Brio is a

bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...

system in

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is operated by

Sun Metro Sun Metro Mass Transit Department, simply known as Sun Metro, is the public transportation provider that serves El Paso, Texas. Consisting of buses and paratransit service, it is a department of the City of El Paso, and the agency also serves ...

. The first line, the Mesa Corridor, began operating in the fall of 2014. This line is long and uses 22 purpose-built curbside stations with shelters,

ticket vending machine A ticket machine, also known as a ticket vending machine (TVM), is a vending machine that produces paper or electronic tickets, or recharges a stored-value card or smart card or the user's mobile wallet, typically on a smartphone. For instanc ...

s for pre-boarding payment, and real-time arrival information. Two more corridors, Dyer (Northeast) and Alameda (Mission Valley) Corridors became operational in October 2018. The Montana Corridor, which serves the Eastside, opened on November 6, 2022.

Description

Each Brio corridor contains at least two transfer centers, where passengers can transfer between Brio and local buses. Outside of transfer centers, stops consist of curbside shelters with the following amenities: * Free WiFi * Translucent panels for better lighting * Bike racks * Shade screens * Electronic real-time displays * Ticket vending machine (TVM) * Solar-powered compacting trash can * Displays of unique public artwork The Brio fleet consists of branded

New Flyer New Flyer is a Canadian multinational Bus manufacturing, bus manufacturer, specializing in the production of transit buses. New Flyer is owned by the NFI Group, a holding company for several bus manufacturers. New Flyer has several manufacturing ...

Xcelsior

articulated bus An articulated bus, also referred to as a banana bus, bendy bus, tandem bus, vestibule bus, wiggle wagon, stretch bus, or an accordion bus, (either a motor bus or trolleybus) is an articulated vehicle used in public transportation. It is usua ...

es powered by

compressed natural gas Compressed natural gas (CNG) is a fuel gas mainly composed of methane (CH4), compressed to less than 1% of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of , usually in cy ...

, able to carry 72 total passengers and feature on-board

WiFi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio waves ...

, interior bike racks, and passenger information monitors. Each bus also contains three doors to facilitate a quicker boarding process. The vehicles operate in mixed traffic. Signal prioritization is used to lengthen green traffic signals and reduce delays. The frequency of Brio buses range from 10 minutes during weekday rush hours to 15 minutes mid-day from Monday to Friday, 20 minutes on Saturdays and 25 minutes on Sundays. Stations are located about a mile apart. Passengers can buy a one-way trip, a day pass, a weekly pass or a monthly pass from the ticket vending machine located at all permanent Brio stations. To prevent fare evasion, Brio Ambassadors will be monitoring and requesting

proof of payment Proof-of-payment (POP) or proof-of-fare (POF) is an honor system, honor-based fare collection system used on many public transportation systems. Instead of checking each passenger as they enter a fare control zone, passengers are required to carr ...

during trips on Brio. Over 50,000 people use Brio every month, which has meant that approximately 20 tonnes of carbon dioxide was not emitted in the first year of its operation. Brio has also inspired new businesses; around 20 have been launched since Brio was launched as of 2016.

Naming the system

Sun Metro hired PAVLOV, a marketing communications company, to develop the system name and logo. The word Brio is Spanish for excitement, verve and energy. The logo was designed to complement the circular nature of Sun Metro's current logo. The ‘b’ and ‘o’ in Brio are a graphic element that can be used to extend the identity of the RTS system. The movement within the logotype references the wheels on the vehicles. In addition to the name and logo, Sun Metro selected a color palette and graphic standards to make Brio stations and buses distinctive and easily recognizable.

Fares

Fares for Brio are the same as standard fare on other Sun Metro lines. Currently, the standard fare is $1.50, $1.00 for students, and $0.30 for seniors 65+, disabled and Medicare. Sun Metro also offers daily, weekly, and monthly passes for each fare category.

Lines

Mesa Corridor

* Length: about * Beginning of route: Downtown Transfer Center * End of route: Westside Transfer Center * Total number of buses: 10 * Number of stations: 22 * Total project cost: $27.1 million * FTA funding: $15.6 million *

TXDOT The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT ) is a government agency in the United States, American state of Texas. Though the public face of the agency is generally associated with the construction and maintenance of the state's immense state ...

funding: $5.5 million * Operational: currently operational

Alameda Corridor

* Length: * Beginning of route: Downtown Transfer Center * End of route: Mission Valley Transfer Center * Total number of buses: 14 * Number of stations: 29 * Total construction project cost: $38.3 million * Funding: 100 percent City of El Paso * Operational: currently operational

Dyer Corridor

* Length: * Beginning of route: Downtown Transfer Center * End of route: Northeast Transfer Center * Total number of buses: 10 * Number of stations: 22 * Total project cost: $35.9 million * FTA funding (anticipated): $21.7 million * TXDOT funding: $6.6 million * Operational: currently operational

Montana Corridor

* Length: * Beginning of route: Five Points Terminal * End of route: Future Far East Side Transfer Center * Total no. of buses: 14 * Number of stations: 25 * Total project cost: $47 million * FTA funding (anticipated): $29.5 million * TXDOT funding: $8 million * Operational: currently operational

References

Transportation in El Paso, Texas 2014 establishments in Texas 2014 in transport Bus rapid transit in Texas Bus transport brands {{USBRT