Thanks to the Sunderland Tramway Company, Sunderland has enjoyed a public
transport service since 9.00am Monday 28th April 1879. The horse trams
provided a service from 9.00am to 9.00pm every twenty minutes, it's
first route was between Monkwearmouth and Roker. Within seven
weeks the service had to be extended. By 1881, there had been four
and a half miles of tram tracks laid and the fare was 2d. In 1880 steam
operated trams were tried but were soon withdrawn as a failed
experiment.
On the 1st January 1900 Sunderland Corporation formally took over
Sunderland Tramway Company and the first electric tram was introduced on
15th August 1900. Tram lines continued to expand and in May 1929
Sunderland Corporation took delivery of it's first fleet of motor buses,
twelve single Decker Leyland Lions. The tramway extensions carried on
until after the Second World War, when the Sunderland council decided to
slowly replace the trams in favour of the motor buses. On Friday 1st
October 1954 for the last time tramcar No. 86 went back to the
Wheatsheaf depot to end over half a century of electric tramway
operation in Sunderland.
1953 saw the introduction of Pay As
You Enter (P.A.Y.E.). Not only did this system work but it meant that
buses could operate with only one person. The introduction of a one
person operated service was on Monday 4th July 1960, which is how we
know the bus system of today. Sunderland Corporation Transports last
day of operation was on Saturday 31st March 1973, when they transferred
ownership to Tyne and Wear Transport Executive to begin on Sunday 1st
April 1973. Their ownership lasted 13 years when in 1986 they
transferred ownership to Busways Travel Services Limited.
