It’s cost versus benefit at the end of the day
According to some experts, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a success story of technology transfer from the developing world to the developed world. BRT has its origins in Latin America, and the idea has been spreading across the globe in the recent past. However, the developing cities in Asia and Africa have been quite slow in embracing this idea.
Transportation systems define city forms and shape living patterns. These systems have a significant economic, social and environmental impact. In the developed world, most cities have created metros, elevated rail systems and Light Rail Transit (LRT) systems to serve as public transport. Most of these systems are costly; hence difficult to implement in the developing world where public transport primarily consists of road based bus systems and other informal para-transit services.
In the last few years, BRT’s have gained popularity in many developing cities due to its low cost. Main characteristics of BRT systems include segregated busways, modern stations with rapid boarding and alighting and pre-board fare collection, high frequency services, modal integration and Intelligent Transport System (ITS) technologies. A BRT system typically costs anywhere between $3 million to $10 million per kilometre – much cheaper than LRT or metro systems. Despite being a cost effective way of providing high quality public transport, BRT took a while to take off in Asia, and is still finding its feet in Africa. More than 168 cities have implemented BRT’s, of which 63 percent are in Latin America, 26 percent in Asia and less than one percent in Africa. Cities in Asia started implementing the system only at the turn of this century.
Given its success in Latin America and some other Asian cities, it seems ironical that no government considered BRT as a possible solution to the public transport issues in Lahore until 2010-2011
Lahore has seen a rapid growth in private vehicle ownership in the last 2-3 decades due to urbanisation and population growth. Housing developments have been built on the periphery of the city with no public transport links; hence people rely on their private vehicles for mobility. Public transport is inadequate and primarily provided by the private sector in the form of wagons, mini-vans, auto-rickshaws and taxis. Lahore required a substantial intervention in public transport in the last few years. However, weak institutions and lack of political will resulted in a slow progress towards achieving a successful mass transit system. Some studies in the 1990s proposed an LRT system for the city, but this was never implemented. Similarly, a rail based transit system was proposed in 2005, but again never implemented due to its high cost. The government and city authorities in Lahore considered only one solution to the increasing traffic congestion – building more roads. This short-sighted and unsustainable policy has exacerbated the situation rather than making any improvements.
Given its success in Latin America and some other Asian cities, it seems ironical that no government considered BRT as a possible solution to the public transport issues in Lahore until 2010-2011. The Lahore Metrobus was the first mass transit project in Lahore, and is the only operational BRT system in Pakistan at present. This BRT system comprises of a 27 km long dedicated corridor with 27 stations and pre-board automatic ticketing system. The project was completed at a cost of PKR 30 billion (USD 300 million), approximately USD 11 million per kilometre. Some portion (8.3 km) is elevated which resulted in higher project costs.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) recommended seven BRT corridors for Lahore to resolve its traffic congestion problems – so clearly one corridor is not enough for a city as big as Lahore. However, there are many lessons to be learnt before embarking upon a journey of wider implementation in Lahore and other major cities in Pakistan.
A BRT system needs to be well integrated with other modes of transport to be successful, something missing in the case of Lahore Metrobus. Lessons can be learnt from Bogota where the BRT is a fully integrated system that includes efficient feeder services and bikeways. BRT in Bogota is part of a system that includes extensive pedestrian and bicycle facilities. Non-motorised transport makes up almost 50 percent of the daily trips in Lahore, yet there are no facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. Lahore Metrobus was a golden opportunity to rectify this – perhaps something to look into when considering future expansion and development.
Investment in BRT should have been made in conjunction with a transit oriented development (TOD). This would have helped increase employment and promote mixed land use and housing developments along the BRT corridor and nodes. This is a practical way of reducing housing developments on the periphery of the city, which increases the use of private vehicles. The Punjab government is planning to implement BRT’s in major urban centres across the province, and now is a good time to make sure that the land use policies are well integrated with the BRT planning. Researchers have increasingly argued that BRT corridors have the potential to stimulate land development, as seen in Curitiba, Ottawa and Houston.
The government is paying a heavy subsidy on the Lahore Metrobus, and some people have questioned the viability of the current fare system
The government is paying a heavy subsidy on the Lahore Metrobus, and some people have questioned the viability of the current fare system. Experts have pointed out that the government should have captured the benefits of increased land value along the BRT corridor in order to recover its costs. The current system is not value for money as yet, but it has the potential to improve if efforts are made to integrate the system with land use developments and other transport modes, especially walking and cycling.
Apparently, there are plans to implement BRT’s in major cities such as Faisalabad and Multan, and the Rawalpindi – Islamabad Metrobus project is nearing completion. One keeps on hearing unconfirmed reports about plans for BRT projects in other major cities such as Karachi and Peshawar. It is yet to be seen whether the relevant authorities are willing to learn any lessons from the experience on the Lahore Metrobus project. Planning and appraisal of these projects need to take into account wider benefits that these major investments can bring along with them. BRT’s can act as agents of change if well integrated with other transport modes and land use policies, such as in Bogota and Curitiba. If planned properly, BRT systems can solve urban mobility problems at a much lower cost than some of the other systems. There is hope that BRT’s with their strong sustainability credentials can play a part in realising the sustainable mobility approach. However, it needs to be recognised that BRT’s may not be the answer to all the urban mobility problems faced by different cities, but if well integrated, they can be part of the solution.