher=Vanguardia Liberal|access-date=20 August 2015}}</ref> [[Megabús]] in [[Pereira, Colombia|Pereira]] since May 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.elespectador.com/impreso/articuloimpreso138860-pereira-se-monta-al-megabus|title=Pereira se monta al Megabús|newspaper=El Espectador|access-date=20 August 2015}}</ref> This design is also used in [[Johannesburg]]'s [[Rea Vaya]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reavaya.org.za/|title=Home|work=reavaya.org.za}}</ref>

The term "station" is more flexibly applied in North America and ranges from enclosed waiting areas ([[Ottawa]] and [[Cleveland]]) to large open-sided shelters ([[Los Angeles]] and [[San Bernardino]]).

=== Prominent brand or identity ===
A unique and distinctive identity can contribute to BRT's attractiveness as an alternative to driving cars,<ref>[http://www.nbrti.org/docs/pdf/Characteristics_BRT_Decision-Making.pdf Characteristics of BRT for decision making.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415111548/http://www.nbrti.org/docs/pdf/Characteristics_BRT_Decision-Making.pdf |date=15 April 2016 }} page ES-8. Federal Transit Administration (August 2004).</ref> (such as Viva, Max, TransMilenio, Metropolitano, Metronit, Select) marking stops and stations as well as the buses.<ref>[http://www.mta.info/mta/planning/sbs/faqs.htm What is Select Bus Service?] NYC Metropolitan Transit Authority. Retrieved 12 March 2010</ref>

Large cities usually have big bus networks. A map showing all bus lines might be incomprehensible, and cause people to wait for low-frequency buses that may not even be running at the time they are needed. By identifying the main bus lines having high-frequency service, with a special brand and separate maps, it is easier to understand the entire network.{{citation needed|date=October 2014}}

Public transit apps are more convenient than a static map, featuring services like trip planning, live arrival and departure times, up-to-date line schedules, local station maps, service alerts, and advisories that may affect one's current trip. [[Transit (app)|Transit]] and [[Moovit]] are examples of apps that are available in many cities around the world. Some operators of bus rapid transit systems have developed their own apps, like Transmilenio.<ref>{{cite news|title=Conozca la 'app' que le brinda información sobre Sitp y TransMilenio (in Spanish)|url=http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/CMS-15071135|newspaper=El Tiempo|access-date=6 June 2017}}</ref> These apps even include all the schedules and live arrival times and stations for buses that feed the BRT, like the SITP (Sistema Integrado de Transporte Público or Public Transit Integrated System) in Bogotá{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}.

=== In tunnels or subterranean structures ===
{{more citations needed section|date=October 2014}}
[[File:Breda dual-mode bus at University St station in Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel 1994.jpg|thumb|The [[Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel]] used [[Dual-mode bus|dual-mode buses]] from 1990 to 2004, which operated under electric power underground]]
[[File:MBTA route SLW bus at Courthouse station, March 2017.JPG|thumb|right|An outbound [[Silver Line (MBTA)|Silver Line]] bus at Courthouse station in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]]]]
A special issue arises in the use of buses in [[rapid transit|metro transit]] structures. Since the areas where the demand for an exclusive bus right-of-way are apt to be in dense downtown areas where an above-ground structure may be unacceptable on historic, logistic, or environmental grounds, use of BRT in tunnels may not be avoidable.

Since buses are usually powered by [[internal combustion engine]]s, bus metros raise ventilation issues similar to those of motor vehicle tunnels. Powerful fans typically exchange air through [[ventilation shaft]]s to the surface; these are usually as remote as possible from occupied areas, to minimize the effects of noise and concentrated pollution.

A straightforward way to reduce air quality problems is to use internal combustion engines with lower emissions. The 2008 Euro V [[European emission standards]] set a limit on [[carbon monoxide]] from heavy-duty [[diesel engine]]s of 1.5 g/kWh, one third of the 1992 Euro I standard. As a result, less forced ventilation will be required in tunnels to achieve the same air quality.

Another alternative is to use electric propulsion, which [[Seattle]]'s [[Metro Bus Tunnel (Seattle)|Metro Bus Tunnel]] and [[Boston]]'s [[Silver Line (MBTA)|Silver Line]] Phase II implemented. In Seattle, [[Dual-mode bus|dual-mode]] (electric/diesel electric) buses manufactured by Breda were used until 2004, with the center axle driven by [[electric motor]]s obtaining power from [[Overhead lines|trolley wires]] through [[trolley pole]]s in the subway, and with the rear axle driven by a conventional diesel [[powertrain]] on freeways and streets. Boston is using a similar approach, after initially using trolleybuses pending delivery of the dual-mode vehicles that was completed in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://world.nycsubway.org/us/boston/silver.html|title=MBTA Silver Line|author=Duncan Allen |year=2005 |website=www.nycsubway.org |access-date=13 July 2010}}</ref>

In 2004, Seattle replaced its "Transit Tunnel" fleet with diesel-electric hybrid buses, which operate similarly to [[hybrid car]]s outside the tunnel and in a low-noise, low-emissions "hush mode" (in which the diesel engine operates but does not exceed [[idle speed]]) when underground.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://metro.kingcounty.gov/am/vehicles/bustech.html |title=Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel and Changing Bus Technology |author=Metro Online|date=14 December 2007|publisher=King County Metro|access-date=13 July 2010}}</ref> The need to provide electric power in underground environments brings the capital and maintenance costs of such routes closer to those of light rail, and raises the question of building or eventually converting to light rail. In Seattle, the downtown transit tunnel was retrofitted for conversion to a shared hybrid-bus and light-rail facility in preparation for Seattle's Central [[Link light rail|Link Light Rail]] line, which opened in July 2009. In March 2019, expansion of the light rail in the tunnel moved busses back to surface streets.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kiro7.com/traffic/what-to-expect-when-830-daily-buses-move-into-downtown-seattle/933064842 |title=Last day for buses in Seattle's downtown transit tunnel |author=Graham Johnson |date=22 March 2019 |website=KIRO 7}}</ref>

Bi-articulated battery electric buses cause no problems in tunnels anymore but provide BRT capacity.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sustainable-bus.com/electric-bus/solaris-bi-articulated-e-buses-tide-bus/ | title=Solaris to deliver 14 bi-articulated e-buses in Denmark. They're powered by two motors and over 700 KWH battery | date=29 October 2021 }}</ref>