Be Are Tee’d (Part 1)

Back in the 90’s, a proposal to implement a mass transport system called the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) was raised.  For those who are not familiar with  or have not had access to any form of news media since the smoke signal was popularized, the BRT is a term applied to a variety of public transport systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. The goal of these systems is to approach the service quality of rail transit while still enjoying the cost savings and flexibility of bus transit. (Source: http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Bus_rapid_transit)

Based on that definition, one can argue that we already have a variety of buses doing so.  And to further cement their claim, they will point to the existing crop of wheelnuts at the north and south bus terminals who drive their buses at breakneck speeds along the small two-lane “highways” we use to visit our provincial relatives.  In a sense, these buses are already ‘faster’.  And since they get to their destinations sooner than scheduled, they’re pretty efficient.

One difference between regular bus services and the BRT is that the BRT is a high-capacity urban public-transit system.  While current bus services ply provincial routes, the BRT will be infused into the current public transport system within the metropolis.  This means that apart from private vehicles, public jeepneys and taxi cabs, buses will now be part of the growing traffic soup that is stewing on our roads.

Another marked difference between both is the allocation of lanes specific for BRT use.  What that means is, at least two lanes from existing urban roads will be closed off to all types of vehicles except buses.  Dedicated lanes mean a faster way of getting from one point to another.  So those who prefer to reach their destinations sooner without having to shoulder the cost of hi-speed metered taxi cabs would greatly benefit from BRT’s.

Aside from having their own lanes, BRT’s have limited stops.  Current public mass transportations stop at every designated stop, no stopping zones, in the middle of the road and every inch of pavement they could squeeze themselves into.  Fort the daily commuter, who is also the reason why these vehicles stop anywhere, these frequent stops only delay their travel further.  The BRT only stops in designated terminals and is structured in a way that they cannot halt anywhere along their route to pick up additional passengers.  Lesser stops mean lesser time wasted stopping for people who can’t read street signs.  This also disciplines people to wait for the buses at designated points only.

Remember Memorandum Circular 2011-004 of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)?  It’s the memo which gives persons with disabilities (PWDs) an appropriate and priority seat in any public utility vehicle (puv).  Currently, jeepneys offer the seatbeltless, front seats as the “appropriate” seat for our PWD bretheren.  With the BRT, they solve these problems by either having a low-level boarding bus with wheelchair access or a high-level platform that meets the loading platform of the bus.  Finally, our relatives in wheelchairs can travel around the city without having to cram their wheels into the back of a taxi cab.

Having been born into a family with travel privileges, I have seen these BRT’s in action in Manhattan.  They take you from 96th to 19th street in about an hour.  If you want to get to the same destination a bit faster, you take the Limited Stop BRT’s and get off on 14th street and huff it all the way to 19.  The entire travel time takes around thirty to forty-five minutes including the five block walk.  And their “kneeling” buses allow the elderly and PWD’s easy access to these buses.

There are many advantages to having a BRT.  So the idea that was floated in the 90’s was pretty smart.  Now fast forward to about two decades later, it’s still a proposal.  And there are many reasons I could think of as to why this is so.  I’ll discuss that in part 2.