Driver's handbook
How to play Little Tram
Little Tram is a 3D tram driving game that runs in your browser. You drive a tram through a city with two lines and nine stations, picking up and dropping off passengers. Here’s everything you need to know, from raising the pantograph to signing your first timetable shift.
- 100% free
- No download
- No sign-up
- Desktop & mobile
Getting started
Press Play on the homepage to start driving immediately — no download or account needed. Pick Joyride to explore freely, or Timetable to sign a shift. Before you can move: hold P to raise the pantograph. No pantograph, no power.
Desktop controls
On desktop, you drive with the keyboard. The full reference is also in the game under Settings → Shortcuts.
Mobile controls
On phones and tablets, on-screen touch controls appear automatically — throttle, brakes, doors, bell, and track switching. The layout adapts to your screen size.
Game modes
- Joyride
- Drive freely with no pressure. Explore the network, learn the controls, visit every station, and just enjoy the ride. There’s no schedule and no penalties.
- Timetable
- Open the departure board and sign a shift: a line, a destination, and a departure time. The city clock runs in real time and your schedule is anchored to it — depart each station on the minute, manage your speed between stops, and stay punctual to the end of the shift. The timetable panel shows your deviation as you go.
The network
Six lines serve twenty stations. Line 1 is a Loop line around the old city. Line 2 is a Bidirectional line between the Turning loops at Botanical Gardens and Waterfront. It calls in both directions at Cemetery, Stadium, Old Town, Trade Fair and Airport on its own paired reservation. Four further Lines connect the city to the forest, university, harbour and seafront. Press M for the map and Tab for the route panel showing your upcoming stops.
Passengers
Passengers wait at platforms and board when you open the correct doors. Your capacity depends on the vehicle and formation you’re running — from a single unit to a coupled set. Busier city settings mean fuller platforms.
Rules of the road
The city expects you to drive like a professional. Speed limits are posted on roadside signs in km/h. Traffic lights respond to demand and treat your tram like any other vehicle — there’s no tram priority, so queue with everyone else. Signal your turns at junctions, ring the bell at crossings, and mind the shared street on Line 3, where cars queue behind a dwelling tram.
Customising your tram
Open Settings (I) to choose your tram — the low-floor Type 1 and Type 2, or the vintage Type 3 and Type 4 — and to adjust how busy the city is or toggle the AI trams. Every type but the single-car Type 4 runs in one- or two-unit formation, and more length means more passengers but trickier stops.
Badges
Badges are earned for one-off feats: filling a tram to capacity, holding 50 km/h up a hill, serving every line in one session. None of them is announced in advance — you find them by driving, and your collection on the badges page only ever shows what you have earned. A free account saves them across devices.
Tips for new drivers
- Pantograph first. Nothing works until it’s on the wire.
- Start in Joyride mode to learn the controls without any time pressure.
- Brake early. Trams are heavy and take longer to stop than you expect.
- Set your points before you reach a junction, not at the last second.
- Watch the speed limit signs — the AI trams obey them, and so should you.
- Ring your bell at crossings. It’s not just for fun; it warns pedestrians.
- In Timetable mode, departing on time matters more than arriving early. Early is late for the passengers you leave behind.
- Open the map (M) to get an overview of the network before signing a longer shift.
Frequently asked questions
- Why won't my tram move?
- Check the pantograph. You can't apply power until it's raised — hold P until it reaches the overhead wire, then notch up with the up arrow.
- How do I pick which way to go at a junction?
- Press ? (or /) before you reach the junction to cycle the points. Set them early — a tram can't change its mind at the frog.
- How do passengers board?
- Stop at the platform and open the doors on the platform side ([ for left, ] for right). Passengers board and alight, then you close up and depart.
- What happens if I'm late in Timetable mode?
- The timetable panel tracks your deviation at every stop. Running late loses you adherence; running early is just as bad — a tram that leaves before the timetable strands passengers.
- Can I play with touch controls?
- Yes. On phones and tablets, on-screen controls for throttle, brakes, doors, bell, and points appear automatically.