Pulse, Chicago’s Mediocre Bus Rapid Transit Service 

Fun fact: Route 250 which I ride towards the end of the video is scheduled to have one of the next Pulse services. This route will run from Davis station in Evanston to O’Hare Airport.

Route 270 stops at the Pulse stations, but it also stops at many other stops between them. Depending on the time of day it can be a little or a lot slower. The two routes combine to provide more frequent service along Milwaukee. Pulse service was originally supposed to be every 10 minutes (which would be better than almost any Pace route), but that was reduced during COVID. There's a similar route in the Twin Cities (the A-line) that does the BRT concept somewhat better. They have the same mini-stations and distinct bus livery as Pulse. Service is more frequent, though (it really is every 10 minutes), and (most important) they have proof of payment fare control, so boarding goes quickly. ... BTW, I totally agree that while the Pulse livery is pretty, the wrap gets in the way of the view.

Great to have your take on this 'con' of trying to persuade us that a bus is a train. In the UK we have several BRT systems and the best ones have substantial sections of segregated busway. They are no more than slightly faster bus lines...not trains. I also fully agree that wraps on buses and trains are an abomination and only serve the operator not the passenger who wants a good view our of the window. I think there is a place for superior bus routes, but they are not awesome. 😄

I've been on the Pulse Jefferson Park line before as well. While the frequency is nice (by Pace standards, buses run every 15 - 30 minutes), the buses are just standard Pace buses with purple livery and on board screens. In other words, it's just an express bus, and not actual BRT. In addition, the 270 Milwaukee bus has been cut to once every hour (60 minute) service, leaving riders to walk up to 4 extra blocks to reach their destination. I was more impressed by the 600 Rosemont-Schaumburg Express, which uses coach-style seats that recline, and offers express service from the Rosemont CTA station to the Northwest Transportation Center (in Schaumburg). The upcoming Pulse South Halsted route (from 95th St to the Harvey Metra station) was originally supposed to have dedicated bus lanes, but those were cut from the plans after local residents and politicians complained that the proposed layout would eliminate on-street parking spaces. Similarly, the Ashland Avenue BRT proposal was squashed because of complaints from motorists about left turn restrictions and removing a vehicle lane for a dedicated bus lane. Instead, the X9 Ashland Express was brought back into service. While the bus does stop every 4 blocks (1/2 mile) instead of every 1-2 blocks, it's still stuck in traffic during rush hour and uses the same standard CTA buses that all of the other routes have. The only other service close to BRT in Chicago is Loop Link, which consists of several bus routes that connect Union Station and Ogilvie Transportation Center to the eastern part of the Loop (near Millennium Park), using a combination of Canal St, Clinton St, Washington St, and Madison St. The service does feature dedicated bus lanes (and signals), stations with bus tracking monitors, and raised platforms. However, there is no prepaid boarding or dedicated enforcement of the bus lanes, so I would not call it gold-standard BRT.

If you're ever in LA check out LA Metro G Line (Orange) BRT in the San Fernando Valley. I runs in a 90% in a dedicated right of way and has bus fare payment by TAP Card at stations and dedicated stations. One negative is it has intersections with major streets, but it does have signal priority.

Hi Thom. Thanks for sharing the video. It's interesting to see America's take on the BRT. I know San Jose, California has one. Here across the pond in the UK, we have quite a few systems such as the Leigh-Salford- Manchester BRT, Luton to Dunstable Busway and the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway. Looking forward to Saturdays video 🙂

OMG! It is so awesome that you do bus reviews too!

I didn't catch it in the vid, but in the suburbs, Pulse is able to extend a green light to expedite the trip. The level boarding also is bumped out meaning they don't have to merge back into traffic (but do hold up traffic more). Scheduling of the routes was / is supposed to be every 10 mins but it looks like they have staffing issues (under the guise of COVID) and have dropped service. Not for / against, just some extra details.

I love Thoms high energy. It's contagious.

great video, keep up the good work!

Having a unreliable bus service is one thing the one thing I generally dislike is when these buses I generally dislike when these buses are completely wrapped so you can barely see anything outside the window

Pace south is eventually going to be running a Pulse service down Halsted to 95th. It would've been great, with dedicated bus lanes, but the city said no.

