How the Votes were Split:

A General Overview of the Situation

The administration of Edmonton Transit brought up the idea of removing the trolley bus system as a cost saving measure.  Despite the many benefits of trolleybuses, administration persisted with the idea of tearing down a $73 million investment and did not once change their mind about it.

Trolleys are Neglected
Anyone who has spent time observing the Edmonton Transit System would be able to tell you that the trolleys are downright neglected.  No major work has been put into the buses - not even a new coat of paint or power steering.  Most bus operators would prefer a brand new low floor with power steering over a 22 year old trolleybus with no power steering.  During the council meeting, a member of the administration stated something along the lines of "If $14 million is putting nothing into the trolleys, then I don't know what is."  The $14 million was strictly used within the electrical system, including the overhead wires and substations.  No portion of that money went towards retrofitting the trolleybuses with any new features.  That same $14 million was not a huge portion of the ETS budget.

Two of the complaints mostly used against Edmonton's trolleybuses are that 1. they are not wheelchair accessible, and 2. they are unreliable.  The answers to these complaints are quite simple:

1. The buses are not wheelchair accessible because they are from 1982.  Low floor buses were not being produced at that time, and management has not retrofitted wheelchair lifts into those buses.  It is entirely possible to retrofit these buses, as Dayton, Ohio has done it with the two trolleybuses they purchased from Edmonton Transit.
2. Lack of maintenance to the trolley buses is evident, and this is why reliability appears to be a problem.  One cannot expect a 22 year old trolley to run flawlessly, especially when management does nothing to improve the condition of the buses.  Even the newest buses have problems.  Another point is that Edmonton has the only transit system in the world that keeps a diesel backup for each trolley in service.  The money used to maintain these backups could easily be used elsewhere.  If construction is an issue, auxiliary power units (APUs) could be installed on the existing fleet.  However, Council decided against this action.

Management seems to be deliberately making the trolleys look bad so the public will want to get rid of them.

Benefits of Trolleys
Trolleybuses are clean, quiet, and economical.  No diesel bus will ever come close to the attractiveness of a trolley bus, even with the stricter emission regulations.  Cities around the world are starting or are continuing the use of trolleybuses due to their great benefits.  If they were such a lousy method of transportation, the 300+ cities using trolleybuses would start decommissioning them immediately.  While the initial cost may be greater ($900 000 for a trolley, $400 000 for a diesel), most people believe our quality of life is much more important.

No street level emissions are released with a trolley bus, and they run much quieter than a diesel bus.  As a matter of fact, every engine that ETS has (except for the latest Cummins ISL engines in the 2004 model buses) do not meet today's emissions standards.  Also, it has been stated that the Cummins ISC engines used in the 1998-2003 low floor buses violates the city's noise bylaw!

Increasing the use of diesel buses increases costs, as more fuel must be purchased/delivered.  While the maintenance costs may decrease, the continually rising cost of fuel offsets this.  Trolleybuses can be run on the same electrical system, so each individual bus does not need to be fuelled every night before being parked in the garage.  In other words, trolleys "share" the fuel on the run.

Air pollution is one of the major disadvantages of running a diesel bus fleet.  Trolleys release zero street emissions, while diesels emit poisonous gases such has nitrous oxide and sulfur oxide.  Most people would rather breathe clean air over a big black cloud of smoke.  New technologies such as diesel particulate filters are promoted as a way to lower emissions, but they actually make the particles smaller, which become more dangerous to your health.

Diesels can be considered more versatile, as they can travel 100% without overhead power.  However, trolleys are good for the patrons who would rather ride a constant route, not a route that has more stops before arriving to the final destination.  As mentioned before, APUs can be added to trolleybuses so they can travel around unforeseen obstructions.

The Consultant's Report
A consultant from the United States (Booz Allen Hamilton) was hired to compile a report on trolleybus operations.  Not only did the report cost taxpayers money, it arrived late, contained spelling errors, and was full of flaws.  The numbers in this report were highly inaccurate and it was strictly focused on cost.  It did not take into consideration that the trolleys run on the busiest routes and carry 10% of the passenger load.  It also left out costs for producing and transporting the diesel fuel, while that was considered for the electrical trolleys.

Edmonton's trolleys are underused, and this was even included in the report.  They do not run during the summer, but with some modifications they could easily be used during construction.  Due to this, the report stated that trolleys were indeed more expensive to run than diesel buses.  The GM Fishbowl high-floor diesels and the 1993-1994 low floors equipped with Detroit Diesel 6V92TA engines were more expensive to run than trolleys.  The comparison between the buses is not equal, as there are only 59 active trolleys and over 400 active low floor buses, mostly powered by the Cummins series of engines.  There are also around 300 diesel GM Fishbowls in service.

Operating costs for the trolleys was more expensive due to the overhead maintenance cost.  Otherwise, the cost for diesel and trolley were similar across the board.  The operating costs per kilometer also lowered if the trolleys were utilized more.  As fuel prices continue to rise, so will the cost of operating a diesel bus fleet.  The cost to produce electricity stays relatively constant, so the trolleys will be cheaper to operate in the long run, especially if the fleet is utilized more.  Also, the City of Edmonton is able to obtain a lower rate for electricity because they own the supplier.

Hybrid Buses
Between the time of deciding to remove trolleys and the time that the decision was to be made, three different hybrid diesel-electric buses were brought into Edmonton.  This included an Orion VII demo powered by the BAE Systems powertrain, a Gillig Phantom powered by the GM/Allison powertrain, and a NewFlyer DE60LF headed for Seattle which was also powered by the GM/Allison combination.  Only the DE60LF was publicly advertised, and this was right before the decision was to be made.

Diesel-electric power is not a new thing.  It has been used in rail locomotives for years.  It is only a new concept for buses to keep emissions and fuel usage down.

Concluding Remarks