BRTS Projects in India
Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) is a mass rapid transit system that has been adopted in many developing countries with tremendous success. While delivering the speed and reliability of rail systems, it offers the convenience and flexibility of bus systems as well. In spite of it being adopted in India in many cities, none have the operational efficiency that an ideal BRTS should have.
Operational and new BRTS projects
In India, it has become operational so far in cities like Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Indore, Pune, Bhopal Vijayawada and Rajkot, covering a total network of over 120 km. The investment involved till now in the development of BRTS in these cities would come upto more than Rs.13.6 billion. Expansion of the BRTS network in these six cities are either already in progress or are being planned. Moreover, six new BRTS projects are already underway in cities like Kolkata, Hubli-Dharwad, Surat, Visakhapatnam, Naya Raipur and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Completed BRTS projects in India (as of October 31. 2013)
| City | Length completed (km ) |
No. of stops/stations |
No. of buses | Total completion cost (Rs billion) |
Ridership | Key design features |
| Ahmedabad | 68.0 | 101 | 136 | 6.67 | 130,000 per day | Closed system; median stations |
| Delhi | 5.8 | 29 | – | 2.15 | 12,400 PPHPD (2012) | Open system; median stations |
| Jaipur | 7.1 | 10 | 20 | 0.65 | 2,000 PPHPD | Open system; median stations |
| Pune | 14.8 | 27 | 20 | 1.03 | 3,600 PPHPD | Open system; median stations |
| Rajkot | 10.7 | 18 | 11 | 1.61 | 6,500 PPHPD | Closed system; median stations |
| Vijayawada | 15.5 | 32 | 8 | 1.51 | 4,250 PPHPD | Open system; median and kerbside stations |
| Total | 121.9 | 217 | 195 | 13.62 | – | – |
PPHPD: Passengers Per Hour Per Day
Upcoming BRTS projects in India
| Project | Expansion/New system | Length (km) | No.of stations | Type of system | Location of stops | Expected ridership |
| Ahmedabad BRTS | Expansion | 47.00 | 52 (at least) | Closed | Median | 550,000 passengers per day (2015) |
| Bhopal BRTS | New system | 24.00 (Phase.1) | 82 (Phase.1) | Hybrid | Median | 2,000 PCUs |
| New system | 45.43 (Phase.2) | NA | NA | NA | NA | |
| Delhi BRTS | Expansion | 230.00 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Hubli-Dharwad BRTS | New system | 22.30 | 33 | Closed | Median | 7,500 PPHPD (2015) |
| Indore BRTS | New system | 11.45 (pilot corridor) | 21 | Open | Median | 70,000 passengers per day |
| New system | 120.00 | 201 | NA | NA | NA | |
| Jaipur BRTS | Expansion | 138.00 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Kolkata BRTS | New system | 67.30 | NA | Closed | Left side | NA |
| Naya Raipur BRTS | New system | 80.00 | 9 (two corridors) | Hybrid | Median | 3,851 passengers in peak hours along three corridors (2014) |
| Pimpri-Chinchwad BRTS | New system | 44.57 | 90 | Closed | Median | 6,000 PPHPD (one corridor in 2014) |
| Pune BRTS | Expansion | 68.80 | 139 | Hybrid | Median | NA |
| Rajkot BRTS | Expansion | 63.50 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Surat BRTS | New system | 105.40 | 167 | Closed | Median | 0.19 million per day (2013 on pilot corridor) |
| Vijayawada BRTS | Expansion | 29.85 | 52 | NA | NA | NA |
| Visakhapatnam BRTS | New system | 44.30 | 76 | Closed | Median | 315,000 passengers per day (2031) |
| Total | – | 1,142.00 | 922+ | – | – | – |
NA: Not Available
PCU: passenger car units
PPHPD: passengers per hour per direction
Buses plying on operational projects
Currently, about 195 buses run under the five operational BRTS projects in Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Pune, Rajkot and Vijayawada. Besides, about 250 buses owned by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) ply every hour on the Delhi BTRS corridor. These are low-floor buses that run on compressed natural gas (CNG). Most of these buses are 12 metres long with seating capacity between 30-50, and a total capacity between 80-100, during peak hours. The engine capacity of these buses ranges from 150-300 HP. On the whole about 217 bus stops/stations have been constructed across the entire BRTS network of 121.9 km in the country.
Funds allocated to BRTS in Twelfth Five Year Plan
As per the Twelfth Five Year Plan, a total investment of Rs.521.22 billion has been allocated towards Urban transport. From this, about 57%, which roughly amounts to Rs.296.03 billion is the estimated investment required for the BRTS projects across cities. An additional 17% (Rs.87.6 billion) has been estimated for the construction of bus infrastructure. This includes bus bays, depots, terminals and workshops. It is also estimated that an investment of about Rs.69.65 will be made across BRTS projects in 14 cities, in the next 10 years. The Twelfth Plan also estimates that about 1,480 km of BRTS networks are required to be developed in India.
Prospective plans
There is also a requirement to build 5,220 depots, 2,260 terminals and 64 workshops. It is estimated that about 1,142 km of BRTS road networks would be developed across 14 cities, in the next decade. These include six expansion projects and eight new projects, for which about 922 bus stations would be build. Besides, support infrastructure is also being planned in many cities. These include three terminals each at Ahmedabad, Surat, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Visakhapatnam as part of the BRTS projects being undertaken in these cities. Moreover, two depots and workshops are also being planned at Hosur and Gokul road in Hubli, as well as one in Dharwad. These depots would have a capacity of 120 regular and 30 BRTS buses. There is also a terminal that is being planned in Naya Raipur.
