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> My brief electric bus ride was not mind-blowingly different from a conventional one.

It has been possible to experience an electric bus ride for well over a century to verify that it's not "mind blowingly different".

Ever heard of the trolleybus? It's an electric bus that draws power from overhead cables.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolleybus#History

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I lived in a city with a "trolley" that turned out to be a bus painted like a trolley and I've heard of others with the same experience. I have to laugh when I see a city advertise it's trolley service when in reality it is nothing of the sort.

That's not really what the OP is talking about. Not sure why they aren't popular in the US, but many cities in Europe have extensive electric bus networks powered by electrical lines overhead.

I suspect the benefits are you don't have to lay rail + you can use normal vehicle lanes + you get the benefits of not having a combustion engine (smog, mechanical issues, fuel storage/re-fill).

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