Transforming Urban Mobility with Bus Rapid Transit

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Overview

Bus rapid transit (BRT) is enhancing mobility, increasing transit access, and reducing commute times in communities across North America. Often described as light rail on rubber tires, BRT creates scalable, reliable, and cost-effective public transportation options, offering convenience and amenities at significantly lower costs and with the flexibility of bus infrastructure.

A high-quality, bus-based transit system, BRT typically operates throughout the day on established bus routes and includes a variety of features that make it more efficient, convenient, and accessible than traditional bus services:

Modern articulated, low-emission, and electric buses often used in BRT systems represent a significant advancement in sustainable public transportation. These buses are designed to provide efficient, comfortable, and environmentally friendly transport for large numbers of passengers in urban areas.
Designated bus-only lanes allow buses to bypass traffic.
BRT stations often include benches, shade awnings, and other amenities not found in conventional bus stops.
Off-board fare collection streamlines the boarding process.
Real-time passenger information lets riders know when to expect the next bus, bringing greater predictability to their commutes.
Platform-level boarding provides safe, efficient accessibility for all passengers.
Traffic signal priority means less waiting at red lights.

Additionally, BRT vehicles frequently travel faster than single-occupant vehicles, particularly during peak commute hours. BRT systems are ideal for communities seeking cost-effective, long-term solutions to enhance mobility and increase transit access while mitigating traffic congestion.

BRT Capabilities and Expertise

Gannett Fleming offers a comprehensive range of professional services to plan, design, construct, and maintain BRT operations. Our planning staff develops alternatives, conducting macroscopic and microscopic modeling to determine potential BRT ridership and evaluate traffic operations. Because our planners have strong engineering, procurement, and construction expertise, they develop constructible alternative concepts for infrastructure and routing that meet project objectives and the needs of the communities through which the BRT operates. We also develop innovative station concepts to deliver the high-quality travel experience associated with BRT.

From program management, planning, and preliminary design to final design, construction services, and maintenance and operations, Gannett Fleming brings a wealth of expertise to all phases of the BRT life cycle.

As projects move into design, our transit facilities and roadways design team members develop design plans that integrate BRT into the transportation network. We formulate attractive, cost-effective solutions consistent with industry best practices. Our construction management professionals have managed successful BRT program implementation, consistent with project plans and community expectations.

Our team also brings considerable experience on Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requirements, procedures, and practices. Because many BRT projects are advanced under FTA Capital Investment Grants Program, compliance with the full suite of FTA requirements can be challenging. Our in-depth knowledge of FTA requirements can help streamline the process and keep your BRT project on track.

Program Management

We have provided program management for several BRT projects nationwide through the FTA Project Management Oversight Program, including the Provo-Orem BRT Transportation Improvement Project (TRIP), now known as Utah Valley Express (UVX), the state’s first BRT system. UVX has received recognition for its innovative design and contribution to sustainable transportation. It has been honored with the Utah Chapter of the American Planning Association’s Transportation Project of the Year and the Utah Governor’s Excellence in Energy Efficiency Awards.

Front view of a large, silver bus with its headlights on at a BRT station in Orem, Utah. A snow-capped mountain is in the background.

The Provo-Orem BRT Transportation Improvement Project (TRIP), now known as Utah Valley Express, is one of several BRT projects nationwide for which Gannett Fleming has provided services through the FTA Project Management Oversight Program. It’s Utah’s first BRT system.

Project Planning and Development

Our BRT transit planning expertise includes the MD 355 Flash BRT service for Montgomery County (Maryland) Department of Transportation, which will create new connections and support growth and redevelopment at key activity centers along the MD 355 corridor, including in downtown Bethesda, White Flint, Rockville, and Gaithersburg.

Rendering of a bus featuring a wavy orange, yellow, green, and blue pattern as part of the Flash BRT network in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Gannett Fleming provided project management, conceptual engineering, environmental documentation, and public involvement services for the 22-mile MD 355 Flash BRT Corridor in Montgomery County, Maryland.

For the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority, our BRT experts provided planning for the conversion of a 20-mile busway into a managed lanes/BRT corridor. Our team evaluated the existing conditions data collection effort, evaluated alternative corridors, and formulated alternatives analysis techniques. We applied that analysis to identify the most effective, beneficial alternative for managed lanes and BRT in this congested corridor.

Rendering of the front view of a bus approaching a BRT station in a dedicated bus lane underneath an elevated structure in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Gannett Fleming provided planning for the U.S.-1 Express Lanes study in Miami-Dade County, Florida, which explored the conversion of a 20-mile busway into a managed lanes/BRT corridor.

We also collaborated with Pittsburgh Regional Transit on their $291 million East Busway Extension to provide service between downtown Pittsburgh and Oakland. Our project planning and development involved analyzing BRT costs and ridership, as well as options for connections to existing stations.

Final Design

On the Tempo BRT System in Oakland and San Leandro, California, we served as the program manager, leading design services and construction of the 9.5-mile system for Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit). Signal priority keeps Tempo moving and the system features dedicated lanes and center-boarding stations along much of the corridor, along with prepaid fares and all-door boarding. Our team was responsible for land acquisition, public outreach, environmental studies, vehicle procurement, utility coordination, and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Small Starts Grant Agreement (SSGA) reporting and applications.

Front view of a blue and silver AC Transit Tempo bus picking up passengers at a BRT station, with wayfinding signage in the foreground.

Gannett Fleming led the design and construction of a 9.5-mile BRT system through Oakland and San Leandro, California. As the program manager, we also oversaw all design efforts, land acquisition, public outreach, and environmental studies.

Construction Services

We’re delivering construction phase services for the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) Plan in Miami, Florida, an 80-mile, $10 billion program that includes three BRT corridors. You can take a virtual tour of the SMART Plan’s South Dade Transitway through this dynamic virtual exploration room.