On 1 April 2022, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) cut the ribbon on San Francisco’s first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor on Van Ness Avenue.
The Van Ness BRT corridor is part of SFMTA’s Rapid Network, which prioritises frequent and reliable transit services. The corridor is therefore expected to reduce journey times by 32 percent due to several key features:
- Dedicated transit lanes that are physically separated from the other traffic
- Enhanced traffic signals with transit signal priority, which give buses the green light as they approach an intersection
- Low-floor vehicles and all-door boarding, allowing passengers to board and alight more efficiently
In addition, Van Ness Avenue has been redesigned to improve the service’s inclusivity and accessibility. Pedestrian safety enhancements include sidewalk extensions, median refuges, high-visibility crosswalks, and audible countdown signals.
The corridor features nine northbound and nine southbound boarding islands along nearly 2 miles of red transit lanes. The fully furnished boarding platforms provide shelters, seating, and bus prediction displays at key transfer points.
The project cost 345.9 million USD and was funded from a variety of sources including FTA Small Starts, San Francisco Prop K funds, and developer contributions.
