Truly risible, Tony. It appears that battery electric buses have yet to be
introduced in Australia, and so you have no actual experience. I suggest
you visit Wellington sometime and experience our growing electric bus
system – far larger, better performing and more reliable than anything the
old trolleybus system could ever aspire to. I once thought and argued as
you do, before the battery buses were introduced, but on the spot user
experience beats gunzel nostalgia every time.
Other, smaller, New Zealand cities have already achieved 100% electric
fleets, which we expect to get to about 2030. Do you suggest that they
should have wired their bus routes instead?
Brent Efford

On Saturday, March 30, 2024 at 1:46:08 AM UTC+13 TP wrote:

> The decision to close Wellington's trolleybus system is obviously going to

> live on as a lesson around the world. The author of this excellent

> transport channel covers all the issues well. Talking of costs, ironically

> Wellington got rid of a system that had the lowest whole-of-life costs of

> any electric transit system and replaced it with one (battery buses) with

> higher costs and less reliability. If only they'd made that modest

> investment in maintaining the infrastructure over the years, they would

> have saved themselves a lot more cost later.

>

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxqnkLcMn4g

>

> Here, by contrast, from the same author, an interview about how the city

> of Tallinn, Estonia, decided to keep and expand their trolleybus system

> instead of close it. Note the comment that trolleybus substations can be

> used by a future tram system if required (vice versa also applies, e.g. in

> Prague).

>

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nm6eBzV0SU

>

> Tony P

>