Economic impacts of bus rapid transit in southeast Michigan.

PDFTech ReportCA-MNTRC-14-1237DTRT12-G-UTC21Bus rapid transitEconomic impactsPublic transitIncentivesMichiganMineta National Transit Research ConsortiumDutta, UtpalHenze, JeffMineta National Transit Research ConsortiumUnited States. Dept. of Transportation. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and TechnologyMichigan. Dept. of Transportation. Research AdministrationUS Transportation CollectionIn recent years, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has generated great interest across the United States. There are more than 20 BRTsystems in existence, and more are in the planning stage (including in Detroit). Within the next few years, BRT will be plannedand implemented phase by phase in various parts of Southeast Michigan. The purpose of this study is to develop a framework toidentify probable economic impacts of BRT in Southeast Michigan.Taxable real estate values, injury and fatal crash data, and selected demographics of BRT users, including employment sector, agegroup, median income, and daily vehicle miles traveled were reviewed to identify Southeast Michigan\ue2\u20ac\u2122s current and future trends.The project team also performed shift-share analysis using Cleveland and Kansas City data to determine the BRT-advantagedage group. The authors recommended a number of action items to attract choice riders and gratify riders who must rely onBRT, such as tax incentives, branding, guaranteed levels of service, etc. Based on the literature review and analysis of existingBRT-related data by the project team, BRT-advantaged job sectors and age groups within the Southeast Michigan region wereidentified. BRT will be implemented in phases. This will affect the amount, type, and timing of investments in BRT. Consideringthis uncertainty, the potential economic impacts as a function of type and amount of investment were discussed. It is to be notedthat in order to achieve the projected results, the BRT system must be planned, designed, and implemented based on the uniqueattributes of the Southeast Michigan region rather than by copying a system that has achieved success in another region