Slow down the rush to install bus rapid transit (BRT) in Richmond and take the time to ensure that the service will not become an expensive boondoggle.

That’s the message an alliance of 11 civic groups delivered to Richmond City Council on Monday night in calling attention to the potential drawbacks of the developing service.

While the $54 million BRT project dubbed GRTC Pulse is still undergoing design review, speakers from RVA Coalition sought to raise concerns for the council to weigh before the governing body considers putting a final stamp of approval on a project they previously have endorsed.

On a night when the top issue on council’s agenda involved the tax rate to be imposed on owners of homes and businesses, coalition representatives gave council an earful about their BRT concerns.

One big one is that the 20,000 city residents — largely African-Americans — who rely on bus service would be disconnected from BRT because the planned 8-mile route skirts black neighborhoods and would do little to improve their access to jobs and services.

Speakers from the coalition also warned that Richmond taxpayers could end up being saddled with a $2 million to $5 million operating deficit that would steal money from public schools and public safety.

They also raised worries that the construction and operation of GRTC Pulse would undermine the burgeoning apartment and business developments along Broad Street, the main street on which GRTC Pulse will run.

It’s a far different perspective on GRTC Pulse than that offered by the public transit company and its supporters, including Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who wants the new service operational before he leaves office in early 2018.

For supporters including the Rev. Ben Campbell, who spoke at the meeting, GRTC Pulse is viewed as the kind of modern service the city needs to advance public transit within and outside the city.

They cite its promise of faster service along the route that will link Willow Lawn Shopping Center to the west with Rocketts Landing to the east, where the Stone Brewery operation is being built.

Now projected to carry 3,500 people a day or 1.2 million passengers a year, the wheeled buses on this route would have 14 stations, or fewer stops than most routes, dedicated lanes along curbs or in the median and would start new trips every 10 to 15 minutes — a huge improvement over the 30 minute and longer headways on regular routes.

GRTC has yet to provide any specifics on how existing routes would connect with GRTC Pulse, though officials have said that issue would be addressed before operations begin, now projected for October 2017. Construction of the first stations is to begin next spring if all approvals are in place.

GRTC spokeswoman Carrie Rose Pace said the company is fully aware of the connection issue. She said a study is underway to consider how to improve connections between local routes and GRTC Pulse, with a portion of the study specifically looking at routes in the East End.

However, the coalition believes that council would do well to halt any action on GRTC Pulse until the transit company can provide more information.

Arthur L. Burton, founder of Kinfolks Community, made that point, telling the council it would be wrong to approve the project without such information. Before the meeting, he said, “Don’t we have a right to know how the arms and feet (local bus routes) fit together with Pulse? Right now, we have no idea.”

That’s also the concern that Roy Bryant of the Richmond Branch NAACP raised. He said the planned route essentially stays away from African-American communities and could mean ordinary people “cannot get on the bus.” That would violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, he said.

Councilwoman Cynthia I. Newbille, 7th District, said later that she has made “connectivity” a condition of her support for GRTC Pulse. She said the transit company must provide strong and ample connections to the BRT line for her constituents in Church Hill and Fulton.

Speakers also pointed to the cost of keeping the service running 17 to 18 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Where will the money come from to cover the deficit, which could run $2 million to $5 million a year?” said Jonathan Marcus, chairman of the coalition and president of the West Grace Street Association. “Will you take it from schools or public safety?”

Jeff Marshall of the Historic Jackson Ward Association also hammered that point, noting that the subsidies the city is gaining to develop GRTC Pulse will not be there when it comes to keeping the service in operation.

Broad Street coffee-shop owner Steve Garnett said he fears that the construction could kill his business by keeping customers away, which he said happened during the international cycling competition in September.

Meanwhile, on the tax issue, council voted 8-1 to keep the real estate tax rate at $1.20 for each $100 of assessed value. Councilwoman Reva M. Trammell cast the only opposing vote. With property values up an average of 3.31 percent, council’s decision will mean that some property owners will have bigger tax bills.

In other business, council once again endorsed the Free Press program of “Love Lights” that seeks to light up Downtown buildings during the holiday season, and approved posting an honorary street sign bearing the name of Alicia C. Rasin on the Church Hill street where she lived.

Ms. Rasin, who died last month, was the city’s longtime volunteer “ambassador of compassion” who provided comfort and support to families of homicide victims.