ASEAN’s emerging trend in BRT development-

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has over the last decade increasingly focused on developing sustainable transport systems. Characterised by high population densities, rapid urbanisation levels and inadequate transport infrastructure, the ASEAN region has realised the value of sustainable urban transport systems, especially bus rapid transit (BRT) systems. Indonesia launched Southeast Asia’s first BRT system, the TransJakarta in Jakarta, in January 2004. The system is now one of the largest BRT systems in the world.

Drivers for BRT development

A BRT system uses dedicated lanes, environmentally friendly buses and customer-friendly infrastructure. It typically has greater financial viability compared to rail-based options in the region. BRT has emerged as the preferred option to provide an integrated and comprehensive public transport system for cities facing the challenges of urbanisation. BRT systems have the ability to provide access to even the remotest areas, allow flexibility in service, and substantially lower implementation time and costs (capital and maintenance) compared to rail-based systems.

Another significant reason for the growing popularity of BRT over other systems like metro and light rail is the comparative capital costs. Although costs vary across nations, BRT capital costs are generally less than 10 per cent of the cost of a metro, and 30-60 per cent of the cost of light rail. Besides, a BRT system can be implemented in a much shorter time as compared to rail-based transit, allowing systems to be created and expanded quickly to meet ever-growing needs.

According to data released by the Institute of Transportation & Development Policy, a non-government organisation, BRT systems have grown by about 383 per cent across the world in the last 10 years. This translates into a network growth from 1,849 km to 2,580 km in the last decade. China is the global leader in BRT, having added 538 km of BRT systems in the last 10 years.

Latin America has emerged as a world leader in the implementation of BRT systems, accounting for 63.6 per cent of BRT ridership and a third of BRT route km worldwide. Today, Latin America is the epicentre of the global BRT movement with a total of 45 cities having invested in BRT systems. The ASEAN region has big lessons to learn from Latin America in this field.

Transport policy initiatives

ASEAN had drafted a sustainable cities framework which focused on clean air, clean water and clean land as far back as 2003. A formal policy statement including various sustainable transport measures was also drafted in the same year. This policy, the strongest of its kind for sustainable transport initiatives in the region, emphasised the development of cost-effective mass transit systems to meet present and future mobility needs. BRT systems, which are more cost-effective in comparison to metro and rail, were given preference. The policy also highlighted the need for detailed traffic management planning.

Under the Brunei Action Plan (ASEAN Strategic Transport Plan 2010-15) released in November 2010, ASEAN countries had committed to conducting a study on green public transport systems, including BRT systems, by 2013 to improve the share of public transport in select capital cities. Subsequently, based on the recommendations of this study, relevant projects/programmes were to be developed and implemented beyond 2015.

ASEAN’s key BRT projects

The BRT system is increasingly being prioritised as a low-cost, low-carbon transport solution. While, at present BRT systems are operational only in Jakarta and Bangkok, plans are under way to implement similar systems in the Philippines and Malaysia.

Indonesia: The TransJakarta system is the largest in the world with 12 corridors in operation spanning a total length of over 206 km. The entire system is a closed trunk without a feeder system. Bus procurement is the responsibility of the government while operations have been contracted out to private players.

In the last decade, the ridership on TransJakarta has increased consistently. Between 2004 and 2011, TransJakarta’s ridership increased at a compound annual growth rate of 55.5 per cent. In 2011, TransJakarta buses served 114 million people, with an average of 350,000 passengers per day. Of this total, 15 per cent were private vehicle users who had switched to buses. The increase has been due to several factors, the principal one being greater city coverage with the development of new lines and other factors being time efficiency and reliability.

The development of the BRT system in Jakarta has led to the launch of similar systems in other cities. The Trans Jogia in Yogyakarta has six operational BRT lines. The Trans Kota Batam in Batam, the Trans Musi in Palembang and the Trans Metro Pekanbaru in Pekanbaru have two operational lines each.  The Trans Metro Bandung in Bandung, Trans Pakuan in Bogor, Trans Semarang in Semarang and Batik Solo Trans in Surakarta have one operational line each.

Thailand: One of the latest BRT projects to be launched, the Bangkok BRT operationalised its first line in May 2010. Around 20 buses (conventional high floor) run on the 16 km busway which records a daily ridership of over 10,000 passengers.

Going forward, the plan is to develop four additional corridors. The five corridors under Phase I, which will span a network of 110 km and require an investment of THB 13 billion, are expected to cater to 50,000 passengers per day in the first year. Overall, 14 lines are proposed to be developed by the end of this decade. The project will be co-financed by the Clean Technology Fund (CTF).

In a bid to integrate the transit systems in the city, existing and planned Bangkok BRT lines will be linked to the existing skytrain and subway lines initially, and the planned mass rapid transit lines at a later stage. One BRT line will also connect to the Suvarnabhumi airport rail link.

Further, BRT networks are planned in other metropolitan areas of Thailand such as Metro Davao, Naga, Bacolod, Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro.

Philippines: With the benefits of BRT being recognised, the Philippines government has planned a BRT network for Cebu City and Metro Manila. The PhP 10.6 billion Cebu BRT project will span 16 km. A fleet of 176 buses will be deployed and daily ridership is expected to be 330,000 passengers. Recently, in February 2015, the Philippines Ministry of Finance and the Agence Française de Développement signed a $57.5 million credit facility agreement for the design, construction and supervision of the Cebu BRT system.

In the same month, the Philippines Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) invited bids to prepare detailed engineering design for the planned BRT system in Manila. The system will connect the Quirino Highway to Manila City Hall. It is expected to deploy 300 buses and serve about 279,500 passengers daily. Construction is expected to be completed by 2018.

Malaysia: There are 12 BRT corridors identified under the Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley Public Transport Master Plan. The priority corridors identified are Kuala Lumpur-Klang, Taman Melawati-Kuala Lumpur, Puchong-Kuala Lumpur, Ampang-Kuala Lumpur and Bandar Sunway-USJ 6.

Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad (Prasarana) is currently implementing the 5.4 km BRT system to serve the residents of Sunway Resort City, Bandar Sunway and Subang Jaya in Malaysia. The project is estimated to cost around MYR 300 million. Construction is expected to be completed in 2015. The line is expected to ease congestion caused by 500,000 passengers travelling in the Bandar Sunway and Subang areas.

The way forward

With the pace at which BRT has grown in the last decade, this trend is expected to continue over the next 10 years, as more and more cities and countries in ASEAN discover the benefits of BRT. With increasing BRT networks in the region, the cities will need to effectively support these systems. They will need plans for effective transit-oriented development, transport demand management, law enforcement and well-developed, non-motorised transport systems.