Africa's first bus rapid transit scheme : the Lagos BRT-Lite system

Africa's first bus rapid transit (BRT) scheme began operations on March 17, 2008, in Lagos, Nigeria. Called 'BRT-Lite', it is a form of the BRT system, but it is not of the highest specification like the TransMilenio in Bogota or the Brisbane South East Busway, both of which cost about $6 million per kilometer. This new form of the BRT scheme is aimed at delivering a transport system that will meet the needs of local users, while improving citizens' quality of life, economic efficiency, and safety within a clearly defined budget. More broadly, the evaluation declared the scheme an unprecedented success. The critical success factors were defined as a significant and consistent political commitment, the presence and abilities of a strategic public transport authority in LAMATA (Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority), a scheme definition that concentrates on essential user needs and deliverability within a budget and program, the work undertaken to engage key stakeholders and ensure that they benefit, and a community engagement program that has worked to assure Lagosians that the BRT-Lite system is a community project created, owned, and used by them.