Bus rapid transit corridors

The issue   

Lack of bus priority on key corridors in the east, west and southwest of Reading leads to slow and unreliable bus services. This makes bus travel a less attractive travel option. 

Travel demand is expected to increase due to planned building projects and infrastructure investment, for example the Elizabeth Line and Western Rail Link.  

The scheme   

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors will prioritise bus travel along certain routes. This will be through bus lanes. 

The proposed new BRT routes are: 

• West Reading BRT – West Reading Park and Ride to Reading town centre 
• South West Reading BRT – South West Reading Park and Ride to Reading town centre 
• East Reading BRT – Thames Valley Park and Ride to Reading town centre
• South East Reading BRT – Winnersh Triangle Park and Ride to Reading town centre 

We want to think of possible future vehicle options when designing our BRT network. This means that they will be initially designed to take buses, but we will possibly use the BRT network to trial emerging technologies, such as Mobility as a Service (MaaS), connected autonomous public transport and demand responsive services.  

The outcome   

• Reduced congestion 
• High quality transport connections to Park and Rides 
• Increased attractiveness of public transport 
• Benefits to residents and businesses through improvements to travel capacity 
• Improved and sustainable access to the strategic transport networks 
• Ability to ease the impact of future development