About the BRT Standard

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The BRT Standard is both a framework for understanding BRT and an evaluation tool for BRT corridors based on international best practices. BRT experts have evaluated the elements that receive points in the BRT Standard in a wide variety of contexts.

When present, these elements result in consistently improved system performance and have a positive impact on ridership and the environment. The Standard functions as a:

  • Common definition of BRT that includes the key features of BRT that result in high-performing systems, both from a design and operational perspective;
  • Planning tool for designers, planners, municipalities, advocates, and banks to consider and guide decision-making;
  • Evaluation tool to show where there are gaps in design that can be rectified or problems in operations that need to be addressed;
  • Recognition system celebrating corridors that achieve basic BRT, bronze, silver, or gold status and can serve as inspiration for other cities.

The 2024 BRT Standard is the product of feedback from BRT practitioners around the world. Suggestions were formulated into concrete proposals and evaluated by the BRT Standard Technical Committee, a group of leading BRT engineers, designers, and planners (see Governance section below). Fundamentally, the Standard has been refreshed by adding, combining, and revising elements based on expert feedback and increasing deductions for operations. 

What’s New in 2024?

  • Expanded Focus on Gender, Safety, and Access: A number of elements have been amended or added to better address issues around gender, access, and safety, with the understanding that women, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, older people, all have different experiences and needs from public transport.
  • Attention to Climate, Greening Measures, and Resiliency: New elements were added to highlight how BRT systems can improve community emergency preparedness, address climate change, increase air quality, and improve human well-being and health.
  • A New Focus on Business Operations: The business model that undergirds the system and provides the conditions for service delivery is fundamental to BRT. Therefore, a Business Model element has been added to encourage high-quality system operations and long-term sustainability.
  • Improved Scoring for Diverse Systems: Special attention was spent acknowledging different capacity systems for cities of different sizes and contexts.
  • Improved Passenger and Customer Experience: A number of the elements have been modified to address the passenger experience, recognizing that information and communication is a critical component of using BRT.
  • Increase in Deductions for Overcrowding, Long Signals, and Bus Bunching: If the system is not well maintained or operated, it will deter people from using it. Over the past decade, we have seen chronic issues with overcrowding, long traffic signals, and bus bunching, which are deterrents to use or illustrative of poor operational control.

The BRT Standard Technical Committee: The Technical Committee of The BRT Standard comprises globally renowned experts on BRT. This committee serves as a consistent source of sound technical advice with respect to BRT and is the basis for establishing the credibility of The BRT Standard. The Technical Committee certifies corridors and recommends revisions to The Standard as needed. 

  • Aileen Carrigan, Bespoke Transit Solutions
  • Angelica Castro
  • Carlos Felipe Pardo
  • Darío Hidalgo
  • Gerhard Menckhoff, World Bank (retired)*
  • Leonardo Canon Rubiano, World Bank
  • Lloyd Wright, Asian Development Bank*
  • Maria Fernanda Ramirez Bernal, Despacio
  • Paulo Custodio, Consultant
  • Pedro Szasz, Consultant
  • Ricardo Giesen, BRT Centre of Excellence
  • Wagner Colombini Martins, Logit Consultoria
  • Walter Hook, BRT Planning International
  • Xiaomei Duan, Far East Mobility

Unless indicated by an asterisk (*), each committee member also represents their institution.

The Technical Committee wants to hear feedback about the Standard, which we will review as part of the next update. Please send any feedback or questions to brtstandard@itdp.org.

The BRT Standard Institutional Endorsers: The Institutional Endorsers are an integrated group of highly respected institutions in the fields of city building, public transport systems, and climate change with decision-making abilities over the BRT Standard certification process. All are committed to high quality public transport and its impact on social and economic development. The endorsers establish the strategic direction of the BRT Standard, ensure that BRT projects evaluated by the scoring system uphold the goals of the BRT Standard, and promote the BRT Standard as a quality check for BRT projects globally. The Institutional Endorsers include:

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