BRT: urban-transport solutions

With many cities in the world facing similar transport challenges that come with a growing need for mobility, Daimler Buses continues to lead the way with advanced BRT products and services.

As the need for mass transportation escalates the world over, failures in transport systems and extra burdens on the environment are just two of the challenges facing all major cities. The solution is Bus Rapid Transit (BRT); a flexible bus-based transport system. Daimler Buses is one company that has been involved from the outset in projects aimed at implementing such systems.

Typical areas of operation for BRT are in mega-cities in emerging countries, such as Mexico City, Sao Paulo (Brazil), Bogotá (Colombia) and Pune (India). Mercedes-Benz buses produced in Mannheim, Germany are also being used successfully in BRT systems in Europe, for example in Istanbul (Turkey) and Nantes (France). Worldwide, over 15 000 Mercedes-Benz buses are currently used on BRT routes.

Mercedes-Benz is thus proud that the BRT system and the Mercedes-Benz Atego BlueTec Hybrid were among the prize winners at the 2011 ÖkoGlobe (“EcoGlobe”) awards. These annual awards are presented, in a total of nine categories, to the most eco-friendly products and innovations in the automotive industry. First place in the category “New mobility concepts” went to the BRT system.

Like rail-based structures, BRT systems allow more people to be transported quickly and comfortably on inner-city routes; however, the systems can be implemented faster and more cost-effectively than their rail-based counterparts, and offer greater flexibility.

A further strength of the BRT concept is that it can be applied to individual cities and easily adapted to local requirements, since existing means of transport can be effortlessly integrated. BRT therefore offers the benefit of optimum use of the transport area, along with a significant reduction in emissions per passenger km.

“Daimler is very experienced in the world of BRT and recognises the importance of BRT in big cities without developed public transportation (metros),” says Dr Dirk Ansorge, brand manager, Mercedes-Benz Bus and Coach division. “BRT is one of the best ways to implement a highly efficient public transport system.”

Daimler Buses’ involvement is more than skin deep; its team of BRT experts provides assistance with the planning, introduction and development of custom-designed concepts for local BRT systems. The team – comprising a mix of transport, urban and regional planning specialists – works all over the world.

“In addition, the BRT specialists have access to the knowledge of local and regional transport planners. They do not just look at the bus side of the system; their aim is to ensure that existing and new forms of transport complement each other locally to create a smoothly functioning transport network,” adds Ansorge.

As a world market leader, Mercedes-Benz offers one of the widest ranges of products in terms of capacity, entrance heights and bus drive systems, and can therefore supply the correct vehicles, whether it be for the main lines or the shuttle routes. Its range of products and services also includes finance schemes for purchasing the vehicles, as well as service and after-sales solutions.

“The Mercedes-Benz planners can count on vast experience in this field as around 25 years ago Mercedes-Benz was involved in the design and implementation of a BRT system in Adelaide, Australia,’” Ansorge continues. “Since then, the experts have been providing support and assistance for an extremely wide range of transport systems on a world-wide scale. When individual systems are planned, cities and transport operators therefore benefit from the experience gained through implementing and operating other systems of the same kind,” he concludes.