The use of wrap on windows helps keep interiors cool in the summer.

Milwaukee is getting a BRT line near my school. Hopefully it’s a bit better than this. Enjoyed the video!

I have a different perspective on the Pulse system. Interestingly, I have taken the exact same routes you demonstrate in the video: Dempster Ave., from the Yellow Line to Milwaukee, and the Milwaukee Ave. one from there to Jefferson St. Station. Most, but not all, of the buses are of the "new and improved" type. That said, I enjoy the newer buses a lot more than you indicate in the video. The stops are much nicer (as you say), but the frequency of service (which you knock) is a vast improvement to ordinary Pace service. The 250 Dempster route runs every 30, or sometimes, every 60 minute, intervals. So, 10-15 minute intervals have been a game changer for my transit to work along that line.

I would not say BRT has failed. This just was not done right. Indygo has an amazing BRT system that literally feels like a train. Same with Cleveland and Eugene. This one could use some upgrades, and at least off board fare collection as well as signal priority.

TRA. Wrapped buses and other transport. Not a joy to ride on on a rainy or cloudy day. There must be a way for passengers to see outside. As a friend once said to me: It is like riding in the back of a windowless van. Billboards on wheels. Thank you for showing us what riders have to deal with!!!!

To answer your question about regular buses stopping at Pulse Stations, yes regular Pace buses can stop at some Pulse Stations. Take this video as a perfect example: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gzoaHrehloM.html you can see the bus stopping at at Pulse Station. Golf Mill Station is also another Station that allows regular Pace buses stop at that station, this stop also serves multiple routes except for the Niles Free Routes (410, 411 & 412)

Thanks Buses Are Awesome for another informative video. I agree, it's just a bus lol. BRT should be segregated with dedicated lanes and stations imo! 🚌

6:08 they have the same line information screen format on the telly like the NVV in Germany. It is just a small detail. But I saw this many times before in German busses.

Been at this station numerous times as I always either came from Elmhurst or rode to Elmhurst. Also rode Metra out of Jefferson Park when needed as well

Kind of reminds me of Metroway in Arlington VA. It looks cool in some parts, but is terrible for a BRT. To name a few problems: - 20 minute off peak headways, worse than a lot of regular routes in the city. Peak headways are 12 minutes - No signal priority, despite having separate bus signals along parts of the route. Theoretically it’s there, but while riding, I’ve had to wait upwards of a minute at multiple lights. - Only about half the route has all-day bus lanes. Part of the route has rush-hour only lanes, which don’t really count. - No off-board fare payment, or even all-door boarding (all door boarding is planned to come to all Metrobus routes soon, but we’ll see) - Small, 40 ft buses configured EXACTLY like any other WMATA bus (no internal bike racks, self-securing wheelchair positions, a tiny, dysfunctional next stop screen, or other amenities you’d expect from a BRT). It’s to the point where WMATA is considering scrapping the Metroway livery altogether, which is the only thing differentiating these buses from other ones Forgive the long comment, I just wanted to take advantage of the perfect opportunity to dunk on my local “BRT” system lol

Man the fact that a circumferential bus corridor going literally through farm fields beyond the edge of Copenhagen in Denmark has the same level of service and general design philosophy as this supposed BRT line in one of Americas biggest cities is just... Im lost for words. I mean the Pulse just sounds like our S-bus services and they're not at all BRT. Heck there are plans to convert 2 of them to full on BRT like what you'd see on the LA orange line with almost entirely dedicated lanes, lavish stations, and signal priority wherever possible, and a few others also have some BRT lite projects in the works under the "+way" umbrella that they use for such here. Heck the city's most used line is a +way line but it really is subpar for its job.

We have a BRT line here in Richmond, VA that’s really nice - it’s called GRTC Pulse

Thanks for the video. Did you ever figure out why the transfer wasn't honored?

10:22 The pigeons are oblivious to that fake owl overhead. 😄Enjoyed the cosplay at the beginning. Yeah, "BRT", sigh. But, 15 minute headway is about average for the low-density suburbs. Re. transit wraps: Go ahead, wrap the bus/train, but leave the windows clear!

Is it common to use a string as a stop wish prompter in American buses? That looks really weird.

