2 Bus-Rapid Transit Is Better Than Rail Bus-Rapid Transit Is Better Than Rail: The Smart Alternative to

Bus-rapid transit is a new type of mass transit that re-lies on buses that operate on schedules similar to rail transit lines, with greater frequencies and fewer stops (and therefore faster service) than conventional bus tran-sit. A recent report from the General Accounting Of-fice (GAO) compared bus-rapid transit with light rail and found that bus-rapid transit capital costs are as little as 2 percent of those of light rail. Further, bus-rapid tran-sit costs less to operate and goes significantly faster than light-rail service. Bus-rapid transit is also far more flexible than rail transit. It can be installed quickly, not requiring years of construction, and various aspects of it can be phased in over several years. It can allow more transit riders to go long distances without making inconvenient transfers