Bus rapid transit has reappeared as one possible way to decrease congestion and get people from place to place. Cities say the systems are relatively affordable and don’t required tremendous infrastructure improvements to launch. Critics say they’re not fast enough for today’s commuters and that it’s too difficult to get people on buses for day-to-day transportation.

Streetsblog decided to look into some of the first BRTs in the U.S., to see how they’re doing. And the results may be surprising–most have outpaced ridership projections and are busy and effective.

Read the whole story here and let us know–is BRT a possible addition in your city?