ART (bus)

ART (bus)
Name	ART

ART (bus) is a bus rapid transit system and branded transit service operated in multiple urban areas, associated with a corridor-based model implemented by municipal authorities and transit agencies. It integrates dedicated lanes, signal priority, and high-capacity vehicles to connect central business districts, university campuses, airports, and suburban corridors, similar to initiatives in cities that engage with model transit networks and metropolitan planning organizations.

Overview

ART systems are implemented by municipal agencies such as Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Planned Authority of transit, Regional Transit Agency and municipal departments in coordination with institutions like University of California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Toronto, Stanford University, University of Michigan and transport groups such as American Public Transportation Association, Institute of Transportation Engineers, Transportation Research Board, Federal Transit Administration and European Investment Bank. Vehicles are procured from manufacturers like New Flyer Industries, BYD Company, Alexander Dennis, Volvo Group, Scania AB, Gillig Corporation, Solaris Bus & Coach, IVECO, and Proterra to serve corridors linking landmarks, airports such as John F. Kennedy International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport and hubs including Grand Central Terminal, Union Station (Washington, D.C.), Gare du Nord, Kings Cross station.

History and Development

Development of ART drew on precedents from projects like TransMilenio, Tide (Norfolk), Los Angeles Metro, Vancouver SkyTrain, Metrocable (Medellín), BYD eBus trials, Clearway schemes, Red Line (MBTA), BART, Docklands Light Railway, and studies by World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Asian Development Bank and municipal planners from City of London Corporation, City of Paris, New York City Department of Transportation, Transport for London, Deutsche Bahn and RATP Group. Early pilots referenced routes in cities like Bogotá, Curitiba, Bogotá Transit, Guangzhou, Sao Paulo, Zurich, Singapore, and experimental corridors funded by grant programs from United States Department of Transportation and philanthropic bodies such as Bloomberg Philanthropies. Political decisions involving mayors from London, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto and regional councils influenced alignments and funding through capital programs aligned with initiatives like New Deal, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and municipal bond measures.

Design and Technology

Design integrates elements from engineering firms and manufacturers like Arup, AECOM, Jacobs Engineering Group, Atkins, SYSTRA, WSP Global, and technology partners such as Siemens, Alstom, Hitachi, Bosch, Cisco Systems, IBM and Siemens Mobility. Vehicles use propulsion systems offered by Cummins, MAN SE, Toyota Motor Corporation (hybrids), Tesla, Inc. (battery tech), Nikola Corporation, ABB Group (charging), and battery suppliers like LG Chem, Panasonic Corporation, CATL. Infrastructure employs priority signaling compatible with systems used by Siemens Sitraffic, Econolite, MOBILITY-as-a-Service platforms grown from collaborations with Uber Technologies, Lyft, Inc., Citymapper and fare integration with agencies like Oyster card, Octopus card, Ventra (Chicago) and mobile ticketing standards used by Apple Inc. and Google LLC.

Operations and Routes

Operations are managed by public agencies, private operators, or public–private partnerships such as those involving FirstGroup, Keolis, Transdev, RATP Dev, Stagecoach Group, Arriva, and municipal transit commissions including Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Toronto Transit Commission, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Routes typically connect nodes like City Hall (Los Angeles), Downtown Boston, Seattle Center, Pittsburg International Airport, Denver Union Station, Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and cultural destinations such as Smithsonian Institution, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tate Modern, Louvre, Sydney Opera House. Scheduling, fleet allocation, and performance metrics are benchmarked to networks such as Ottawa O-Train, Calgary CTrain, Metrolinx, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and MBTA.

Ridership and Impact

Ridership analyses reference studies by Brookings Institution, RAND Corporation, McKinsey & Company, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, Urban Institute, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and academic departments at Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, University of Oxford, London School of Economics, University of Sydney and Monash University. Impacts are measured in travel time savings, congestion mitigation on corridors influenced by projects like Congestion Charge (London), land use change around nodes similar to cases at Hudson Yards, Battery Park City, Docklands, Canary Wharf, Zaryadye Park, and economic development tied to station-area investment by institutions including World Bank Group and Asian Development Bank.

Criticism and Controversies

Criticism has come from advocacy groups, political figures, community organizations, and journalists associated with outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Financial Times and watchdogs like Transparency International. Controversies include disputes over procurement involving firms such as Siemens, Alstom, BYD, allegations of cost overruns similar to Big Dig, debates over displacement parallel to High Line (New York City), legal challenges referencing courts like Supreme Court of the United States and European Court of Human Rights, and environmental assessments contested under frameworks used by National Environmental Policy Act and agencies such as Environmental Protection Agency.

Category:Bus rapid transit systems