Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Bus Rapid Transit

BRT and New York City, Part 2: What We’ve Got So Far

By Ben Fried | Feb 25, 2009 | 10 Comments

Select Bus Service has sped trips along the Bx12 route, but falls short of full BRT. Photo: Brad Aaron. In the second installment of our interview with ITDP director Walter Hook, we look at the package of bus improvements implemented last year along the Bx12 line, and how it stacks up against full-featured Bus Rapid […]

BRT, Rail, and New York City: A Conversation With Walter Hook

By Ben Fried | Feb 24, 2009 | 116 Comments

Perhaps no one knows the ins and outs of BRT better than Walter Hook. As director of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, Hook has advised cities on four continents about BRT implementation, including Jakarta's seven-corridor network, the first full-fledged BRT system in Asia. Streetsblog caught up with Hook -- in between trips to Cape Town and Mexico City -- for an email Q&A about why New York City needs Bus Rapid Transit, common misconceptions of BRT in America, and what will make BRT succeed here.

Chicago Loses NYC’s Congestion Pricing Money

By Ben Fried | Jan 9, 2009 | 3 Comments

Will Chicago get a second chance at federal funds for better bus service? Photo: celikins/Flickr Looks like New York legislators aren’t the only ones willing to pass up big money for transportation improvements if it means putting a fair price on private auto use. Back in April, the feds withdrew a $354 million grant to […]

Another Reason to Embrace Pre-Payment

By Ben Fried | Dec 3, 2008 | 9 Comments

From today’s Times, published after bus driver Edwin Thomas was stabbed to death by a passenger who refused to pay the fare: There is one bus route on which drivers do not have to worry about fare beaters: the Bx12 Select Bus Route, which runs along Pelham Parkway and Fordham Road in the Bronx and […]

Ravitch Rumor Mill: Report to Urge More Investment in BRT

By Ben Fried | Dec 3, 2008 | 9 Comments

Mobilizing the Region has scooped up some interesting nuggets about the Ravitch Commission’s soon-to-be-released report: …insiders tell MTR that Ravitch is likely to recommend improved bus service, including increased investment in bus rapid transit and the establishment of a MTA Regional Bus Authority. The latter would take control of suburban bus systems like Long Island […]

Rave Review for Cleveland’s BRT Debut

By Ben Fried | Nov 11, 2008 | 3 Comments

Cleveland bus riders at one of the Health Line’s new stations. Cleveland’s first venture into Bus Rapid Transit — a 10-mile route called the Health Line — was turning heads before it fully launched, attracting planners from other cities looking to boost transit ridership. Now that the ribbons have been cut, the Plain Dealer’s Steven […]

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