This paper provides an analysis of the potential to develop a carbon offset protocol for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects, focused on the U.S. voluntary carbon market. It describes experience with the costs, ridership and emission impacts of BRT projects to date, and existing methodologies to quantify the emissions impacts of BRT, particularly those developed for the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). It then analyzes key issues for a potential protocol, including development of the baseline scenario, quantifying leakages, and ownership of emission reduction credits. The paper concludes by providing an order-of-magnitude estimate of the emission reduction potential.
