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 In 1880 steam operated trams were tried but were soon withdrawn as a failed experiment.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.
Sunderland Tramway. 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.
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