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==Trolley buses==
[[File:Coast Mountain Bus Company 2267-a.jpg|thumb|300px|An example of a 40-foot trolleybus]]
[[File:San Francisco MUNI 7201-a.jpg|thumb|300px|An example of an [[Articulated Bus|articulated]] trolleybus]]
'''Trolley buses''' are buses that are powered by electricity, which is provided by two overhead wires (one for power and the other one for grounding electricity).  Voltage is the same as the light rail trains (600 to 750 Watts) so the light rail and trolley buses can run along the same route.  Modern trolley buses are equipped with auxiliary power units that allows off wire travel for a short distance.  While connected to the overhead wires they can move 15 feet away from the centerline to bypass any obstacles such as parked vehicles, street construction, or any other obstruction.  A trolley bus can be either 40 feet or 60 feet long.


'''Trolley buses''' are buses that are powered by electricity, which is provided by two overhead wires (one for power and the other one for grounding electricity). Voltage is the same as the light rail trains (600 to 750 Watts) so the light rail and trolley buses can run along the same route.  Modern trolley buses are equipped with auxiliary power units that allows off wire travel for a short distance.  While connected to the overhead wires they can move 15 feet away from the centerline to bypass any obstacles such as parked vehicles, street construction, et cetera.  A trolley bus can be either 40 feet or 60 feet long.
==Advantages and disadvantages of trolley buses==
 
Trolley buses have lots of advantages, they are the only vehicle buses that meet the Clear Air Act (1998) as they produce zero in-street emissions.  They also offer quieter operation than diesel buses.  [[Hamilton Street Railway]] discovered that trolley bus produces less acceleration noise than a [[Compressed Natural Gas]] (CNG) or a diesel bus by 35%.  Methanol and natural gas buses are a relatively new technology and have not been proven due to low mileage.  Trolley buses also have lower maintenance cost than the diesel buses because they don’t have a transmission, exhaust system and fuel system which accounted for 30 to 40 percent of the maintenance cost.  A study showed level of ridership increase after the route was converted from diesel to trolley bus line.  The trolley buses have better hill-climbing abilities than other transit vehicles. The estimated life-span of a trolleybus is 15 years as opposed to 12 years for a diesel hybrid<ref>[http://metro.kingcounty.gov/up/projects/pdf/TrolleyEvaluation_PreliminaryFindings_Apr2011.pdf Trolley Bus System Evaluation - King County Metro], metro.kingcounty.gov, retrieved 2013-04-06</ref>.
 
Trolley buses have numerous disadvantages as well.  They have a higher cost per vehicle than diesel buses with a 40 foot trolley bus costing $400,000 where as a diesel bus costs $210,000, a methanol bus cost $340,000 and a CNG bus cost $225,000.  Trolley buses require an infrastructure system including overhead wires, poles and power substations.  Converting a diesel bus route to a trolley bus route cost $2 million per mile.  Retrofitting the existing diesel buses to reduce emission only cost $80,000 per bus.  Trolley buses are criticized for destroying many neighbourhood’s visual amenities because they require an overhead wire system which is visible.


==Advantages and disadvantages of trolley buses==
==Models==
====[[Electric Transit Incorporated]]====
* [[Electric Transit Incorporated 14TrSF|14TrSF]] (1997-2003)
* [[Electric Transit Incorporated 15TrSF|15TrSF]] (?-?)
 
====[[Ikarus]]====
* [[Ikarus 280T|280T]] 1975-1989
 
====[[Flyer Industries]]====
* [[Western Flyer Coach E700A|E700A]] (1970-1973)
* [[Flyer Industries E800|E800]] (1974-1979)
* [[Flyer Industries E800B|E800B]] (1978)
* [[Flyer Industries E901A|E901A]] (1981, for [[Coast Mountain Bus Company|Vancouver]])
* [[Flyer Industries E902|E902]] (1982-84, for [[Coast Mountain Bus Company|Vancouver]])
 
