County Borough of Bolton - Bolton Corporation Transport

Bolton Corporation Transport

In 1880 Bolton Corporation began the construction of a network of horse tramways in conjunction with the councils of the neighbouring urban districts of Astley Bridge, Farnworth and Kearsley. The services were leased to a private operator, and by 1898 had reached 31 miles in length. In 1897 the corporation gained powers to operate the tramways themselves, and began the process of electrification. The corporation officially took over operation on January 1, 1900, with horse traction ending on the following day. Later the same year the tram lines were extended to Horwich. In 1902 the sections in Farnworth and Kearsley were taken over by Farnworth Urban District Council, who passed operation to South Lancashire Transport in 1906. In 1909 Bolton and SLT began a joint-running arrangement with corporation trams reaching Atherton and Leigh as well as Farnworth and Kearsley. The tramways continued to be extended until 1924, and from 1927 Bolton provided some of the trams for South Lancashire's routes.

Bolton first experimented with omnibuses in 1904 - 1907, with steam and petrol-electric vehicles. Motor bus operation began in 1923. Express services followed in 1927, run jointly with operators such as Manchester and Salford corporations, the Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield Transport Board and Lancashire United Transport. The first tramway replacement by buses was in 1933, and the last Bolton tram ran on March 29, 1947. Bolton Corporation continued as a bus-only operation until it was acquired by the SELNEC PTE on November 1, 1969. One Bolton Corporation Transport bus, a 1956 Leyland PD2, is preserved at the Museum of Transport Manchester.