It would be interesting to compare the ride of the Bathurst streetcar with, say, the Dufferin bus south of Bloor.
On the 511, the streetcar stops at every stop, including Bloor just south of the subway stop (useless), and then the tiny street right afterward. Continuing along, the 511 takes about 25 minutes to reach Exhibition at 8 minute frequencies. At either end, the service is severely jammed up and often 4 cars trundle into Bathurst station or Exhibition all at once after a 25 minute wait.
On Dufferin, the 29 bus upon leaving the subway station almost never stops until it reaches the Dufferin Mall, which is roughly at the same latitude as Harbord. When one bus is parked, the other one just leapfrogs around it and continues to the next stop. Of course, a streetcar cannot do this. The frequency of the 29 bus is every 4 minutes or better, and this is usually fairly consistent. Drivers usually floor it, don't have to wait for left-turning vehicles and make it down to Exhibition in less time than the Bathurst streetcar. The Dufferin bus also carries more people than the Bathurst streetcar despite the fact that the 511 frequently runs with ALRVs.
I am not sold on streetcars. I think I will say the unsayable in Toronto and wish that we had gotten rid of them in 1970 in favour of a Queen subway line and frequent N-S bus services like Dufferin.