Buses glide swiftly through the dedicated lanes, effortlessly bypassing traffic jams and ensuring punctual arrivals – a welcome relief for commuters. In Curitiba, Brazil, the city’s innovative Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system boasts unique tube-shaped bus stops, a departure from traditional lonely stop signs or simple benches. This distinctive design not only enhances the city’s aesthetic appeal but also offers multiple functionalities. The elevated platform aligns seamlessly with the bus entrance floor, facilitating quick boarding and alighting for passengers, including those with disabilities and busy commuters. The prepaid ticket system further streamlines passenger boarding, significantly reducing time spent on and off the buses. Additionally, two exclusive bus lanes in the middle of the road accelerate passenger transport, akin to a highway experience. With all these benefits, more than 200 cities have benchmarked Curitiba’s BRT system, including Seoul, Busan, and Sejong recently. 

  The legend began in 1971 when Jaime Lerner became the mayor of Curitiba. The population of Curitiba was multiplying as the economy improved and more people migrated to the city. Now the city was opting for a solution to accommodate citizens and renovate the city. Urban planners suggested widening the roads to increase transport capacity and constructing public transportation like subways. However, Lerner did neither of them. Instead, he made two lanes in the middle of the roads to be bus-only, where the buses can drive fast like express trains. In this way, the city could save the cost of building rails for subway lines but have the same effect. In addition, rather than widening the avenues, he built malls and parks where people could walk. As a result, Curitiba has more than 50 square meters of green space per person, which is five times more than the minimum recommendation of 9 square meters of green area per capita by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

  As part of city planning, the BRT system introduced a new mode of transportation and initially reduced travel times. However, ridership began to decline in the 2000s after the system had been operational for three decades. Facilities deteriorated, exacerbated by the city’s population growth, which had quadrupled since the 1970s. Consequently, the system could no longer offer the satisfactory experience it once did, leading to an increase in private cars on the roads. To address this challenge, the government implemented several initiatives, including the intelligent transport system and the 2012 Bicycle Masterplan. The intelligent transport system tracked real-time bus locations and controlled traffic lights to prioritize buses, offering accurate arrival times and optimizing travel durations for each bus. The 2012 Bicycle Masterplan provided incentives for residents to use bicycles and buses for commuting within the city. The Brazilian government has made numerous efforts to promote mass transit usage and reduce reliance on cars in Curitiba, aiming to create a more sustainable and environmentally friendly urban environment.

  While Curitiba now faces criticism for lagging in adopting new technology, there is no debate that Jaime Lerner’s remarkable idea brought new insights into public transportation and urban planning, both to Curitiba and the world. The city will undoubtedly find new ways to cope with evolving technologies and urbanization, as Lerner once said, “Cities are not problems. They are solutions.”