The Context

Located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, Shanghai is the largest city in China and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. In 2006, the city's population reached 18 million, not including an estimated 5 million unregistered or temporary residents. This means, on average, there are about 2,100 people per square kilometer of the city.

The city has an extensive transportation network, including buses, trolleys, taxis and a subway system. In 2002, the city became the first in the world to open a commercial high-speed Maglev train, which reaches speeds of 430 kilometers per hour.

Working with a commitment from Shanghai’s mayor and party secretary, EMBARQ helped develop a bus rapid transit (BRT) plan for the city, guiding high-level city officials to pursue a state-of-the-art bus system to complement the existing metro and light rail systems. Following the completion of the plan, EMBARQ worked with the city to identify potential bus corridors in the city. Guided by EMBARQ’s work in Shanghai, the city has moved forward with the BRT plan; in 2005, the city installed 26 kilometers of peak-hour bus lanes in downtown. EMBARQ’s transport indicators—first used by city officials to construct Shanghai’s city plan—are now being updated as the city expands so that they can continue to guide policy.

More significantly, the BRT concept has snowballed and now as many as nine cities in China are implementing bus rapid transit systems.