Comparison of BRT systems in four Chinese cities: Beijing, Changzhou, Xiamen, and Jinan

This paper provides a comparison of planning, implementation, and operation on bus rapid transit (BRT) in four Chinese cities with significantly different populations and city scales, namely Beijing, Changzhou, Xiamen and Jinan. In Beijing, the Nanzhongzhou Line is the first operational BRT system with full functions in China since late 2006. In early year of 2008, BRT systems in Changzhou, Xiamen and Jinan start their commercial operation. This paper conducts an overview on planning and design process, service performance and capital investments of each system. Nevertheless, many features have been applied and implemented differently in these four BRT systems, such as bus lane allocation, station design, ticketing and pricing schemes, financial and institutional arrangement and integration to other transportation systems. The paper concludes by providing recommendations for planners, engineers and decision makers in implementation of BRT systems in various city environments. © 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.