====[[New Flyer Industries]]====
* [[New Flyer Industries E40LF|New Flyer E40LF]] (2005)
* [[New Flyer Industries E40LFR|New Flyer E40LFR]] (2005-2013)
* [[New Flyer Industries E60|New Flyer E60]] (1993-1994)
* [[New Flyer Industries E60LFR|New Flyer E60LFR]] (2007-2013)
* [[New Flyer Industries XT40|New Flyer XT40]] (2013-present)
* [[New Flyer Industries XT60|New Flyer XT60]] (2013-present)
 
====[[Škoda]]====
* [[Škoda 9Tr|9Tr]] (?-?)
* [[Škoda 14Tr|14Tr]] (1980-2003)
* [[Škoda 15Tr|15Tr]] (1988-2004)
* [[Škoda 24Tr|24Tr]] (?-?)
* [[Škoda 25Tr|25Tr]] (?-?)
 
====[[Vossloh-Kiepe]]/[[Gillig]]====
* [[Gillig BRT|BRT ETB]] (2014-present)
 
==Agencies using trolley buses==
=== Canada [[Image:Flag of Canada.png|28px]]===
{|width="100%"
|width="50%" valign="top"|
* '''Calgary, AB''' (1947-1975)
** [[Calgary Transit System]] - Calgary, AB (1947-1970)
** [[Calgary Transit]] - Calgary, AB (1970-1975)
* '''Cornwall, ON''' (1949-1970)
** [[Cornwall Street Railway, Light and Power Company]] (1949-1970)
* '''Edmonton, AB''' (1939-2009)
** [[Edmonton Radial Railway]] (1939-1946)
** [[Edmonton Transportation System]] (1946-1947)
** [[Edmonton Transit System]] (1947-2009)
* '''Fort William, ON''' (1947-1972)
** [[Fort William Street Railway]] (1947-1948)
** [[Fort William Transit]] (1948-1970)
** [[Thunder Bay Transit]] (1970-1972)
* '''Halifax, NS''' (1949-1969)
** [[Nova Scotia Light and Power Company]] (1949-1969)
* '''Hamilton, ON''' (1950-1992)
** [[Hamilton Street Railway]] (1950-1992)
* '''Kitchener, ON''' (1946-1973)
** [[Kitchener Public Utilities Commission]] (1946-1973)
* '''Montréal, QC''' (1937-1966)
**  [[Montreal Tramways Company]] (MTC) (1937-1951)
**  [[Commission de transport de Montréal]] (CTM) (1951-1966)
* '''Ottawa, ON''' (1951-1959)
** [[Ottawa Transportation Commission]] (1951-1959)
|width="50%" valign="top"|
* '''Port Arthur, ON''' (1947-1972)
** [[Port Arthur Civic Railway]] (1947-1949)
** [[Port Arthur Public Utilities Commission]] (1949-1970)
** [[Thunder Bay Transit]] (1970-1972)
* '''Regina, SK''' (1947-1966)
** [[Regina Municipal Railway]] (1947-1950)
** [[Regina Transit]] (1950-1966)
* '''Saskatoon, SK''' (1948-1974)
** [[Saskatoon Municipal Railway]] (1948-1949)
** [[Saskatoon Transit]] (1949-1974)
* '''Toronto, ON''' (1922-1925, 1947-1993)
** [[Toronto Transportation Commission]] (1922-1925, 1947-1954)
** [[Toronto Transit Commission]] (1954-1993)
* '''Vancouver, BC''' (1945, 1948-present)
** [[BC Electric Railway]] (December 5-14, 1945; demonstration only)
** [[BC Electric Railway]] (1948-1962)
** [[BC Hydro Transit]] (1962-1973)
** [[Greater Vancouver Transit System]] (1973-1983)
** [[Vancouver Regional Transit System]] (1983-1999)
** [[Coast Mountain Bus Company]] (1999-present)
* '''Victoria, BC''' (1945)
** [[BC Electric Railway]] (November 19-30, 1945; demonstration only)
* '''Winnipeg, MB''' (1938-1970)
** [[Winnipeg Electric Company]] (1938-1953)
** [[Greater Winnipeg Transit Company]] (1953)
** [[Greater Winnipeg Transit Commission]] (1953-1960)
** [[Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg]] (1961-1970)
|}