St. Louis desperately needs to invest significantly in BRT; both Lite (half-assed/basic BRT) and true BRT (Bronze/silver grade standard) all three known transit agencies (Metro, MCT & St. Charles County). Like if true BRT was significantly implemented from Clayton to connect long proposed Metrolink corridors, such as to Westport Plaza (I-270 @ Page/364) & South County (perhaps right at I-55 & Lindbergh), as well as one that goes from the Casino Queen (just east of the Eads Bridge to Gateway Commerce/Tradeport’s sprawling warehouse developments (right at the I-255/270 interchange) As well as BRT Lite Corridors operating along some of the busiest corridors within town: >IL 159 from Edwardsville to Belleville >Belleville’s Main Street >IL 143 from Edwardsville through Wood River, then turning through East Alton & along Broadway through Downtown Alton >Olive Blvd (MO 340) from Delmar Loop to at least Creve Coeur >Kingshighway at bare minimum >West Manchester (MO 100) >Florissant & Halls Ferry corridors Among others

3:53 _"Hi pigeon."_ *I ❤ THOM!*

Those wraps are one of the most offensive features of modern transit. It is also an admission that our built environment is ugly and not worth caring about improving, and neither is the experience of the patrons worthy. Some marketing 'expert' who doesn't even use the service came up with this. And I'm sure PACE officials would love to spend 50K on a passenger environment survey about it just to then ignore the results. Seriously, EVERY side window?

Funnily enough there’s a rosemont station in Pennsylvania as well. Unlike the one where you started from though, the one in PA is in a quiet area of the Philadelphia suburbs

I never even heard of Pulse until this video and I have lived in Chicago all my life (63 years) Then again I do live on the Southwest Side which to be honest is a whole different kind of Chicago.

Will you ever do a review on the J14 CTA bus route

This is “enhanced” bus service definitely not BRT. I like the mood lighting tho.

When are you and Luis Gusto or Lost in The Pond or RMTransit gonna do a collab video?!?

This was amazingly helpful to a regular visitor to Chicagoland like I am. Whole new options of transport I had no idea about. I wonder if these guys have transport options to and from Midway?

Never send a bus to do a train's job.

Open in 2919 oh boy 😷 cool video I'm surprised the Stations not purple two.

Come on, man! You know that there aren't many "BRT" bus routes that could compare to a train in terms of rapid transit. I think that the only comparison are bus routes that run express on expressways. There was one Pace bus that I used to ride that was called "355 Lansing" (for Lansing, Illinois, not Michigan, LOL). This service for some reason was discontinued as an express route to become just a local route. It used to run weekdays AM thru PM rush hours from downtown Chicago (around Michigan Ave. & Lake Street) to Lansing, Illinois, passing through Hegewisch, Calumet City, and ending in Lansing (a south suburb of Chicago). This route ran express via the Dan Ryan and Bishop Ford expressways between Cermak Road and 130th Street (sometimes Sibley Blvd.) Non rush hour trips used to connect to a bus station in Hammond, Indiana to connect to Hammond and Gary Indiana buses. For me, these types of routes are the only real "express BRT" routes. I had ridden express routes in San Francisco, CA, St. Louis, MO/Southern Illinois and Jefferson Parish (Louisiana) that utilized expressways, and in my opinion, these are the only bus routes that could be considered "BRT". Also, some of the CTA routes that utilize Lake Shore Drive and use the longer articulated buses are good sometimes too.

i take the pulse from jefferson park transit center to golf mill. it gets me right across the street from my office. it is kinda dissapointing that its not much faster than what is replaces (270)

I’ve lived in Chicago since July and just now hearing about this “pulse” bus

Very good video. Sadly its just a Bus, I didn't see anything off board fare collection. The station was a joke, with limited coverage . Transferring to the bus to the train seemed like a nightmare. Bad sineage.

