A New Generation of Bus Rapid Transit Systems Opens in China

Posted: 25 Feb 2008

Related to: Guangzhou BRT, Developing High-Quality, Low-Cost Mass Transit, China
Contributed by: Karl Fjellstrom, ITDP



In January 2008, three new bus rapid transit (BRT) systems opened in China in Dalian, Changzhou and Chongqing.

Dalian and Changzhou have in many ways moved beyond the initial systems in Kunming, Beijing and Hangzhou, especially in terms of operational flexibility. Dalian’s BRT goes further than any other Chinese city in utilizing the inherent flexibility of BRT buses.

Beijing opened the first ‘closed’ BRT system in China and is planning additional corridors. Kunming’s median bus lanes, which opened more than five years before Beijing in 1999, have been expanded to additional corridors, and the initial designs have been improved upon with wider station platforms, smart cards to speed up fare payment, improved passenger information and the introduction of a fleet of 18 meter high capacity BRT buses.  However, peak hour bus speeds remain severely constrained by the station and bus lane configuration. Hangzhou’s BRT appears to have backtracked from its first corridor that was median-aligned, with the second corridor currently under construction being relegated to the curbside. Chongqing’s BRT corridor is not yet developed, with less than a few thousand passengers carried by the system each day, peak hour frequencies of only around four buses per hour, and minimal boarding and alighting along the corridor.



A new ITDP site, www.chinabrt.org, provides information on BRT systems in Chinese cities.

The following map shows BRT station names and exact locations for Beijing, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Dalian, Kunming and Changzhou: double-click to zoom in.


This new generation of Chinese BRT systems may indicate a trend toward hybrid, ‘flexible’ systems featuring BRT buses operating both inside and outside the BRT corridor. Dalian, Changzhou and Hangzhou all now feature this approach.  Several more BRT systems, including Jinan, Hefei, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shenyang and Xi’an, are likely to open later in 2008 or in 2009. Jinan, Guangzhou and Shenzhen are all likely to use ‘flexible’ systems.


In addition to the route on the BRT corridor, Dalian’s BRT system features four routes which operate both on and off the BRT corridor and provide the beginning for citywide coverage.

All of the current systems were designed for medium to low passenger capacity and none offer a high capacity mass transit alternative. Station designs in Dalian, Changzhou and Chongqing all lack the capacity for expansion without major reconstruction and Dalian and Changzhou will soon encounter capacity limitations. None include basic bicycle integration, even though Changzhou – where more than 60 percent of non-walking trips are by bicycle – has a stated policy to encourage a modal shift from bicycle to bus.

Dalian’s BRT system has a 13.8 kilometer (km) corridor - of which about 10 km has either exclusive bus lanes or BRT-only lane markings. Two BRT bus sizes can run on the system – a 12 meter bus and an 18 meter articulated. The 12 meter bus has three doors, unlike the standard two-door configuration, which allows for quicker and easier boarding and alighting.  The 18 meter buses have only 39 seats and provide ample standing capacity.  Manufactured by MAN in a joint venture with Dandong Huanghai, these buses rival those of Jinhua Neoplan used in Hangzhou, Beijing and Kunming in terms of quality and cost.


Dalian’s BRT includes 18-meter, 4-door buses (on the left) and 12-meter, 3-door buses (on the right).

Chongqing’s 12 meter BRT buses were locally manufactured but, unlike in Dalian and Changzhou, the system does not yet feature pre-board fare collection at most stations, the buses have steps at the entry and exit, the buses have only two doors, and the internal seating configuration and design resembles an intercity coach more than an urban bus serving a route which takes 21 minutes to traverse.


A Chongqing BRT bus passes a station and maneuvers out of the median bus lanes to a curbside lane.

Dalian’s system has a range of dedicated busway alignments, including the standard center-of-the-road alignment, a two-way segment along the northern edge of the airport that is curb-aligned, and some mixed traffic sections. There is also a one-way loop segment at the beginning of the corridor that made it possible for the system to penetrate the city center at the major tram and bus integration point of Xingongjie.

The overall image of Changzhou’s BRT is stronger and more consistent than any other Chinese BRT system, and the city conducted an excellent outreach and promotional program prior to the system’s implementation.  Changzhou’s stations also provide much better weather protection than in Dalian. While stations in both systems were designed for similar low to medium bus and passenger capacity, Changzhou’s station location directly on the far side of intersections probably results in even greater throughput limitations, a factor which will limit the future expansion of the system. Ultimately the capacity limitations in the station designs will probably be more rapidly felt in Dalian, though, since Dalian has much higher bus passenger demand volumes.


Stations from Changzhou’s first BRT corridor, under construction in October 2007, show a strong identity and provide better weather coverage.



Note: Detailed information on BRT in Chinese cities, including all BRT station locations and names, is available at www.chinabrt.org. Photos of BRT systems in Dalian, Changzhou, Chongqing, Beijing, Hangzhou, Kunming and elsewhere are available at the urban transport photo library at www.itdp-china.org.