Trolley buses have lots of advantages, they are the only vehicle buses that meet the Clear Air Act (1998) as they produce zero in-street emissions.  They also offer quieter operation than diesel buses.  [[Hamilton Street Railway]] discovered that trolley bus produces less acceleration noise than a [[Compressed Natural Gas]] (CNG) or a diesel bus by 35%.  Methanol and natural gas buses are a relatively new technology and have not been proven due to low mileage.  Trolley buses also have lower maintenance cost than the diesel buses because they don’t have a transmission, exhaust system and fuel system which accounted for 30 to 40 percent of the maintenance cost.  A study showed level of ridership increase after the route was converted from diesel to trolley bus line.  The trolley buses have better hill-climbing abilities than other transit vehicles. 
=== United States [[Image:Flag of the United States.png|28px]]===
(This list is incomplete)
* '''Boston, MA''' (1936-present)
**[[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]] (1964-present)
**[[Metropolitan Transit Authority]] (1947-1964)
**[[Boston Elevated Railway]] (1936-1947)
* '''Dayton, OH''' (1933-present)
** [[Dayton Street Railway Company]] (1933)
** [[Dayton Street Transit Company]] (1933-1941)
** [[Oakwood Street Railway]] (1936-1956)
** [[People's Railway Company]] (1936-1940)
** [[City Railway Company]] (1938-1955)
** [[People's Transit Company]] (1940-1945)
** [[Dayton and Xenia Railway Company]] (1940-1955)
** [[City Transit Company (Dayton, OH)|City Transit Company]] (1955-1972)
** [[Miami Valley Regional Transit Authority]] (1972-2003)
** [[Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority]] (2003-present)
* '''Denver, CO''' (1940-1955)
** [[Denver Tramway Corporation]] (1940-1955)
* '''Detroit, MI''' (1921-192?, 1930-1937, 1949-1962)
** [[Detroit Street Railway]] (1921-192?, 1930-1937, 1949-1962)
* '''Honolulu, HI''' (1938-1956)
** [[Honolulu Rapid Transit]] (1938-1956)
* '''Los Angeles, CA''' (1910-1915, 1947-1963)
** [[Los Angeles Railway Company]] (1910-1915)
** [[Los Angeles Transit Lines]] (1947-1958)
** [[Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority]] (1958-1963)
* '''Philadelphia, PA''' (1923-present)
**[[Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority]] (1968-present)
**[[Philadelphia Transportation Company]] (?-1968)
**[[Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company]] (1923-?)
* '''Portland, OR''' (1936-1958)
** [[Portland Traction Company]] (1936-1956)
** [[Rose City Transit Company]] (1956-1958)
* '''Salt Lake City, UT''' (1928-1946)
** [[Utah Light and Traction Company]] (1928-1944)
** [[Salt Lake City Lines]] (1944-1946)
* '''San Francisco, CA''' (1941-present)
** [[San Francisco Municipal Railway|MUNI]] (1941-present)
* '''Seattle, WA''' (1940-present)
** [[Seattle Transit System]] (1940-1972)
** [[King County Metro Transit]] (1973-present)


Trolley buses have numerous disadvantages as well.  They have a higher cost per vehicle than diesel buses with a 40 foot trolley bus costing $400,000 where as a diesel bus costs $210,000, a methanol bus cost $340,000 and a CNG bus cost $225,000.  Trolley buses require an infrastructure system including overhead wires, poles and power substations.  Converting a diesel bus route to a trolley bus route cost $2 million per mile.  Retrofitting the existing diesel buses to reduce emission only cost $80,000 per bus.  Trolley buses are criticized for destroying neighbourhood’s visual amenity because they require an overhead wire system which is visible.
* '''Wilmington, DE''' (1939-1957)
** [[Delaware Coach Company]] (1941-1957)
** [[Delaware Electric Power Company]] (1939-1941)


