BHLS_englishVersion_..

The bus is a strong symbol of cities and the emblematic vehicle of public transportation.
Since the time of its appearance and then its development in the 1950’s, it has
evolved considerably, adapting to the changes in cities and in mobility practices. In order
to better meet the various needs, it has been diversified. It has made substantial
progress in terms of accessibility, especially for people with reduced mobility, and
more generally in terms of comfort and passenger information. There has also been
progress for the environmental quality of vehicles. Despite these changes, buses have
lost their attractiveness. They are the victims of worsening driving conditions in city
centres and a bad image.
In the 1990’s, in an attempt to improve the performances and the image of buses, substantial
work on diversification of services and their hierarchy was carried out in many
networks. Main lines appeared, associated with secondary lines, and also city centre
shuttles and express lines for "periphery – city centre" links with, in some cases, the
use of special bus lanes and reserved areas.
Today, with the "hyper-capacity" lines developed in Latin America in cities such as
Curitiba and Bogotá and with those developed in North America for the "Bus Rapid
Transit" (BRT) concept, new possibilities for buses are opening up. The quality of the
infrastructure (reserved lanes, priority at traffic lights, stations, etc.) allows for a significant
improvement of the performance level of the bus service (accessibility, speed,
capacity, flow, etc.).
In Europe, public transportation operators are also very interested in these new style
bus lines. Such projects are underway or in planning in several urban areas in France
(Rouen, Lyon, Nantes, etc.). As the results of a recent UTP study indicate, the development
potential is high: 22 urban areas offer services that could evolve towards "high
service level" lines.
These first experiences should help guide the thinking that is going on today. The return
of buses to the forefront of urban transportation modes will require consideration
of the system as a whole. It is therefore important to go beyond the habitual distinctions
in terms of infrastructure, rolling stock, information systems, marketing, and accessibility,
etc.
The work done by Certu and its partners (Organising Authorities, urban transportation
operators and government services) is very encouraging in this regard. It promotes a
French "BHLS" concept inspired by BRT but taking into account the specificities of
European urban areas. It highlights the fundamental points of "BHLS", which have a
significant effect on the quality and the level of service offered to public transportation
customers (reserved lanes, traffic priority at crossings, station spacing, etc.). The
thinking carried out benefited substantially from the experience of urban insertion and
the renewal of the image of public transportation inherited from the return of the tram
to France in the 1990’s.
The diversity of French urban areas and their needs in terms of mass transportation
calls for very different approaches. That is why, beyond the general concept of
Certu - October 2005 7