Standard diesel buses, both 40 foot and 60 foot are widely used for BRT operations. There
is however a trend toward innovations in vehicle design in terms of (1) “clean” propulsion
systems (e.g., diesels with self regenerating after-burners using low
sulfur diesel fuel; diesel/CNG/gasoline - electric hybrids; compressed natural
gas [CNG] fueled spark ignition engines) (2) dual-mode (diesel-electric) vehicles
that permit on-wire operation through tunnels, regular diesel operation elsewhere;
(3) 100% low-floor buses with inordinately wide stairwells; (4) buses with more
and wider doors; and (5) use of distinctive BRT vehicles with unique styling
and operational features such as the ability to dock close enough to station
platform edges to permit level, no-step boarding and alighting.
Examples of innovative vehicle designs include:
- Los Angeles’ low-floor, CNG powered 60 foot
low floor NABI “Metroliners”).
- Boston’s planned multi-door Neoplan dual-mode
diesel-electric and CNG buses.
- Curitiba, Brazil and Utrecht, Holland’s
80 foot long+ double articulated buses with 5 sets of doors
- Rouen’s Iris Civis bus – a “new
design” diesel-electric specialized BRT vehicle with a train
like look, four doors in 60 feet, optical guidance, and a minimum
34-inch (about .87 meters) wide aisle end to end. A 34 inch
aisle width compares to the 22-30 inch minimum width between wheel
wells found on most other 100% low floor vehicles, including those
operated by NYCT.
- Bogotá’s high-platform Volvo and
Marco Polo vehicles with multiple left-side doors that serve stations
which universally have center island platforms.
Authors: Ian McNamara and Mark Miller
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