When 71-year-old Huang Xialan thinks about life without trolley buses (electric buses that draw power from overhead wires), she feels a deep sense of loss. Huang has used trolley buses for her transportation needs for nearly half a century. Every day for the past 10 years, the Shanghainese retiree has relied on No.14, the oldest trolley bus line in the city, to go to the park, supermarket, bank and doctor. She is so emotionally dependent on the service that she refuses to catch a regular bus that will take her to the same destination.

However, it might be time for Huang to say goodbye to her beloved trolley bus. The number of trolley buses only accounts for 1 percent of the city's buses. At one time there were over 900 trolley buses in operation; however, these days only 173 remain in operation along 10 routes.

Since all trolley buses must be scrapped after eight years, if there are no new trolley buses to take over by 2014, the 100th anniversary of trolley buses in Shanghai, people will only be able to see them in museums. Trolley buses have disappeared from 17 cities in China. In contrast, they are promoted in Western countries as environmentally friendly and relatively cheap vehicles to run.

Trolley buses have a special place in Shanghai's history. The city has the oldest trolley bus network in China, which has been in operation since 1914. During its 97-year history the vehicle shaped the city's landscape. Its passing invokes feelings of sadness among Shanghai's older residents whose early memories took place on many a trolley bus. "The trolley bus represents Shanghai's heyday in the 1930s and 40s. It also represents my happiest times," said 56-year-old Ji Jinxiang, who has been a trolley bus driver for 29 years.

Hail to the bus driver

Ji became a driver at around the same time the trolley buses entered their golden age. Since the mid-80s, trolley buses developed rapidly as the government planned to make them Shanghai's main form of public transport. Both routes and volume expanded. "I started my career traveling along Fuzhou Road Middle. It is the first trolley bus route in Shanghai. It lasted for 1.1 kilometers when it was first built, but expanded to 10 kilometers in the 80s, and now it covers 18 stops in 16.5 kilometers," Ji said.

According to Ji, at that time, the trolley bus was also the center of people's attention. It was regarded as a symbol of high social status, during an age when the majority used bicycles as their main form of transport. "I was very proud to be a trolley bus driver," Ji said.

For his first working day, he spent 7.65 yuan ($1.19) on a new pair of leather shoes. It was a very lavish purchase for the time, as the average monthly salary in Shanghai was around 30 yuan then. "I dressed up so I could match my job and the bus I drove," Ji said.

Wearing his first blue uniform, Ji said he could not help holding his head high. "People respected us, and envied us as we were the few who could have driving experience," he said, adding it was common for passengers to stand beside him and watch him drive with great interest.

It was no easy feat driving a trolley bus at that time. Many were 14-meter-long articulated buses, with a pivoting joint which held together two sections. They were called "giant dragons" as they were bulky and long. "Some female drivers needed to stand to turn the steering wheel to make a left or right turn," Ji said.

In the mid-90s, all the "giant dragons" were replaced by smaller and quicker models. The interior of the trolley bus improved as well. Ji still remembers how hard it was to sweep the melon seed husks that dropped between the floorboards and the rolling door. "They were not comparable to the models we use now, with plastic floors, electronic doors and air conditioning," Ji said.

In 1994, the Shanghai trolley bus network reached its peak. There were more than 20 routes, with 986 vehicles in operation. Its urban passenger intake accounted for 30 percent of Shanghai's total passenger intake. Its scale of operation was the biggest in Asia and the third biggest in the world.

The price of progress

In the late 90s, when the city's transit system received massive restructuring many trolley bus routes were cancelled. Most were replaced by regular buses. By the end of the 90s, its number declined to around 500.

Over the last 10 years, the government has launched plans to redevelop the trolley bus network. In 2002, Shanghai Ba-Shi Trolley Bus Company was established, the company planned to introduce 800 to 1,000 trolley buses by 2010. In 2007, the government also announced a project to expand the trolley bus network.However, these plans failed. Rumors circulated that the reduction of trolley buses was in accordance with the government policy to scale down the bus industry. According to an insider, the bus industry has become less profitable as more and more commuters choose to use the subway. According to Bian Wenxiang, a regular trolley bus commuter, a bus driver told him that monthly revenue declined by 50,000 yuan for each bus traveling on Bus No.145 after metro Line 8 was put into operation.

