Why Guided Buses are A Bad Idea

• Local officials had to travel to Nancy, France to see the only example of this technology anywhere in the world. However, at the time of the visit, the system was shut down because of technical problems.
• It has not been demonstrated that guided buses can operate in snow and ice conditions.
• Technical and operational difficulties have been encountered in the only city where it has been built.
• No American city has built a guided bus system while dozens of American cities have built or rebuilt light rail systems over the last 30 years.
• Hundreds of cities operate conventional rubber tired diesel bus systems.

2. Guided Buses Have No Advantage Over Conventional Diesel Buses Operating on a Dedicated Lane.

• Assuming that "Tram on Tires"guided buses can be shown to work from an engineering standpoint, is it more cost effective than conventional diesel buses operating on busways or in dedicated lanes?
• The "Tram on Tires" technology employed in Nancy, France is basically an articulated bus except that the "Tram on Tires" is powered by overhead trolley wires, similar to light rail and trolley buses, and is steered by a guidance arm that rides on a rail located in a slot in the pavement of a dedicated or limited access traffic lane or busway.
• "Tram on Tires" cannot be "entrained" (i.e. coupled together to form trains of two or more units as is possible with light rail) thus they operate as single units like conventional diesel buses.
• What is theadvantage of guided buses compared to conventional diesel buses operating on a dedicated or limited access traffic lane? The answer: There is no advantage.

2a. Other Points:

• The guided bus is not faster, smoother, safer, or more comfortable than a modern conventional diesel bus operating in a dedicated lane.
• The conventional diesel bus does not require overhead trolley wires which are expensive to build and expensive to maintain.
• The conventional diesel bus does not require a guide rail in a slot in the pavement which is expensive to build and expensive to maintain.
• The Milwaukee County Transit System is well equipped to repair and maintain conventional diesel buses. The "Tram on Tires" guided bus is a sophisticated, specialized system that will require specialized equipment and facilities for repair and maintenance. Accordingly, the "Tram on Tires" vehicle is more expensive than conventional diesel buses and will be more costly to maintain than conventional diesel buses.
• The reliability of a conventional diesel bus is well known, while the reliability of the guided bus guidance technology (e.g. will the vehicle stay on the guide rail?) is not known and the present evidence suggests there are problems. The reliability issue is especially problematic in situations of snow, ice, and temperature extremes.
• Conventional diesel buses are available from many manufacturers while the "Tram on Tires" is a proprietary system offered by only one manufacturer. Adopting "Tram on Tires" would lock Milwaukee into a single manufacturer for parts and replacement vehicles (not a good position to be in – especially if the system turns into a "white elephant").

2b. Final Thoughts

• If light rail is unacceptable because of capital costs, the question remains: why choose guided bus technology over conventional diesel buses operating in a dedicated lane? Conventional diesel buses would be faster and cheaper to implement, no more expensive to operate, provide the same benefits as guided buses, would avoid dependence on a single manufacturer for parts and replacements, and would represent a known and proven technology compared to guided bus technology which is unproven.
• Guided bus technology is being sold as an inexpensive version of light rail. In fact, it is a very expensive, and unproven, version of bus service.

3. Guided Buses Will Reduce Street Parking and Impede Traffic Flow.

• Over the years, many light rail transit opponents have focused on the disruption to parking, traffic flow, and land uses along the streets that would be used as routes and the alleged "ugliness" of overhead wires. Guided buses will have the exact same impacts.
• Guided buses would require a reserved lane where the "guideway" and overhead wire would be located. This reserved lane would reduce on-street parking, interfere with freight delivery, interfere with driveway egress and ingress, and reduce traffic capacity causing increased congestion. The proposed guided bus connector route uses city streets and would use one or both parking lanes. This means that on some arterial streets all street parking will be eliminated. In the 4th District, the streets that would be affected by the guided bus connector are Prospect Ave., Wisconsin Ave., Jackson St., Van Buren St., Old World Third St. and Fourth St.