| Comment | As others have said there's the whole battery vs directly powered by the grid argument, and energy efficiency points related to that.
Added to that though, tram lines can have a bit more of an economic stimulus effect on areas they pass through, owing to the fact they are seen as permanent infrastructure. A bus line could always be changed or diverted. Installing physical tram lines is a statement that the area will be reliably be served by a rapid transit option for years to come.
I can't remember where it was, but I read a paper a while back citing examples of this effect in various cities, comparing tram lines to bus lines.
Of course there are pros and cons to both.
Buses give more flexibility in terms of route options. They're cheaper too.
Trams are slightly more efficient than buses (which are already quite efficient) at carrying people, so long as they're on segregated paths not shared with other traffic. Short of an underground high speed metro line, a modern segregated tramway is the best way of moving the most people the quickest.
In truth, a healthy transport network for a big city probably needs a mix. Buses providing neighbourhood to neighbourhood services, and trams (or better yet, high speed subway routes) providing rapid commuter travel into the city centre. |
|---|