Abstract
The development of bus rapid transit (BRT) systems is essential to African cities' economic vitality through accessibility and expansion of urban mobility. Several studies have investigated the deployment of such transportation systems. However, the role of a delineated planning stage of BRTs has been given limited attention. This study examined the role of planning in ensuring the sustainable performance of BRT systems. A qualitative approach using interviews with experts and BRT users in the Gauteng Province of South Africa was adopted. Findings indicated that planning should extensively encompass projections of the intended or future performance outcomes. These include institutional arrangements, existing characteristics and impact, service reliability and quality, technical analysis of infrastructural integration, demand, environmental performance metrics and life cycle costs. This inductive research advances the theory of critical factors that could potentially hinder the delivery of PPP-based BRT projects. The findings are envisaged to be beneficial to transport policymakers and stakeholders in the assessment of BRT systems. Failures surrounding the BRT in Gauteng result from an omission of critical factors at the planning stage. This presents a critical lesson for future BRT projects in South Africa and other developing countries, to be meticulous and consider critical factors at the planning stage.