When looking for a solution to move people from point A to point B, it's usually best to look at numbers. A bendy bus carrying 140 passengers with a maximum headway of a bus every 5 minutes (shall we laugh) = 1680 passengers per hour. A trolleybus on the same headway will carry 2400, long modern trams such as the 40m ones used in Dublin will carry 358 = 4296 . So if you want to carry about 4000 people per hour you'll need a tram, if it's 2000 then consider a bus or trolley bus. If it's more you'll need a metro. In practice, trams are more reliable & meet tighter headways than either buses or trolleybuses. Of course you can always ignore this, go for the cheaper option anyway, find the vehicles so packed you can't get on (try getting on a number 18 in London at peak times)... so you take your car & clog the roads causing more delays to the bus/trolley bus.
You get what you pay for; tax cuts anyone?

Leon L, London,

The commitment to electric transport made by this funding is very commendable. Trams are in their way excellent, but must run on private right of way for a good deal of their route if they are to show distinct advantages. While the proposed trolleybuses will also run partly on their own "tracks", they have all the non-polluting (at least at point of contact with the urban public) advantages of trams, longevity (compared with buses) and lower installation costs than trams.

Few people will remember the Leeds trolleybuses hich last ran in 1928, out to New Farnley and between White Cross and Burley in Wharfedale and Otley, but these were of the nature of feeder routes to tramways. Bradford's erstwhile trolleybus system was excellent, but suffered from the pro-bus lobby of the 1960's, prior to the fuel crisis of the mid-1970s. Just look to Lyon in France, where a large fleet of modern trolleybuses operates in support of a tram network, and helps to keep pollution down in the centre.

Martin Nimmo, London,

If we aspire to rid our towns and cities of fossil fuel dependant diesel buses the proven technology of the trolleybus has a lot of merit. With so many fine modern trolleybus systems across the world it is time we revisited this all electric bus here in the UK. It is a shame that London has not considered such vehciles as the backbone of their road transport scheme for the 2012 Olympics, Athens did exactly this and was able to show the world zero-emission public transport at its best.

Keith, Bournemouth, England

Whilst the bus industry keeps tinkering away at lower emmision hybrid buses - at great expense and using untested technologies that remain fossil fuel dependent - a zero emssion and proven solution has been available all the time.
It is time the UK revisited the trolleybus, not just a cheaper alternative to the tram but arguably a superior one.
Well done Leeds, where you lead I suspect many will follow.

Keith B., Bournemouth, England

We have heavy trolleybuses in france since ten- twelve years ( in Caen, Nancy , Rouen and Clermont Ferrand). Trolleybuses were promoted as a cheap alternative to tramway or light train lines, but we found from experience that the cost per passenger is practically identical ( trolleybuses, expecially guided heavy modern ones always runs at the same spot of the road, and either you are resurfacing the road all the time, or you have a very heavy duty road... who costs as much as a tram line)

Trolleybuses are better than tram or light rail only when the town has steep streets ( more than 1/15), and if you do'nt believe me, phone to the technical division of Caen or Nancy Town

O Cazier, Paris, France

How stupid are these people? Its clearly not their money they are spending and they act like spoilt children who didn't get their big toy for Chritmas so now wan't a smaller one instead. Their pricing argument is no different to me saying I wan't to commute to London by space craft and when I'm told its too expensive I then put forward flying by 747 as a "cheap" alternative - its not and its an absolute waste of public money. Leeds needs a sensible road system (not the "innovative" Loop or the Inner Ring Road both of which must have been thought up without any reference to real world), decent access from the north and some driver training so that they make some progress. The only people who will use the trolley bus are people moving from the buses - its an absolute waste of money AGAIN!

S Baker, Leeds, West Yorkshire

Excellent news. It's about time we had a little economic sense with regard to transport. These trolleybuses are the most energy-efficient vehicles you can find and they offer luxury public transit at half the cost of trams.

John James`, York,

I am in great favour of trolleys,as I travel abroad
reguarly and I,m really impressed with examples in
Salzburg as peole take public transport very seriously
out there.

David K. Myers, Sheffield, Yorks. UK.

Here is history repeating itself. Trolleybuses were environmentally friendly, had fast acceleration, and many had batteries, when they were so rashly abandoned in Britain during the 'fifties and 'sixties. Unfortunately, they simply became unfashionable, and local politicians can't stand to be unfashionable. In some countires, such as Russia, they are the standard form of urban transport. Switzerland has fourteen towns with trolleybus systems, and they are a delight to travel on. I'm glad Leeds has had the courage to put its faith in these vehicles. The car lobby will always object to such schemes, just as they did to Britain's new, and very succesful tramways.

E George, Wallington, England

I am not sure what a sense of confidence in permanence got to do with a decision how to get to and from work on a daily basis.

Do people fear that a bus service might be withdrawn by home time?

Trolley buses are slower are buses and not road trains and will not get the same number of people out of cars.

Surely it would have been better to look at more cost effective tram schemes based on lighter construction and standardisation.

From an environmental point of view they are clearly better than buses in cities though not for the neighbourhoods where the power is generated.

Philip Taylor, Pocklington, UK

If ministers won't fund tram schemes but are prepared to support trolleybuses, that's at least a step in the right direction. Many of us who can remember the trolleys of old have always maintained it was a short-sighted move to get rid of them.

But they must have the same kind of priorities on the road as trams, such as reserved lanes and traffic lights which change in their favour. It's time to make it clear that public transport is the sensible choice to get around cities and suburbs. If people wish to use street space extravagantly by driving their own cars, they must be prepared to wait their turn at junctions and pinch-points, while the trolleybus sweeps past them.

Barry, Wallington, UK