Words / B1

TROL-eeb-us/ˈtrɒli bʌs/

A trolley bus (id: trolley-bus) is a bus powered from overhead electric wires, not a diesel bus and not a tram on rails. In everyday UK, trolley on its own is a shopping cart or a hospital cart — so trolley bus needs both words. A few British cities still run them. Countable.

Meaning

A bus that gets power from overhead electric wires.

Examples

• “We caught the trolley bus into the town centre.”
• “The old trolley bus museum is open at the weekend.”
• “A trolley bus is quieter than a diesel bus on the high street.”

Good to know

a trolley bus. Contrast: a bus / a tram. Mix-up: a trolley in a supermarket is a shopping cart.

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