The trolley coach, which Mac Sabree and Paul Ward called "transit's stepchild" was largely a creature of the 1930s through the 1950s. At it zenith, dozens of North American cities ran these rubber tired vehicles with two trolley poles. Today, it's down to Boston, Philadelphia, Dayton, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver--and I believe one of Philadelphia's two dormant lines (route 79, Snyder Avenue, just gave up the ghost recently). Toronto ceased TC operation in (I believe 1998), and the preceding big conversion was Chicago to the best of my knowledge in 1971. (On the flip side, because of its high torque from a standing start, the TC is making further inroads in Frisco.)
So: how do we get the TC to hang on to operate where it once commanded a sizable part of the daily transit route miles; e.g., Baltimore, Cincinnati, Chicago, Toronto, Wilmington (DE), and the like?
So: how do we get the TC to hang on to operate where it once commanded a sizable part of the daily transit route miles; e.g., Baltimore, Cincinnati, Chicago, Toronto, Wilmington (DE), and the like?