evidence: I remember when Glider was first launched on the east/west route a few years ago. Before it got off the ground, it was fashionable to dump on it (a common pattern for public transport projects on this island). People argued that it could not even get around corners. A few shop owners predicted that the removal of parking spaces would destroy their businesses. Parents argued that they could not drop off their kids at school. Taxi drivers complained. All of these complaints more or less disappeared when the service was launched. [...] Why does Glider work ? Branding it to make it seem like something more than just a bendy bus plays more of a role than people might like to admit. The real key, though, is off-board ticketing. A significant cause of timetable slip and slow service is the need to issue tickets and change. By getting dwell times at stops down to a predictable level, coupled with well-enforced bus lanes, you build confidence in the reliability of the system in a way that attracts more users. Like everything in life, Glider represents a compromise. A tram system would be more scalable, would attract more passengers, and would be more environmentally friendly. But it would also cost significantly more to build and operate. The government argues that it cannot justify the additional cost. I don’t agree with this judgement, but for the time being at least, we need the eggs. Glider will never be as good as a tram, but it gets us part of the way there for relatively little outlay.