Carbon footprint analysis of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system: a case study of Xiamen City

Abstract

The transport sector is responsible for a large and growing share of global emissions that affect climate change. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems have been identified as an efficient public transport option, but their total emissions across the entire operation chain have not been quantified. This paper proposed a carbon footprint model of the BRT system based on a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach, with three components: infrastructures, fuels and vehicles. A case study of Xiamen City was carried out to offer a broader perspective on the greenhouse gas (GHG) impact. Results showed that the total carbon footprint of Xiamen's BRT system was 55,927 tCO₂e per year. The main emission phases, infrastructure operations, vehicle fuel consumption and infrastructure material production, respectively, accounted for 31%, 30% and 23%. The direct emission from fuel consumption was 13,059 tCO₂e per year, accounting for 23% of the total carbon footprint. Considering only direct emissions, the BRT system could achieve reductions of approximately 25,255 tCO₂e per year compared to the no-build option. The carbon footprint model proved effective in identifying and measuring GHG emissions of each activity of the BRT life cycle.

Keywords:

• carbon footprint
• Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
• Transport
• Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission
• Xiamen

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX2-YW-450) and The Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2009DFB90120).We would like to thank PhD candidate Zengbin Zhang at the University of California, Santa Barbara for the paper review.