Costs for BRT systems vary widely depending on the BRT elements being implemented (running ways, vehicles, etc.) and the location, type and complexity of construction. A comparison of the costs shows the following:

• Costs for bus tunnels range from about $200 to $300 million per mile, including stations.
• Costs for busways on their own rights of way display a wide range, depending upon the year built and ease of construction.  The values cited range from about $6 to $7 million in Los Angeles, Miami, and Pittsburgh (South Busway), to about $20 million per mile for the East Busway in Pittsburgh and the recently completed South East Busway in Brisbane. The high cost of Pittsburgh’s West Busway - about $53 million per mile – was due to the hilly terrain traversed, a major tunnel rehabilitation, and an expensive freeway interchange at the outer terminus of the busway.
• Costs for arterial street median busways have been reported as about $1.5 million per mile in Curitiba, $5-8 million per mile in Bogotá and Quito, and an estimated $29 million per mile in Cleveland.
• Costs for mixed traffic operation have generally been less than BRT systems with dedicated running ways. The costs reported for guided bus systems include $2.4 million per mile of guideway in Leeds, $7 million per mile in Rouen, and less than $5 million per mile in Las Vegas. Table 9 below summarizes the full implementation costs, including ITS and vehicles, for some recent BRT systems.

Table 9 – Full Implementation Cost per Mile for recent BRT Services

• Information on busway maintenance costs was only available for Pittsburgh’s East Busway. These costs averaged $110,000 per mile per year for seven miles.
• Operating costs for BRT service are influenced by wage rates and work rules, fuel and electricity costs, operating speeds and ridership. The comparisons in Table 10 suggest that BRT can cost less per passenger trip and per mile than light rail transit, depending on the situation.

Author: Ian McNamara