Can anybody tell me why Wellington persists with trolley buses? Sure they're a wee bit quieter and there's no diesel fumes but look at the negatives;

They run on electricity created by burning coal and other fossil fuels

They're unreliable, very slow, jerky and hold up traffic

They never run on time and can't make up time when they're late (their poles fall of the wire!)

Their electrical wires cause severe visual polution

They have been directly responsible for the death of two people in recent history, both of whom would still be alive if Wellington did not have trolley buses

Drivers hate driving them

They need an extra Regional Council subsidy of $3million per year which could instead be used to give bus drivers a decent increase to their current $12.50 per hour (increase would be about $4 per hour per driver)

Stagecoach wants to keep them only because other bus companies can't run in competition against trolley buses giving Stagecoach a monopoly (that's why Stagecoach doesn't care about its level of [bad] service)

Let's face it, people want rapid reliable public transport or else they will use their private car. Trolley buses are neither rapid nor reliable. Tell GWRC to dump the dinosaurs!

I prefer trolley buses.

Even if the electricity generated does come from fossil fuels at such a large scale (power station) is more efficient than many small diesel engines. Overall the trolley buses are responsible for less carbon emissions, and not all the electricity comes from fossil fuels. Most is generated by hydro electric.

Next two points taken care of by the new trolley buses that are coming (some already in service).

Just because a bus is electric doesn't mean it is more likely to kill someone. Ridiculous reasoning. Drivers hate them? Evidence?

I'd only support the use of more diesel engined or LPG powered buses if they could be quieter than the ones we have. It may be driver ineptitude from thrashing their engines at high revs, but the deafening roar and fumes as they accelerate away from a bus stop makes being a pedestrian walking nearby an unpleasant experience.

I agree the Trolleys should be dumped.

The new trolley's are not new at all. They are just new shells using a lot of the old running gear and are quiet noisy. If you visit the trolley bus museum in foxton - the old English Electrics are much quieter.

They are also prone to breakdowns and are not able to run on routes like Miramar when the weather gets too bad. On the wellington new group they have also been talking about the problem with votages over the lines and that there needs to be millions spent to fix this.

In fact as someone who lives near a bus stop - I can testify that the new diesels are quieter than the trolleys that hum like a sod. Therefore if Stagecoach introduced noise as a selection criteria - I am sure they would be even quieter.

Why do motorists hate trolleys? Because they are slow!!!!! and when one stops - they all stop which normally blocks the road.

Sorry FGW but here's the reasoning;

Killing people;
1. Pedestrian killed on Lambton Quay when hid on the head by trolley bus pole that came off the wire.
2. Trolley bus driver killed on Cobham Drive when car crunched him under bus as he tried to reattach his trolley bus poles to the wire.

Obviously diesel buses don't have poles so in both instances lives would have been spared!

As for drivers don't like them;
1. Reasons above
2. Try asking drivers (i'm one)
3. Ever wondered why Wellington is short 50 drivers, has never had a full compliment and turns over a sixth of its drivers every year? Go figure!

I agree with Seebee. Quieter buses would be much nicer for pedestrians and residents on bus routes. The arguments against trolleys seem overwhelming and I wonder whether it's just sentimentality or nostlgia that keep them going. Perhaps their fans could get their own private trolley line running somewhere, like steam rail enthusiasts. Slightly off topic, but most of the big buses in Wellington seem to empty most of the day. Minibuses would be quieter, and cheaper to run. Would they be worthwhile?