Brazil prepares for the World Cup 2014 with BRT System

17 February 2011

With an additional 2.98 million visitors expected to flock to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup, urban planners are grasping a golden opportunity to upgrade sustainable transport systems in the 12 host cities. In this nation of buses, that means special attention to state-of-the-art Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems, which provide fast, efficient, and affordable service. Federal, state and local governments in Brazil have already committed nearly $6.5 billion in urban transit investments for the purpose, a figure that is expected to increase with private investments.

BRT systems provide optimised services with articulated or double-articulated buses that can carry around 15,000 passengers per hour, per lane, per direction. Brazil is planning nearly 300 miles of BRT corridors for the 12 World Cup cities. In Rio de Janeiro, a major World Cup venue, there will be at least 75 miles of BRT corridors and about 185 miles of improvements in bus routes, such as bus lanes, better signaling, better user information, rationalisation of bus lines and so on. These BRT projects are also a sustainable move, it will remain after the World Cup and after the Olympic Games in 2016.