Exploring BRT Ridership Drivers: An Empirical Study on European Systems

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems are becoming internationally popular as a viable public transport option. However, it is not exactly clear which features of BRT systems affect the demand. The hypothesis tested in this paper is whether the BRT design features contribute to higher ridership above and beyond any increase in service frequency when compared to conventional bus routes. An empirical methodology is adopted using multiple regression analysis to analyze data collected on 40 European BRT systems, covering the operation, infrastructure, traffic management and user demand for the selected systems, in addition to other factors like speed and design features. Two models were developed using regression analysis. The models highlighted the three variables which significantly impact the demand: population density, operation span and average commercial speed. The paper concludes with a discussion of the various influences on BRT ridership and recommendations for future research.