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In nearly every country but our own, streetcars in one form or another still carry huge numbers of passengers through cities far older than American cities. Subways serve essentially the same purpose, as do the elevated trains in some other cities. Of them all, the streetcar is still the most visible and most easily used transportation system that is also least affected by motor vehicle congestion quite often due to having their tracks separated from normal roadways and in others car owners doing their best to clear the rails before their own car gets struck by a tram. Simply put--you get hit by a tram, it's your fault for being on the tracks. Streetcars, through their 'rigidity', ensure the viability of a community longer than busses--which is why most American cities are now surrounded by huge suburbs and highways are clogged by cars--those busses simply cannot meet the need due to maintenance and fuel costs as well as their dependence on roads 'owned' by congestion.