My understanding is that trams are much more cost effective long-term than buses, because the rails last much much longer than asphalt or even concrete.

They also have other benefits:

• Smoother, less bumpy ride
• Bigger capacity than buses, with the possibility to add up to 5 cars
• Don’t have to wait at traffic lights (We can install sensors to detect a tram is coming and switch the light so that it can go ahead without waiting. That’s technically doable for an BRT/SRB, but it’s more complex and as you can see, they didn’t do it for SRB Pie-IX…🙁)
• Less noisy
• Easier to electrify
• Easier to automate (make them self-driving)
• No tires means less pollution
• Grass can be added between the 2 rails, making it more pleasant looking, absorbing heat and noise
• Level boarding make them more accessible
• and more

You can see this thread for more benefits: https://www.reddit.com/r/notjustbikes/comments/qftru7/why_trams_and_trains_over_buses/

A few hundreads I think? Though I don’t know how many are part of this working group. It’s open though so you or anyone interested can join.

Ça serait vraiment bien. Les tramways ont beaucoup d’avantages par rapport aux autobus.