Irc124-2017 21.02.2022

BUS RAPID TRANSIT(BRT)
DESIGN GUIDELIENS
FOR
INDIAN CITIES
IRC:124-2017
Presented by MANOJ NAIK R.

Definitions:
 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT): A high-quality bus-based transit system that delivers fast, comfortable, and cost-effective urban mobility
through the provision of segregated right- of-way infrastructure, rapid and frequent operations, and excellence in marketing and
customer service.
 Busways: A dedicated lane for existing bus services without any level boarding on low floor buses, SMART fare collection,
information display etc. (See also closed and hybrid BRT system.)
 Dedicated lane: A lane in which entry is permitted for specific types of vehicles.
 Depot: A facility with provision for bus cleaning, maintenance, and parking. Depots also offer office space for bus operators and
facilities for drivers including washrooms, canteens, and rest areas.
 Docking bays: A location in a BRT station where a bus stops and aligns to the boarding platform.
 Dwell time: The amount of time that a vehicle occupies a given stopping bay
 Frequency: Number of vehicles per hour that stop at a station. Headway: Length of time that elapses between vehicle arrivals at
a stop or station. Hybrid system: Service that directly links origins and destinations with buses that operates both on and off an
exclusive busway. (See also closed BRT system)
 Platform: An area in a BRT station where passengers board and alight from buses. Platforms also accommodate passenger
waiting and circulation.
 Ramp: An inclined walkway or roadway connecting elements at different levels.
 Saturation: Percentage of time that a station bay is occupied.
 Sub-stop: Distinct stops within a single station, placed adequately apart to allow simultaneous, independent access to BRT buses
via passing lanes.
Basic Elements of BRT:
 Dedicated median bus lanes that are physically separated from mixed traffic lanes. Dedicated lanes are crucial for ensuring that
buses can move quickly and avoid congestion.
 A dedicated fleet of high quality buses and high quality stations with platforms that match the level of the bus so that passengers
can enter and exit quickly and easily without climbing steps.
 Smart fare collection to enhance passenger convenience and improve efficiency.
 Well-designed intersections that restrict mixed traffic from taking turns across the bus way.
An efficient street-level BRT can:

 Result in a multi-fold increase in the people-carrying capacity of urban roads.
 Serve a wide range of demand from 2000 to 45,000 persons per hour per direction (pphpd) at a capital cost
 Be implemented quickly, in a span of three to five years
 Cause a mode shift from personal motor vehicles to public transport
Planning for BRT
Network Selection:
Network Selection An initial step in the BRT planning process is to identify the network of corridors where BRT can and should be
implemented. Network selection is a function of multiple considerations, including:
 Existing and future passenger demand patterns.
 Presence of severe congestion.
 The need to offer equitable access to the system to people across all socioeconomic groups.
 Potential to minimize passenger transfers.
 Potential to minimize land acquisition.
 Right of Way (ROW) availability.
BRT Configuration and System Capacity:

System capacity refers to the maximum number of people or vehicles that can be moved in a single direction on a BRT corridor.
Among the factors that determine the capacity of a BRT system, the configuration of the lanes and stations is the key. A BRT system with
one lane per direction in station areas can handle about 70 regular buses an hour, or around 5,000 pphpd. The capacity of a system
with one lane per direction can be increased to around 9,000 pphpd by adding articulated buses or 12,000 pphpd by using bi-
articulated buses. In situations with higher passenger demand, passing lanes at stations can increase the capacity of a BRT system. For
passing lanes to function effectively, stations must be long enough to accommodate separate stopping bays, also called sub-stops, that
can function independent of one another
System design
Dedicated Bus Lane Alignment
Station Alignment:
 A single centrally located station serving both directions of service.
 Side stations on the outer edges of a median busway, each serving a single direction of service.
 A pair of two-sided stations, each serving the same direction of travel.
A single central station serving both directions is the configuration employed in most high performance BRTs. This alignment has
several advantages:
Optimal use of street space: Central stations require a single entry area and
single set of turnstiles; whereas two bilateral stations each require their own
entries, thereby increasing the total length of the stations
Easier customer transfers between routes: Central stations make it easier for
customers to transfer from one bus route to another without having to exit the
station and cross a street, irrespective of the direction of the two routes.
Easier docking: Bus drivers have an easier time docking stations that are located
on the driver’s side of the bus.
Lower construction and maintenance costs: Central stations are smaller and are up to
40 per cent less expensive to build and operate than two bus stations on either side of
the central bus lanes.
Calculating Corridor Capacity(Basic Approach):
The capacity of a BRT corridor depends on the load factor, vehicle size, the service frequency, and the number of stopping bays at each
station. The equation below shows the basic relationship between these factors and the capacity of a BRT system:
Ccorridor = Cvehicle*L*F*B
Where:
• Ccorridor is the number of people the corridor can transport, expressed in passengers per hour per direction (pphpd).
• Cvehicle is the passenger capacity of the vehicle
• L, load factor, is the average occupancy of the vehicles, expressed as a per cent.
• F, service frequency, is the number of vehicles per hour per stopping bay.
• B is the number of independent stopping bays in each station.
Station Saturation:
The “saturation” of a station refers to the degree to which passenger and bus volumes have reached the station’s design capacity.
saturation refers to the percentage of time that a vehicle-stopping bay at a BRT station is occupied. Based on empirical evidence, BRT
systems perform best when the saturation level is below 40 per cent at each station. Above this level, BRT systems run the risk of
congestion and system breakdown. Therefore, it is desirable to keep saturation levels as low as possible. It should be noted that
overcrowding in a station does not necessarily indicate a high level of saturation. Crowding in a station can result from inadequate bus
frequency, even if the saturation level is low. In systems with moderate demand, stations should be constructed with at least two
docking bays per direction. The additional docking bay allows two buses to dock at the station simultaneously. Constructing multiple
sub-stops with passing lanes can reduce station saturation further. Each sub-stop is separated from others by minimum of 32m.
Station design
Stations play a major role in shaping a passenger’s overall experience of using a BRT system. Stations need to have sufficient capacity to
handle anticipated ridership, and should offer a safe, comfortable space that eases the wait
Bus-Station Interface:
To reduce boarding and alighting time, the station platform level should be at the same level as the bus floor. The reduction or
elimination of the vehicle-to-platform gap is also key to customer safety and comfort. The gap between the station and the bus should
not be more than 5 cm. To further improve safety, many BRT systems make use of sliding doors at stations. Doors give a degree of
security to commuters and they protect against weather, reduce accident risks, and prevent fare evaders from entering the BRT system.
Passenger Information:
One of the barriers to using public transport is customer uncertainty about when the next bus will arrive. Providing real time
information in the form of voice communications and variable message signs at stations can eliminate this uncertainty for BRT users.
Real-time information services should include:
 At stations: visual and audio announcements of when the next bus will arrive and the destination or route number of the bus.
 On buses: real-time audio and visual announcements of the next stop and the final destination of the route.
In addition to the real-time information, the following static information must be provided
 At stations: route map, fare chart, directions, system map, station locations, and an area map with surrounding landmarks;
 On buses: route diagrams
Multi-lingual real-time and static information is preferred to allow for easy comprehension by all users.
Station Layout and Size:
A BRT station contains three primary areas
Ramp(s): Provided on one or both ends of the station, ramps make the station accessible to all users. The ramp should have a slope not
exceeding 1:15, making it convenient for the disabled. The ramp should have railing on both sides and should have tactile paver blocks
for people with visual impairments.
Fare collection area: The fare collection area contains system information displays and a place for customers to buy tickets. The
ticketing booth should be at least 1.1m by 1.5m. Turnstiles or flap-gates should be provided for offboard fare collection.
Boarding area: The boarding area should provide space for people waiting for buses as well as circulation space for people entering or
leaving the station. For small to medium stations, bus-docking positions on either direction should be staggered for easy circulation of
people inside the station.
Together, these elements typically add up to a length of 70 m for a moderate-demand BRT system with 12 m buses.
The width of station platform depends on width of the structural elements,

the waiting area for both directions, and circulating width. Length required
for waiting passengers at each docking bay should be equal to the length of
the bus. It is recommended that stations have a width of at least 4 m to provide
room for waiting and circulation. The internal clear width should be minimum
3 m in case of a one-way BRT station.
When the demand is high, systems should be designed with passing lanes and independent sub-stops. The distance between the
independent sub-stops should be approximately 1.8 times for buses to manoeuvre easily.
Distance between Stations:

