A classification for transit systems or vehicles that draw electric power from overhead wires but drive on standard paved roads instead of a fixed railway. These vehicles use trolley poles to reach the catenary but steer with a conventional steering wheel. It distinguishes rubber-tired trolleybuses from streetcars and light rail vehicles that are bound to steel tracks.
Heard on the job
The city replaced the old streetcar line with trackless trolleys to save on rail maintenance.