Richmond has seen the bus of the future but can't yet afford to give it a home.
Here's what it looks like -- more than 60 feet long, with a middle that bends like an accordion around corners, a hybrid fuel system that runs on electricity and diesel, a sleek look, and enough room for 110 people to sit or stand comfortably.
Normally seen gliding along Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, the eye-catching vehicle swung through Richmond yesterday to provide a glimpse at how a different kind of transit system could transform the Broad Street corridor and other major commuter routes.
"It changes the perception of the system," said John M. Lewis Jr., chief executive officer of GRTC Transit System.
GRTC is planning a bus rapid-transit system similar to one that made its debut in Cleveland last fall as a prototype for a bus service that operates in congested commuter corridors.
It won't happen in Richmond soon or without a big infusion of federal transportation money -- anywhere from $40 million to $120 million, depending on the design of the system. Lewis estimates that financing and building the system would take three to five years.
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In Cleveland, the buses operate in dedicated lanes along a 9.4-mile stretch that runs through the heart of the city. They stop at 59 stations built into highway medians, pulling level to the platforms.
Lewis described them as "train stations without the rail."
The cost of the bus varies with the features it includes. Cleveland is paying up to $900,000 per bus. The buses feature five doors, an extensive camera system for safety and security, and a precision docking system to avoid gaps between buses and platforms. The city operates 21 and has ordered an additional 17.
Cleveland transit officials say the buses have boosted ridership by 39 percent in the first three months of operation. They have reduced the number of buses necessary for commuter routes because they carry more passengers than a normal bus and run every five minutes, using a technology that allows them to prolong green traffic lights until they pass.
That's what Lewis wants to see in Richmond, especially along Broad Street, where GRTC operates 700 vehicles every weekday. "It's very difficult to operate efficiently in that corridor with that number of vehicles," he said.
GRTC is studying options for a bus rapid-transit system here that range from a less-expensive curbside service to the higher-dollar median stations used in Cleveland, which relied on $168.4 million in federal transportation funds.
The scope of the project also could vary, running from Rocketts Landing to Main Street Station and then up Broad Street to Willow Lawn or, someday perhaps, to Short Pump.
"It ought to," Lewis said. "Funding is the issue. The farther we go out, the more it's going to cost."
Contact Michael Martz at (804) 649-6964 or mmartz@timesdispatch.com.
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