==Sources Consulted==
==Sources Consulted==
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Trolley Coaches Summary Report #2 by Toronto Transit Commission
Trolley Coaches Summary Report #2 by Toronto Transit Commission
<references />
{{Public Transit}}
[[Category:Types of Buses]]

Latest revision as of 22:21, 28 April 2022

An example of a 40-foot trolleybus
An example of an articulated trolleybus

Trolley buses are buses that are powered by electricity, which is provided by two overhead wires (one for power and the other one for grounding electricity). Voltage is the same as the light rail trains (600 to 750 Watts) so the light rail and trolley buses can run along the same route. Modern trolley buses are equipped with auxiliary power units that allows off wire travel for a short distance. While connected to the overhead wires they can move 15 feet away from the centerline to bypass any obstacles such as parked vehicles, street construction, or any other obstruction. A trolley bus can be either 40 feet or 60 feet long.

Advantages and disadvantages of trolley buses

Trolley buses have lots of advantages, they are the only vehicle buses that meet the Clear Air Act (1998) as they produce zero in-street emissions. They also offer quieter operation than diesel buses. Hamilton Street Railway discovered that trolley bus produces less acceleration noise than a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) or a diesel bus by 35%. Methanol and natural gas buses are a relatively new technology and have not been proven due to low mileage. Trolley buses also have lower maintenance cost than the diesel buses because they don’t have a transmission, exhaust system and fuel system which accounted for 30 to 40 percent of the maintenance cost. A study showed level of ridership increase after the route was converted from diesel to trolley bus line. The trolley buses have better hill-climbing abilities than other transit vehicles. The estimated life-span of a trolleybus is 15 years as opposed to 12 years for a diesel hybrid[1].

Trolley buses have numerous disadvantages as well. They have a higher cost per vehicle than diesel buses with a 40 foot trolley bus costing $400,000 where as a diesel bus costs $210,000, a methanol bus cost $340,000 and a CNG bus cost $225,000. Trolley buses require an infrastructure system including overhead wires, poles and power substations. Converting a diesel bus route to a trolley bus route cost $2 million per mile. Retrofitting the existing diesel buses to reduce emission only cost $80,000 per bus. Trolley buses are criticized for destroying many neighbourhood’s visual amenities because they require an overhead wire system which is visible.

Models

Electric Transit Incorporated

Ikarus

Flyer Industries

New Flyer Industries

Škoda

Vossloh-Kiepe/Gillig

Agencies using trolley buses

Canada Flag of Canada.png

United States Flag of the United States.png

(This list is incomplete)

Sources Consulted

The Trolley buses by Rafter David O.

Trolley Coaches Summary Report #2 by Toronto Transit Commission

  1. ↑ Trolley Bus System Evaluation - King County Metro, metro.kingcounty.gov, retrieved 2013-04-06
v·d·e
Public Transit
Rail
Types Commuter Rail - Light rail - Streetcar - Subway
Transit Buses
Types Articulated Bus - Bus Rapid Transit - Double Decker Bus - Low Floor Bus - Highway Coach - Shuttle Bus - Trolley Bus
Fuel Compressed Natural Gas - Diesel - Diesel-Electric Hybrid - Gasoline - Hydrogen Fuel Cell - Liquified Natural Gas
Manufacturers Alexander Dennis - Blue Bird - ElDorado National - Gillig - Motor Coach Industries - New Flyer Industries - North American Bus Industries - Nova Bus - Orion International - Prevost Car - Setra - Thomas Built Buses - Van Hool
VIN Pages Alexander Dennis - Blue Bird - Champion - Designline - ElDorado National - Flxible - Flyer Industries - General Motors - Gilig - Ikarus USA - Millennium Transit Services - Motor Coach Industries - New Flyer Industries - Neoplan USA - North American Bus Industries - Nova Bus - Optima Bus - Orion Bus Industries - Prevost Car - Setra - TEMSA - Thomas Built Buses - Transportation Manufacturing Corporation - TransBus International - Van Hool
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