The City of Madison invited city residents to an open house for the new Bus Rapid Transit line Tuesday. The event offered residents the opportunity to tour the new stations and buses, including demonstrations of updated bus features.

The BRT line will run along Metro Rapid Route A and includes features to improve accessibility. The new fleet of 62 all-electric buses also contains an updated tracking system, according to Metro Transit.

When designing the new BRT line, Madison Transportation wanted to ensure individuals with disabilities would be able to use public transit without facing obstacles, City of Madison Transportation Planner 4 Liz Callin said. Updated buses include ADA-compliant elevated platforms, level boarding and self-securing wheelchair restraints.

“A big benefit of the transit is improved accessibility,” Callin said. “The stations are fully ADA compliant. Because we are designing a new station, it’s a great opportunity to really do that.”

Not only will the new BRT line improve accessibility but will also decrease transit time for users, Callin said.

Oftentimes, picking up and dropping off passengers is the main reason why bus lines are generally slower than other modes of transportation. Additions to bus lines, such as front and rear door boarding and level boarding, will make the process smoother and quicker for users, according to Callin.

Further, BRT implemented dedicated bus lines to avoid congested driving lanes, parked cars and right-turn lanes.

Metro Rapid Route A was selected specifically because it has the highest ridership in the systems. The route has two key stations on the University of Wisconsin’s campus that then have access to smaller lines running throughout campus, including Route 80.

“The system is designed to connect into that smaller transportation network that’s part of the campus,” Callin said.

The new buses will include additional standing room for riders and spaces aboard to store bikes, hopefully increasing ridership for multi-modal passengers, Callin said. Metro Rapid has received good feedback on the addition of bike parking aboard the bus as it will reduce boarding time for passengers storing bikes.

Metro Rapid Route A is set to start service Sept. 22 and will run east-west from Junction, Watts and East Towne. The City of Madison adopted a plan for a proposed Rapid Route B bus line that will run north-south.