Bus Accident Lawyer

Trolley Buses

Trolley buses, also called trolley coaches or trackless trolleys, are rubber-tired vehicles that have motors powered by electricity from overhead wires. “Trolley” refers to the trolley poles on the roof of the bus that are used to transmit the electricity from the overhead wires.
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Because of how the trolley bus works, “electric trolley bus” is actually a redundant term. This term must be used sometimes on rare occasions to differentiate real trolley buses from the faux trolley cars and cable cars that are actually small buses.

The first trolley bus service in the United States was in Hollywood’s Laurel Canyon in 1910. Trolley buses began operating on Staten Island in October of 1921 and Philadelphia in October of 1923. Since its inception in 1923, Philadelphia has had continuous trolley bus service.

While their operations are flexible than that of motor buses, trolley buses are much more energy efficient, much quieter, and involve much less pollution. Trolley buses also operate better on hills, require less maintenance, and are longer lasting than motor buses.

Modern trolley buses are equipped with an auxiliary power unit (APU). This allows the bus to travel off-wire for several blocks to avoid anything blocking their normal route. These obstructions include excavations of a street or a street fair.

Trolley buses are typically restricted to a route or line on which there is a high demand for a route. The service needs to be in demand enough to justify the expense of the electric power system installation and vehicle costs.

San Francisco currently has the largest trolley bus fleet of any of the transit agencies in the United States and Canada. The trolley buses, in addition to the streetcars and the cable motors for the cable cars, are almost completely pollution-free. This is because their electric power comes from the city’s hydroelectric power plant.

Contact a Bus Accident Lawyer

If you have been involved in a bus accident and have been injured, contact the bus accident attorneys of Williams Kherkher at 1-866-950-9000 to schedule an initial consultation and to discuss your legal options.