1

Vehicle Types

Vehicle Type Freeway Lane Capacity

Buses Limited Capacity

Bus Rapid Transit

Medium/High Capacity

Rail Transit High Capacity

2

Buses

Lower capital costs Flexible routes Variety of services –

commuter, neighborhood, small area shuttles, tourist trolleys

Service easy to start and change

3

Bus Rapid Transit

Vehicles operate in both shared or exclusive roadway

More flexible routing Urban and urban-suburban Faster travel times

4

Rapid Transit

Light rail transit (LRT) Medium/high capacity Shared or separate roadway

Heavy rail/Subway Urban and urban-suburban Exclusive tracks, grade-separated No at-grade crossings or mixed traffic

Monorail Elevated tracks and station platforms,

on columns Limited application in dense urban areas

5

Rapid Transit(continued)

Commuter rail Operates on existing tracks Self-propelled electric or diesel Serves inter-urban commuters

Characteristics of rapid transit Higher capital costs Much higher speed

and capacity Unknown contingency costs –

construction, right of way, project mitigation, grade separation, etc.

6

Vehicle Maintenance

Maintenance important for quality and safe transit service

Maintenance facilities and equipment required for all bus fleets

7

Future Transit OptionsCapital and Operating Costs

Capital Cost

per mile

OperatingCost per

passenger mile

Implementation Time

Operating Cost per

Vehicle Hour

Paratransit $1-2M 75¢-$3.75 1+ years $10-70

Bus $1-3M 30¢-80¢ 1+ years $30-100

Bus Rapid Transit $1-50M 25¢-75¢ 1 – 5+ years $50-90

Commuter/Regional Rail $5-25M 25¢-45¢ 2+ years $270-420

LRT $20-125M 20¢-95¢ 5+ years $60-260

Monorail $75-150M 30¢-45¢ 7+ years $120-180

Heavy Rail/Subway $100-250M 25¢-60¢ 10+ years $120-240