In recent years, an increasing number of trolley bus routes were terminated, as the overhead lines were regarded as "visual pollution." Today only 173 trolley buses remain in operation along 10 routes, with the bulk of them based in Yangpu district and catering to downtown areas.

With big developments in technology in recent years, the century-old service did show disadvantages compared to other modern forms of transport. "Since the trolley bus has to rely on the overhead wires to get power, it has bad flexibility," said Shen Haiying, vice manager of the maintenance department of Ba-Shi Trolley Bus Company. "It is more likely to cause traffic jams. For Shanghai, it's the core disadvantage as the city is always struggling to keep traffic moving smoothly."

According to Shen, traffic jams caused by trolley buses dewiring occur every year. "Whenever a trolley bus comes off the wires, say when it collides with a car, it will stall until the wires are fixed, which will take at least half an hour," Shen said. Also, they cannot run if the water level is deeper than 1.8 centimeters, as there are many electronic devices beneath them, which means trolley buses may be unroadworthy during Shanghai's rainy season. Because of these reasons regular buses are used as the main form of transport along the 10 remaining trolley bus routes.

With modern systems, dewirements are relatively rare, yet Shanghai is no longer a city with the resources to improve the trolley bus industry, according to Shen. "In the 1980s, people came from other cities to study trolley buses in Shanghai. But these days it is not easy to buy components in Shanghai or anywhere else in the country," said Shen, who has been involved in trolley bus maintenance since 1982. He added that 2007 was the last time a new trolley bus was purchased in Shanghai.

Shen said there used to be 27 cities in China with trolley bus networks, however two thirds of them have been completely terminated, including in Shenyang and Xi'an, the two main cities that supplied trolley bus components.

Monuments to history

Many Shanghainese are afraid that Shanghai will be the next city to lose its trolley buses. For those who have witnessed their rise and decline, their departure conjures up sad feelings. "It was one of the best memories of my childhood to sit on the pivoting joint of the trolley bus," said 25-year-old Lu Wenjie. "It was like sitting on a turntable every time the bus turned."

According to Lu, people at that time still regarded it a big treat to take the buses. "Every time I took a trolley bus, it was during a festival or a big event with my family. So when I see a trolley bus, it reminds me of something sweet and warm," he said.

Trolley bus driver Ji Jinxiang keeps his old uniforms in a box. Each has been carefully maintained by Ji. "If the trolley buses are gone, at least I still have these uniforms," he said. "Every day when I finish work, I cannot help looking back at the trolley bus. I feel satisfied when I see a team of buses neatly lined up."

Bian Wenxiang, 26, who appreciates old Shanghai's culture, suggested the government preserve at least one or two trolley bus routes to offer a sense of nostalgia in a city full of sports cars and skyscrapers. "The trolley bus, introduced and first managed by British companies, represents Shanghai's unique combination of East and West. It can remind us of the essence of old Shanghai," Bian said.

"I would feel so sorry if trolley buses disappear as cable cars did," said 72-year-old Lu Shunmei. Cable cars were in use in Shanghai before trolley buses were introduced; however, they were removed during the city's construction. To relive the memory of sitting in a cable car, Lu has to go to the Chedun film base in Songjiang district, which boasts a film set that recreates Shanghai in the 30s.

"I hope my descendants still have the opportunity to sit on a trolley bus, and not have to admire them in a museum," Lu said. "We often call the fossil-fuel buses 'robot cars,' as they rush here and there and speed up from time to time, making us feel sick. But the trolley bus is gentle and quiet," said Lu.

According to Shen, the distance between stops along a trolley bus route are nearer, sometimes just around 500 meters apart, so the speed remains relatively slow. It is almost silent as well, since it does not have the noise of a diesel engine, compared to regular buses. For this reason, they are often referred to as the "Silent Service" in the UK.

Most importantly, trolley buses, free of tail exhaust, are far more environmentally friendly. In Shanghai, which has more than 1.5 million vehicles, the problem of air pollution is getting more severe. Exhaust fumes account for more than 60 percent of the city's air pollution, according to Zhang Quan, chief of the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau.

Though it has stopped the development of trolley buses, the city introduced electronic buses during the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. According to Huang Xiaoyong, a press officer from the Shanghai Municipal Transport and Port Authority, which oversees the city's trolley buses, the city will seek a balance between maintaining old trolley buses and incorporating new electric buses. However, the new electric buses cost three times more than a trolley bus, at least 2 million yuan each, and maintenance for the new electric buses is also more expensive.