If you come to Seattle I think you'll approve of Metro's RapidRide BRT with its red buses (I failed to mention them in my comment on your Ghost Bus post several weeks ago) because they meet your criteria for express operation and quality bus stop kiosks which post "next bus" times; they work well with the growing light rail system. The frequencies don't meet your high standards (I don't think 15 minutes headways are inadequate, but I doubt they are more frequent than that other than in peak rush hours even in Chicago.) My time in Chicago was pre-Metra (1965, 1967-70, 1971-72) and it was Evanston Express CTA L-trains in 1965, and Illinois Central electric from Homewood in 1967-68, Burlington "dinkies" from Westmont 1971-72 (this is where the gallery car originated in 1949, Aurora to Union Station). The IC trains at that time (1967-68) were the original 1926 equipment; the original Highliners had their life shortened by their poor crash-worthiness as demonstrated in a horrific rear end collision in 1972 that killed 45. Subsequently in visits to Chicago I used CTA to and from both airports, but the O'Hare route was unsafe-- watched a boy suddenly grab the gold chain off the chest of a young Latino girl and dash out the door, and a man I distantly knew was killed when he tried to stop a similar incident on that line. --Jerry

idk if id call that a brt... when i think of brt i more think of a transitway like ottawa, but ig its still is faster

Oh I can't stand that wrap. It makes me think the people who planned this don't ride buses.

3:32 I hope this isn't the only signage showing which busses serve which bays. I've spent excess time in mapping making sure my labels look just right and not as crowded as this

The old name for the yellow line was the Skokie swift

J14: *Sweats Nervously*

very mildly interestingly, this BRT has the same exact name and color scheme as Richmond, VA’s BRT.

Pulse and route 270 have their dedicated posted stops. 270 locals do not stop at Pulse stops.

It's better then the Jeffery "jump", the CTA waaay overhyped that one.

Well the other problem is that route, which ends at Golf Mill, a dead mall. There are always some people who take that pulse route but lets face it, the destination is just not great.

So many things that call themselves, "B.R.T.," really aren't B.R.T.

When done well BRT can be good. I think of Adelaide's O-Bahn, Essen's O-Bahn and guided busways in Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire and Bedfordshire as well as the various Latin American BRT's. The problem is that some authorities put them in as a supposed stopgap to building light rail (Leeds in West Yorkshire springs to mind) where there are sections of guided busway and bus priority lanes that were supposed to be converted to light rail but progressive governments have cancel the projects making Leeds the largest city in Europe with a purely bus based transport network save for a few commuter rail stations on the outskirts. I'm so with you about contravision windows one benefit of bus over U-Bahn or Metro travel is the ability to look out of the windows. I hate it when you cannot see where you are especially if you are looking for a landmark when nearing your stop. As for the Purple livery reminds me of First plc buses in the British provinces. (See 'barbie' livery)

BRT success depends city to city. I've seen Milwaukee,WN's BRT and it looks fantastic. California is retrofitting a lot of their southern dilapidated cities with the TOD philosophy and they are technically starting a city from scratch so they have a better opportunity to have a successfull BRT. Here in Chicago we have dense infrastructure, we have tried to develop BRT in different froms especially downtown and a 'MRT' like hub at Union Station. If only we had a Boring Company to help us build a BRT underground... hmmm...

Honestly if it doesn't have it's own exclusive guideway at best it's enhanced bus service, not BRT.

Be hard to see of the windows too with the Pulse plastic nonsense on the outside reflecting the fact that whoever designed it doesn't travel on the bus .

finally one way richmond beats chicago: slightly better BRT line called “pulse”

Yeah, calling this BRT is really a stretch. It’s a slightly nicer bus with slightly nicer stations. Nothing wrong with that, but nothing to write home about either. On a side note, the next departures screen showing like 6 different busses seems a little overkill for a station with only two lines.

The Hidden Bottom level of Wacker drive could be turned into BRT.

4:37 is litterally where i live are you stalking me?

They do

Hi pigeon 👋

Tbh, I think PULSE Milwaukee line is totally unnecessary. I think it served as a beta test for the larger routes. Perhaps once PULSE becomes more established, they are probably gonna extend Pulse Milwaukee Line to Buffalo Grove or maybe even Hawthorn Mall along 272’s route

This doesn't look like a BRT

Honestly it’s a nice bus, but pulse is a dumb name. Should have just called them purple line etc.

Why do you say pulse is different from pace!!! Pulse is pace!!!

Pulse is rather disappointing as a BRT. BRTs are a scam. If you like Buses I agree with you it's my silly personal opinion and I can't enjoy these irl.

Ugh...US buses are so ugly! They look like cages on wheels and the ride is soo rigid :(