Local/Metropolitan Bus
Quick Facts
- Setting: All areas
- Station spacing: Ranges widely depending on use
- Avg. effective speed: 20-45 mph
- Vehicle capacity: 35-70 passengers per bus
- Upper route ability: 2,500 passengers per hour
- Typical daytime frequency: 4-20 mins
Overview
Buses are the most common mode of public transportation found across America today. They can operate anywhere, can travel long distances, and require no physical infrastructure over which to travel other than common roadways.
Buses can be custom-made or purchased by a number of bus manufacturers around the country and around the world. They come in many forms and use many propulsion technology--most commonly diesel.
Pros
- Work in almost any setting
- Can meet a wide variety of needs in low-, medium-, and high-density areas
- Operate on existing roadways
- Can easily be rerouted around a blockage on their route
Cons
- Subject to local traffic when sharing roadways/lanes and other factors that can interfere with schedule adherence or cause "bus bunching phenomenon"
- Motorists often conflict with buses needing to merge into traffic
- Fare collection can slow bus travel
- Usually either burn fossil fuels or require electrical power delivery infrastructure such as overhead wires
- Can become expensive to operate if service demand requires extremely high frequencies
Technology
Common technology
A variety of technologies have powered buses over the years, and a variety of technologies are in use today.
The most common, due to the common engine type, is a diesel engine. Diesel fuel is readily available, a delivery infrastructure is in place, and modern engines can be efficient, quiet, and are designed to drastically reduce the amount of pollution or unpleasant fumes put out. Other combustive fuel engines have been used, however, including gasoline, propane, kerosene, and more recently, biofuels.
Green technology
In many cities including Chicago, hybrid buses are being put into service to reduce fuel consumption and thus reducing the cost to operate these vehicles and local environmental impact.
Many cities have electric "trolley" buses that are nearly silent, generate no local pollution, and use overhead wires to collect power.
New technologies are in development, including hydrogen fuel-cell buses.
Communication and reliability
Transit systems around the world have or are installing technology to make transport by bus more reliable and convenient.
Live tracking technologies that get location data by GPS and report back wirelessly to a control center enable transit agencies to get a broader view of the location, frequency, and schedule adherence of each bus on a route, and helps to anticipate a growing problem and respond to correct it.
These technologies also enable transit agencies to report to customers estimated arrival times of coming buses, which removes doubt or ambiguity about if/when a bus will arrive from the equation. This also can empower people to take more control of the time they might invest in travel, reducing wait times and increasing personal and professional productivity (if not help you confidently grab a cup of coffee before the next bus comes).
Examples
Due to the widespread use of buses, here are just a few, select bus systems.
- Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
- Pace Suburban Bus
- MTA New York City Transit
- San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA/SFMUNI)
Related Technologies
- Light rail (uses smaller-capacity, lighter-weight vehicles and often shares rights of way with auto traffic)
- Commuter rail (operates over larger distances in lower density areas with wider station spacing)