Trolleys vs buses

[Stealthy]

So what's the deal here? Why should i use Trolleybuses instead of normal buses? Cheaper? Less emissions? Less noise? What?

Why aren't there any capacity difference or anything at all to indicate clear benefit for one over another?

[Catratio]

I'm guessing it's mostly aesthetics. At least that's why I would choose one over the other since they seem more limited, what with needing to rely on wires. I guess they were a requested feature for a long time because they have a certain "look" that fits certain cities.

[grapplehoeker]

Variety is the spice of life ;)

[soldyne]

eh, I got the achievement for using them and I will most likely never use them again. regular buses are just better IMHO. buses have special roads with dedicated lanes and don't require special infrastructure. also, I see no difference between them and trams, which I also don't use.

I understand it was a mathematical feat to get them to work the way they do, but, I just don't see the point of them in my game.

[dudhhr]

Assuming they are realistic, they would have reduced emissions and noise due to not using engines.

[ultrasquid]

Without looking at how they work in the game, trolley buses are electric buses powered by overhead wires. Wire power displaces pollution to the power plants on your electrical grid, and should reduce your oil consumption unless you have oil-fired power plants. Overhead wiring places limitations on routing, but are faster and cheaper to install than light rail trolleys, and with their electric motors have a better torque curve than diesel buses so they can be routed on steeper roads. Whether these factors are all taken into account in the game I haven't checked.

[Kleiner's final Form]

Originally posted by grapplehoeker:

Variety is the spice of life ;)

I genuinely have to ask what you thought when posting this on a thread about the lack of difference in the two

[Stealthy]

Just been monitoring noise overlay and it seems that biofuel buses have less noise emissions than trolleys. So even less reasons to use them.

I wish they'd be larger capacity at least, so could go bus > trolley > tram > metro > train.

[grapplehoeker]

Originally posted by Kleiner's final Form:

Originally posted by grapplehoeker:

Variety is the spice of life ;)

I genuinely have to ask what you thought when posting this on a thread about the lack of difference in the two

Well, I thought my meaning was self explanatory, but, if you require clarification...
Whatever difference in efficiency between the two modes of mass transit is ultimately moot. The only difference that matters is appearance and the variety of choice. So, it doesn't matter whether or not one mode is 'better' than another, but rather, it offers you another means to spice up your city and that is all ;)

(Must dash... got 2 incoming mech clusters to deal with on Rimworld o.O)

[Agamemnicon]

Originally posted by ultrasquid:

Without looking at how they work in the game, trolley buses are electric buses powered by overhead wires. Wire power displaces pollution to the power plants on your electrical grid, and should reduce your oil consumption unless you have oil-fired power plants. Overhead wiring places limitations on routing, but are faster and cheaper to install than light rail trolleys, and with their electric motors have a better torque curve than diesel buses so they can be routed on steeper roads. Whether these factors are all taken into account in the game I haven't checked.

Way cool! That seems to explain their use in San Fran, what with all the hills.

[Kleiner's final Form]

Originally posted by grapplehoeker:

Originally posted by Kleiner's final Form:

I genuinely have to ask what you thought when posting this on a thread about the lack of difference in the two

Well, I thought my meaning was self explanatory, but, if you require clarification...
Whatever difference in efficiency between the two modes of mass transit is ultimately moot. The only difference that matters is appearance and the variety of choice. So, it doesn't matter whether or not one mode is 'better' than another, but rather, it offers you another means to spice up your city and that is all ;)

(Must dash... got 2 incoming mech clusters to deal with on Rimworld o.O)

Oh, I know you mean that, the point is that visual appearance doesn't make do for the fact that it's just a less practical bus.

[Sol]

Trams go faster on long hauls than buses and can use their own rails to go above highways, so that you can connect districts separated by a highway with a vehicle that does the job fast. The secret is that you want fewer stops, farther between so they can get speed up. Buses, you want more stops and less distance per loop. You can almost use them as inter-city trains that can hop onto a road to make a few stops if it needs to.

I usually use Trams to get people from one district to the next, then the bus. It used to be that Trams can go above rivers or highways, metros have to go beneath them, so your needs will tell you which one to use in the spot.

Metros are superior to Trams now that Metros can go overground and that makes a big difference. In some cases, I would use Trams to go over water, which Metro can struggle to do sometimes. I might also use Trams if I want a major road to have several stops.

I will assume without having tested it, that Trolleys will be a lot like Trams except they can't exit the road and become their own rail system, and that you will want more frequent stops like buses. I could see a mixed transit zone where a Trolley picks people up from the metro and takes them to the buses down the way.

[Stealthy]

Originally posted by Shadow:

Trams go faster on long hauls than buses

I will assume without having tested it, that Trolleys will be a lot like Trams except they can't exit the road and become their own rail system, and that you will want more frequent stops like buses.

Buses can do 100km/h trams 40km/h. Assuming clear enough roads, bus wins.

Trolleys don't use rails, they use normal roads with catenary system above it.

[Sol]

What I mean is, the trolley cannot exit the main road infrastructure, giving it less flexibility than a Tram has. A tram can become your inter city train. So, if I have to choose between Tram and Trolley, it's a tram almost every time. Now, what's the immediate takeoff vs fully accelerated speed? Trams take a while to get to speed. Trolleys, if they start fast - it means they can work as a straight-line route (roundabout at the end?) to drop people off from Metro to Buses, because it will be able to take off fast after making a stop. Trams lag a bit in this regard, so that might be the one area I can see using a Trolley.