Faster, Smarter, Greener: The Future of the Car and Urban Mobility (The MIT Press)

by Venkat Sumantran

But it is one thing to add technology to the product. It is equally important to employ modern tools and technologies in the system they operate in. Bogotá has been the poster city for demonstrating the effectiveness of bus rapid transit (BRT) systems. BRT systems can be thought of as low-investment metros suitable for medium-density routes where infrastructure funding is capped or route flexibility is necessary. Like a metro system, they have turnstiles that control access, and payment is made with smart cards or is contactless and is typically shared with other modes in the cities. Bus stops have platforms aligned with the bus floor, allowing faster ingress and egress of passengers and higher throughput. Dedicated lanes keep these buses flowing even on highly congested thoroughfares. This mode can be an important option for many cities where population densities are not high enough or where the city cannot afford the high capital costs of underground metros.