The City of Madison invited city representatives to an open house for the new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line on Tuesday.
The open house allowed representatives to tour the new stations and electric buses, see updated bus features and ask questions.
Metro Rapid Route A will start service on Sept. 22 and run east-west from Sun Prairie to Junction Rd. to East Towne, Downtown, University of Wisconsin, Hillsdale and West Towne.
This route will also stop for Madison College students at Anderson at Wright.
When planning the new BRT line, Madison Transportation wanted to guarantee that those with disabilities could use public transit without barriers.
According to City of Madison Transportation Planner Liz Callin, new buses include ADA-compliant elevated platforms, level boarding and wheelchair restraints, which can be self-secured.
Callin said the new electric buses will include extra standing room for passengers and spaces to store bicycles, increasing ridership for riders who use multiple modes of transportation.
Additionally, BRT created dedicated bus lines to avoid congested driving lanes, parked cars and right-turn lanes.
Metro Rapid Route A was chosen because it has the highest ridership in the systems. It has been praised for adding bike parking aboard the bus, reducing boarding time for passengers stowing bicycles.
The City of Madison adopted a plan for a proposed Rapid Route B bus line that will run north-south.