Six insights shaping the next generation of bus rapid transit

Cities face growing travel demand, decarbonization pressures and funding constraints. Communities expect transportation investments to deliver value sooner and demonstrate clear benefits for passengers and taxpayers. Against this backdrop, bus rapid transit (BRT) is entering a new chapter.

Advances in high-capacity, zero-emission bus technology are narrowing the gap between bus rapid transit and other forms of mass transit. Combined with the ability to phase investment and adapt services over time, these developments are giving cities greater flexibility in how they plan and deliver high-capacity public transportation.

Drawing on our BRT expertise, and with increasing interest in comparisons of light rail and BRT and supporting transit programs globally, six lessons stand out for cities considering the next generation of BRT.

1. Let service outcomes guide infrastructure decisions

Dedicated corridors remain fundamental to successful BRT because they provide the priority and reliability needed to compete with private vehicles. Yet infrastructure alone doesn’t create a successful transit system.

People change travel behavior when public transportation is convenient, reliable and competitive with the equivalent private journey. Planning should begin with the service passengers need, then identify the infrastructure required to support it.

A service-led approach considers how routes operate across the broader network, where service improvements will deliver the greatest benefit and how infrastructure can be introduced progressively to support them. Rather than building an entire corridor to its ultimate configuration from day one, cities can target investment where operational benefits are greatest.

This flexibility is one of BRT’s defining strengths. Services can extend beyond dedicated corridors, connect directly with communities and evolve as demand changes. In a constrained fiscal environment, cities can begin delivering benefits earlier while maintaining a pathway toward a long-term network vision.

2. Protect outcomes while managing affordability

Auckland’s Eastern Busway demonstrates this principle in practice. As part of the Eastern Busway Alliance, we identified cost-saving opportunities while preserving the travel time and connectivity benefits central to the project's business case.

As project budgets came under pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic, the alliance developed a business case that identified $175 million (NZ$285 million) in savings while retaining nearly all of the benefits expected from the project. Additional design refinement achieved a further 7% cost reduction.

The result was more than a lower-cost project — it was a more focused solution that protected the outcomes that mattered most. The key lesson is that every investment should be tested against the service outcomes it supports.

3. Let new technology expand the options

Brisbane Metro demonstrates how advances in vehicle technology are reshaping perceptions of BRT. Brisbane Metro deployed a bus-based solution using zero-emission bi-articulated vehicles to deliver its core objective of increasing capacity and improving public transport performance across Brisbane’s busway network.

The project illustrates how emerging bus technologies can deliver many of the benefits traditionally associated with rail, including greater capacity and an enhanced passenger experience, while retaining the operational flexibility of bus-based transit.

The choice is no longer simply between conventional buses and rail. Cities can draw from a broader range of mass-transit solutions that match investment to their operational needs.

4. Treat fleet decarbonization as a system transition

Moving travelers from private vehicles to public transportation supports emissions reduction, but mode shift only occurs when services meet passenger needs and expectations. Transit priority measures, service frequency and route design must work together to create a dependable alternative.

Fleet decarbonization introduces additional considerations, from energy demand and charging infrastructure to the way services are planned and operated. These decisions are interconnected and should be evaluated as part of a broader system transition.

We combine transportation, energy and operational expertise to support fleet transition planning. Using Jacobs’ proprietary energy modeling tool for fleet electrification, transit agencies can evaluate charging requirements and power needs, identifying opportunities to reduce both electrical infrastructure costs and operating expenses.

The key lesson is that fleet decarbonization can’t be planned in isolation. Decisions about fleet deployment and operations must be considered together to create transition pathways that are both ambitious and practical.

5. Bring global knowledge to local decisions

Every city has its own needs and constraints. You can’t just copy-paste a solution from one location to another without considering local context.

At the same time, cities shouldn’t need to solve the same challenges independently. Our global transit network enables lessons learned in one region to inform projects elsewhere.

Experience from programs such as BusConnects Dublin provide valuable insight into delivering major transit improvements and managing network change. Lessons from Australia and New Zealand show how global lessons can be adapted to different contexts.

The objective is to combine global experience with local knowledge to create solutions tailored to each community, rather than replicate a Dublin, Auckland or Brisbane solution.

6. Transform the network without disrupting the service

Cities need to balance climate goals and growing demand while maintaining safe and reliable transportation services. Success depends on delivering change without compromising day-to-day operations.

Achieving that balance requires close collaboration between those planning projects and those responsible for operating the networks. Operators understand how services function and where proposed changes may affect performance.

When operational knowledge is incorporated early, projects can identify practical solutions and manage change more effectively. Collaboration should begin before infrastructure solutions are finalized so operational realities shape decision-making from the outset.

Turn today’s constraints into better public transportation

The next generation of BRT won’t necessarily mirror the fully segregated busway systems delivered in previous decades — yet cities don’t need to lower their ambitions. Instead, they can take a more deliberate approach to how those ambitions are achieved.

Authorities are under pressure to improve mobility outcomes while operating within tighter budgets and responding to decarbonization goals. BRT offers a practical way to meet those objectives through flexible, staged investment.

By focusing on the services people need and applying lessons from other cities, authorities can create transportation networks that deliver lasting value for their communities.