Tailoring bus rapid transit to the complex realities of African Cities: Critical issues and public policy planning approaches

• BRT implementation has been tortuous in African cities. • Suitable public policy planning can improve the implementation of BRT in African cities. • This public policy must address the critical issues that have hindered implementation and expansion. • Actionable recommendations that strengthen BRT as a viable solution are offered in this paper. Paratransit services in African cities, characterised by reckless driving, unscheduled operations, ageing and small vehicles, tax avoidance, lack of social protection, and irregular worker earnings, account for a significant share of daily trips. To address these challenges, some cities have turned to bus rapid transit (BRT) systems as a more affordable and efficient public transit solution. While 191 cities globally have implemented BRT, only six are in Africa. These African BRT implementations have often been fraught with difficulties, including delays, cost overruns, and operational challenges, while several projects have failed to materialise despite significant public investment. This raises a critical question: why is BRT adoption limited in African cities, despite rapid urbanisation and the inadequacies of paratransit systems? In response to this question, this paper examines three public policy planning concepts commonly applied to BRT projects: rationalist, disjointed incremental, and step-by-step, evaluating their effectiveness and limitations in the African context. Based on this analysis, we propose an approach that aligns more closely with African cities’ unique socioeconomic and transport dynamics. Additionally, we provide strategies for addressing key implementation challenges, such as integrating BRT with existing transport systems, managing stakeholder resistance, and ensuring financial and institutional sustainability. Grounded in a comprehensive review of three BRT case studies and public policy frameworks, this paper offers actionable recommendations to strengthen BRT as a viable solution to urban transport challenges in African cities. We recommend adopting a step-by-step approach that emphasises institutional and legislative restructuring, management of competing transit modes, stepwise implementation of BRT components, and innovative infrastructure funding strategies to ensure the new service’s successful implementation, operation and sustainability.