Bus rapid transit systems as a governance reform project

Research Paper: Poku-Boansi, M., & Marsden, G. (2018). Bus rapid transit systems as a governance reform project. Journal of transport geography, 70, 193-202.

This paper focuses on the process of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) introduction as a governance reform from an African perspective.

What this paper is about

The paper suggests that it is necessary to see BRT implementation as part of a longer-term governance reform process and that, whilst implementation is possible with more limited reforms, it could be subject to longer-term risks and much greater potential for poor system performance.
The authors conclude that for BRT implementation in developing countries, “most issues are related to institutional, financial, legal and political sectors.
BRT implementation therefore requires a re-orientation of government as well as of the transport system if it is to be a success.

What you can learn

Whilst institutional issues have been identified as critically important to the effective adoption of BRT systems, the overwhelming majority of research attention on BRT is to the design and wider system impacts. This study, through an in-depth examination of the implementation of BRT in Ghana, has demonstrated that as well as being a transport project, BRT is in fact a stimulus for wider governance reforms.
Whilst the construction of BRT schemes is rapid and can happen, without such a comprehensive set of reforms, as in Nigeria, the need for more substantial governance changes and the establishment of new institutions can perhaps explain why African cities have not been rapid adopters of BRT.
As a major governance reform, the wider institutional reforms have been more comprehensively addressed in countries with a generally higher level of governance capacity in Africa.