2. Questions and Answers

What are the advantages of trolleybuses?

Trolleybuses offer quiet operation, zero in-street emissions, route stability, and provide a security against complete dependence on oil. They also have excellent operational characteristics such as quick acceleration and ability to carry heavy loads, so they perform well in stop-and-go traffic and on busy routes. Some people feel that trolleybuses contribute to community character, and there is evidence to suggest they are more attractive to riders than diesel buses. Trolleybuses use the products and services of Epcor, a city-owned utility that pays the City of Edmonton a substantial annual dividend.

How many communities are served by trolleybuses?

About 46 communities are served by trolleybuses in Edmonton. Listed by name, these are: Alberta Avenue, Allendale, Belgravia, Boyle Street [95-97 St.], Britannia/Youngstown, Canora, Central McDougall, Crestwood, Cromdale/Stadium, Dovercourt, Downtown/Jasper Avenue, Eastwood, Edmonton Northlands, Garneau/Strathcona, Glenora, Glenwood, Groat Estates, Grovenor, High Park, Inglewood, Kingsway/Royal Alexandra, Lendrum, Mayfield, McCauley [95-97 St], McKernan, McQueen, North Glenora, Northwest Industrial [includes smaller divisions of High Park Industrial, Sheffield Industrial, Garside Industrial, Alberta Park Industrial, Hawin Park Estate Industrial, Mitchell Industrial, Dominion Industrial, Huff Bremner Estate Industrial], Norwood, Oliver, Parkallen/Beau Park, Parkdale, Pleasantview, Prince Charles, Prince Rupert, Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary Park, Rossdale, Sherbrooke, Southgate/Empire Park, Spruce Avenue, Walterdale, West Jasper Place, Westmount, Westwood, Woodcroft. These communities are largely situated in core areas of the city or in the West End.

What is the city's investment in trolleybuses?

The trolley infrastructure [wire system, electric substations, etc.] was valued at $73 million according to a 2002 assessment of Edmonton’s capital assets. This figure represents the replacement value. Much of the system has been renewed recently; over $12 million has been invested in the past decade. This includes a brand new substation in Rossdale.

How long does the trolley "infrastructure" last?

New trolley infrastructure lasts from 25-50 years. Pro-active maintenance can extend its life. Edmonton’s trolley system has been reasonably well maintained, according to figures in the city’s capital asset assessments.

Do trolleybuses cost more?

Trolleybus operation usually entails greater expenditure than diesel buses because of the need to maintain overhead wires. But this expenditure may be offset by the trolleybuses advantages. In areas of higher population density [i.e. downtown], the benefits of using trolleybuses over diesel buses accrue to large numbers of people. The absence of harmful exhaust both inside and outside the vehicle and the quiet operation benefit both transit users and residents.

Greater 'payback' on the higher expenditure for trolleybuses can be obtained when they are used to service busy, well-established transit routes that carry many riders and earn respectable revenue. For the most part, trolleybuses are used in such busy corridors in Edmonton. It is not feasible to use trolleybuses everywhere.

Does Edmonton need new trolleybuses?

Edmonton’s current trolleybus fleet is over 20 years old. The life expectancy of the current vehicles is until 2010. Some minor rehabilitation work is required at this time. Edmonton’s commitment to providing accessible transit service suggests that if the city continues with trolleybuses, the current vehicles should be replaced with low floor trolleybuses. An alternative and less capital intensive solution would be to invest more in the existing trolleybuses to make them last longer, and they could be outfitted with wheelchair lifts. However, new low floor trolleybuses would offer better driver and passenger convenience features.

Do new trolleybuses cost more to buy?

A new trolleybus costs about twice as much as a new diesel bus, at this time. This cost difference will likely decrease to some extent in the future. The purchase price of diesel-based buses will rise as diesel technology becomes more complex to meet stricter emission standards.

It is possible to 'custom build' new trolleybuses by taking the motors and electrical equipment from older vehicles and installing them in new low floor bus bodies. This has been shown to reduce new vehicle purchase costs by about 1/3 [e.g. Seattle]. Some of the electronic equipment would, of course, need to be upgraded, and adding features like off-wire capability may be desirable. Some authorities feel that it is more advantageous to buy 100% new trolleybuses than to recycle components.