Stations that are too close result in lower bus speeds. Accepting that spacing may vary from station to station depending on local
conditions, systems should aim for spacing in the range of 300m to 800m.
Architectural Features:
The waiting area of a BRT station must provide seating, lighting, and real-time
passenger information. The use of open station architecture allows for natural
ventilation and lighting .However, the station roof should provide
protection from rain and sun. Stations should be built with durable, low-maintenance
materials to minimize maintenance costs.
Corridor design
Street Elements and Design Configurations:
Various elements of a BRT corridor and their suggested dimensions are given below:
 BRT lane for one-way movement should have a width of 3.5 m. The width of a passing lane, where required, should be 4m.
 A divider, minimum 0.5 m wide, should separate BRT lanes from mixed traffic. These should be expanded to at least 1 m at street
crossing points by marginally reducing carriageway and BRT lane width.
 Median stations that serve both directions of BRT services should have a minimum inner clear width of 3.5 m. The outer width
would be minimum 4 m. Station width may have to be expanded based on passenger demand. If adequate width is not available,
then the boarding areas for the two directions may be staggered to reduce the conflict between passengers waiting to board and
those alighting and wanting to exit
 The width of all BRT elements, at station locations without passing lanes, should be 12 m. In case of systems that require a passing
lane, the total width of BRT elements at station expands to 16 m. Since passing lanes are not required at non-station locations, the
width of BRT elements drops to 8 m in both cases.
 Footpaths are essential for safe pedestrian access to BRT stations. Footpaths with a minimum clear width of 1.8 m should be
provided on either side of the carriageway. A tree line next to the footpath with a minimum width of 1m should be included at all
locations.
 Cycle tracks may be provided along the corridor for the safety and convenience of cyclists where adequate right of way is available.
 In case of BRT, since a majority of large vehicles (buses) do not use the carriageway, the carriageway width may be reduced from 7 m
to 6.0-6.5 m.
 At non-station locations along the BRT corridor, parallel parking may be provided at the edge of a carriageway or a service lane,
depending on the chosen street cross-section.
BRT Corridor Elements: Widths
BRT Corridor Elements: Heights (with Respect to Carriageway Level)
BRT stations should be setback from the intersection stop lines to allow sufficient space for bus and mixed traffic queues. When stations
are located immediately adjacent to intersections, significant delays can be caused when a queued bus blocks the docking bay and
prevents other buses from accessing the station
At a minimum, the setback should be equal to the length of two queued articulated buses (~40m).
BRT cross sections for ROWs of 30m and above BRT cross sections for ROWs of 24m and under
Vehicle specifications:
BRT Bus Capacity
Depot layout design:
BRT depots should include areas for refueling, cleaning, repairs, administration, and parking. The location of a depot is often
dependent upon the economical acquisition of sufficient property, but depots generally should be sited immediately adjacent to a BRT
corridor to reduce the number of dead kilometers that buses operate to reach a corridor end point. The size of the depots and
terminals depends on the number of vehicles that will be based at the depot. As a thumb rule, a depot for 100 standard buses
requires approximately 2 hectares
Source:
https://law.resource.org/pub/in/bis/irc/irc.gov.in.124.2017.pdf
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Irc124-2017 21.02.2022

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BUS RAPID TRANSIT(BRT)

Presented by MANOJ NAIK R.

An efficient street-level BRT can:

BRT Configuration and System Capacity:

The width of station platform depends on width of the structural elements,

Distance between Stations:

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