It would be easy to conclude that buses aren’t all unique. They’re (if commuters are lucky) regularly operated, essential icons of public transportation. The fact is, though, the likes of an iconic bright red bus in London is an historic sighting. Aside from the U.K. capital, of course, buses are mainstays around the world. When it comes to transportation in San Francisco, the City by the Bay has a system that’s a tourist attraction in its own right: Its remarkable cable car network. This system is instantly recognisable and truly unique. In fact, there’s no other like it in the world. It’s as much of an icon of the city as its legendary and bizarre twisted street.
At the same time, though, it’s vital to note just how old this system is. It was first driven by the enterprising Andrew S. Hallidie in August of 1873, and so even the greatest of cable car lovers will have to admit that times have moved on considerably since then. Just as surely, the cable car system has evolved too, and there have even been attempts to upgrade to another system. There’s one particularly notable example of this in the case of the Powell Street Line, where, after around 70 years of operation, the line was to be replaced by a fleet of buses.
This ultimately didn’t pan out, but those buses became the stuff of San Francisco legend in their own right. For an annual celebration of the town’s rich and fascinating transportation history, one of these so-called super buses was briefly returned to service, giving residents and local enthusiasts the chance to ride one of these classic models that could, potentially, have changed the face of public transport in San Francisco.
How super buses may have replaced the beloved cable cars
Changing long-established norms is never an easy task. With historic buildings and vehicles in particular, we don’t like to see things go. When it was suggested back in 1947 that a specific cable car route may need to be altered, then, there was some controversy. This isn’t to say, though, that nobody wanted to modernize the system over time…