As requested by the FTA, the National BRT Institute conducts new research in areas related to BRT and will develop "best practices" manuals and tools that assist BRT community members. Topic areas for further research may come from FTA, through Committees of TRB or APTA, or directly from the BRT community. These ideas are then formally discussed and prioritized by the NBRTI Advisory Board at an annual meeting. This prioritization will be used to help guide the research program efforts.
NBRTI Research Reports and Presentations
2007 Moscow Conference Proceedings
A proceedings document has been developed by NBRTI/CUTR to report the findings of the 5th International Workshop on Public Transportation, which convened in Moscow in May 2007. This technical conference was organized to provide a forum for transportation officials from Russia and the United States to share knowledge and experience in relation to four identified transportation themes.
India Trip Report
This report summarizes the activities associated with the FTA Mission to India, undertaken in September 2007. Featuring visits to Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai, the mission provided the U.S. delegation with the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of India 's ambitious plans for the expansion of its transportation infrastructure. A highlight of the mission was the ratification of a Memorandum of Cooperation that formalizes the commitment made between the two countries to future collaboration in the field of public transportation science and technology.
Advanced Network Planning for Bus Rapid Transit
A report commissioned by the National Bus Rapid Transit Institute, and conducted by The Mission Group in San Diego, evaluates the issue of network planning for Bus Rapid Transit. The report compares the “Light Rail Lite” model of BRT implementation, which is predominant in the United States, with the “Quickway” model, which has been shown to be highly successful in Ottawa, Canada and Brisbane, Australia.
South American Report
This report shows how the implementation of new BRT systems in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and Pereira, Colombia, and the continued expansion of the iconic TransMilenio system in Bogotá, Colombia, illustrates the continued successful evolution of the “Bogotá Model”. The report was completed following a technical tour of these three cities in February 2007, sponsored by NBRTI, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), and Breakthrough Technologies Institute (BTI).
Click here to access the presentation (March 2007)
Bogota Report
NBRTI published a report on the TransMilenio Bus Rapid Transit system in Bogotá, Colombia, discussing its applicability to the U.S transit context.
Click here to access the presentation
BRT Developments in China
NBRTI has published a report on BRT developments in China and how the United States and China may mutually benefit from research cooperation
Click here to access the presentation (May 2006)
TCRP Report 118: Bus Rapid Transit Practitioner's Guide explores the costs, impacts, and effectiveness of implementing selected bus rapid transit (BRT) components
TCRP Report 117: Design, Operation, and Safety of At-Grade Crossings of Exclusive Busways explores planning, designing, and operating various kinds of busways through roadway intersections
TCRP Report 90: Bus Rapid Transit Volume I, identifies the potential range of bus rapid transit (BRT) applications through 26 case studies and provides planning and implementation guidelines for BRT. This report will be useful to policy-makers, chief executive officers, senior managers, and planners. Volume II offers implementation guidelines.
BRT Vehicle Compendium - a compendium of vehicles and powertrain systems for BRT service (WestStart-CALSTART, 2006)
World Bank Accessibility Guidelines - accessibility guidelines that follow the travel path for a full feature BRT system