Does the trolleybus offer the same reliability as diesel buses?

New trolleybuses will offer greater reliability than current trolleys. New trolleys would have the ability to operate away from the wires. Trolleybus installations in some cities, in fact, do not have any overhead wires in the garages or in parts of the city; the trolleybuses pass through these "unwired" areas under their own power. There are different systems available for providing "auxiliary" power to trolleybuses.

The reliability of trolleybuses also depends on the quality of maintenance of the overhead wire system. TransLink in Vancouver states that "trolleybuses can be as reliable as diesel buses." If the trolley vehicles do not have "off-wire capability", properly designed "incident management" procedures are necessary to limit the impact of any disruptions on the system. Diesel bus services can fall victim to disruptions, as well. This is often a problem where diesel services operate over freeways that become blocked due to accidents or delays in poor weather. Whether a system uses trolleys or diesels, difficulties handling incidents suggest a need to review incident management practices.

How much will it cost to keep trolleybuses in Edmonton?

There have been many figures publicized lately, but the focus has been on quoting "money saved" by eliminating trolleys, which is deceiving. It cannot be assumed that a quote of "savings" to be had by not investing further in trolleybuses equates to the "cost" of continuing with trolleybuses. There is actually a range of different cost scenarios for keeping trolleybuses. None of these have been seriously examined as the administrative focus has been on eliminating trolleybuses. It is necessary to look at these scenarios in detail order to determine what keeping trolleybuses would actually cost.

The greatest portion of the cost to keep trolleys will be the expenditure required to purchase a new trolley fleet. The total cost of this purchase depends on what kind of trolley retention scenario would be adopted and how many new trolleybuses would be required. Price advantages may be obtained by 'piggy-backing' on a current large order for Vancouver.

It should be possible to purchase less trolley vehicles than we currently have and still maintain much of the existing trolley service. "Interlining" or linking trolley routes could reduce the number of vehicles required, but increase system efficiencies. It is possible to retain trolleybuses and still control costs. In addition, the capital expenditures need to be seen as long-term investments that have their payback over many years of service. Investing in modest extensions to the system is another alternative that could increase efficiencies and reduce operating costs.

Administration's proposal to eliminate trolleys would return older, more polluting diesel buses to the streets to save costs in the short-term. In the end, we would still have to purchase an equivalent number of new buses.

Any additional costs for keeping trolleys as part of the transit system vs. converting to an all-diesel system will be small when considered in the context of total spending on public transit. Relative to total costs and investments for the large diesel fleet, the total expenditure for trolleybuses is also small.

Aren't other cities abandoning trolleybuses?

The cities operating trolleybuses in North America are continuing with trolleys. All are buying, planning to buy or have just bought new trolley fleets. Some cities have expanded their systems. Some have reduced the number of new trolleybuses they are ordering to control costs and match service requirements.

Prior to 1975, many cities did abandon both trolleybuses and electric streetcars. This was before the health impacts of noise, diesel exhaust and air pollution were widely understood. A number of these abandonments have since been regretted. Toronto and Hamilton both abandoned their relatively small trolley systems in 1992-93 on the promise of 'clean' natural gas buses subsidized by the Ontario government. Toronto Transit Commission officials did state the move was a mistake.

The number of trolley systems worldwide has remained relatively stable over the past decade, at around 360.

Would replacing trolleys with diesels help to standardize the bus fleet and maintenance processes?

Eliminating trolleys is only one of many ways for administration to streamline its operations. The advantages of this type of standardization must be weighed against factors such as increased noise levels, increased emissions, loss of investments, loss of partnership with the city-owned power entity, loss of non-oil based transportation alternatives and the future visions we have for the city’s downtown. Is it a question of what is better for management and administration, or what is better for the city and its citizens?

Standardization of the fleet can take many forms. New low floor trolleybuses could offer interchangeability of body and other components with present and future low floor diesel-based vehicles. Maintenance of electric vehicles [trolleys and LRT] could be assigned to one entity, such as ETS, and Mobile Equipment Services [MES] could be assigned responsibility for diesel and other motorized vehicles.