Bus rapid transit systems coming of age.

• Author: Herro, Alana
• Position: Bogota, Colombia

In July 2006, the bus rapid transit (BRT) system of Bogota, Colombia, became the first mass transport project to be approved under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism. Under the deal, the city's TransMilenio bus system will sell credits it earns from eliminating nearly 250,000 tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent a year to the Dutch government, which is seeking to offset a share of the Netherlands' greenhouse gas emissions. The bus system will achieve the emissions reductions through more-efficient passenger transport and the displacement of private vehicle use. Between December 2000 and May 2001, the TransMilenio accounted for an estimated 40 percent decline in certain Bogota air pollutants, according to the World Bank.

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Bus rapid transit combines the efficiency and user-friendliness of light rail with the economy and flexibility of road vehicles. Using high-speed buses that travel in dedicated lanes, BRT systems incorporate efficient passenger boarding methods, adaptable route structures, comfortable stations, and technology that updates riders on bus locations and timing, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Breakthrough Technologies Institute. The best systems also take full advantage of the peripheral opportunities that BRT provides, such as boosting local economies and encouraging high-density development near the bus routes...