# public transit buses **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 23, 2004, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-buses/256481 "2004-07-23T05:10:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nonpolar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@nonpolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonpolar)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-buses/256481/21 "2004-07-28T03:41:24Z")
> [@Trigonal Planar](#): > > Downtown Toronto still has operating street cars, I believe. At least it did ~3 years ago. Yeah - we still have streetcars here ,but if you ever have chance to go to France visit Strasbourg ,there you will see the most amazing street cars in the world. Plus- city alone is worth seeing ( beautifull gothic cathedrall) ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-buses/256481/22 "2004-07-28T18:17:48Z")
> [@Tikki](#): > > Pilzner, the one drawback to our trollies is that if one of them gets delayed then others behind it get delayed too because they can’t just go around. They have to stay connected to the lines to move. Fortunately, most Seattlites are uncomplaining. They know that stuff happens. In SF, we’ve got some new German-made\* trolley coaches that are pretty slick. If another bus is disabled, the new buses can drop their poles and move around the other bus as they’ve got on-board batteries. I’m told that the batteries will power the bus for a couple blocks on flat land. The driver doesn’t even have to get out to drop the poles - they just hit a button and they retract. They do need to get out to re-attach to the line. > [@](#): > > The advantage is that electric trolleys can handle our steep hills better and more efficiently too. And more quietly. The neighbors really appreciate buses that go “rrrrrrrrrr” up the hill as opposed to the “BWOOAAAAARRRRR” of diesel coaches. - Apparently nobody in the US is in the electric trolley coach business. AFAIK, only Seattle and San Francisco use the things, so it probably does make sense to get them from overseas, rather than find someone willing to knock together a couple dozen as a special order. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-buses/256481/23 "2004-07-28T18:36:30Z")
Yes, Toronto has streetcars. The streetcar system may even be expanded. Toronto used to have trolley-buses, but got rid of them around 1991 or so. The buses dated from the early fifties, and were at the end of their lives, even counting major rebuilds that had added twenty years to those lives. The [TTC](http://www.ttc.ca/) simply did not have the money to replace all of them at one go _and_ repair the overhead wires. While the cities around Toronto are getting new buses, Toronto still makes do with many ancient noisy rattly old diesel buses… ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-buses/256481/24 "2004-07-28T20:22:55Z")
Oh, I should have mentioned our local buses in Santa Monica. They’re fairly modern, seemingly clean running ones that have a remarkable innovation…an electric sign inside the bus tells you what the next stop is! No more struggling to see the street signs or addresses through the windows! (not that I don’t already know where everything is, anyway) ---
**Author:** ![nonpolar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@nonpolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonpolar)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-buses/256481/25 "2004-07-29T05:17:43Z")
in my city every third or so bus is full of bilboards even on the windows ,it is so hard to see anything outside.I’m still young and my eyesight is pretty good so during the day I can see my stop,but at night I fell like riding in a submarine [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-transit-buses/256481.md?page=1)