1920
Motorbuses were considered as an alternative to the proposed tramways to Beeston and Hucknall and powers for these two routes were granted under Section 18 of the 1920 Act. This Act further enabled the Corporation to run motorbuses on any route outside the city, provided that consent was obtained from the Minister of Transport and the local authority concerned. The first vehicles inaugurated a service to Bagthorpe, from the Bulwell tramway at its junction with the Lenton service at Bentinck Road, Radford, on 17 May, operating via Gregory Boulevard; it thus provided a link between Mansfield Road and Alfreton Road, broken since the withdrawal of the Forest Road horse-tram service.
The new cars were numbered 156 to 180. Two were promised for December 1919, and two for each succeeding month, but owing to various strikes no cars arrived until May, when ten arrived, all without brakes: apparently the brake manufacturers were still on strike. Many complaints were coming in that there were insufficient cars on each service and the Manager stated that he had 27 cars off the road awaiting spares. A member of the council inquired as to when the newly arrived cars would be working, and when told about the brakes remarked about running a non-stop service.
Many improvements took place at Trent Bridge at this time, and in June 1920 an automatic trolley pole reverser was installed. This did not remain in use long, as the principal terminus was shortly afterwards removed to the end of Victoria Embankment, a new kerbside loading line being put in at the same time. The old terminus by the bridge approach remained in use for football and other specials. A new single-track line was laid along the Embankment and Bathley Street to Trent Bridge Depot, the entrance to the depot was altered, and a new shed to hold 25 cars was built on the opposite side of Turney Street.
At the Council meeting in June, £41,000 (£1.22 million as of 2013), was allocated for new car bodies and trucks, and from then on it was the policy to have the lower saloon ends of the cars vestibuled. That meant that, with a few minor variations, there were to be two types of standard car, with either three or four side windows, but there were numerous variations. As cars came in for major repairs, they received a new lower saloon: if the lower saloon was in good condition it was vestibuled locally by a firm of body builders near Trent Bridge, Henry Street & Company Limited, whose works occupied part of the property forming the former horse-tram sheds on Muskham Street. The locally vestibuled types were easily recognisable by the red lights above the driver's head, which on these were of plain red glass, the ones on the new saloons being fluted; and the small side windows behind the stairs next to the saloon, which were divided into two, with small upper panes and large lower ones, the new ones having one complete pane. These overhauls were extremely thorough and by the time the car took the road it was equivalent to a new vehicle.
Experiments were tried in fitting carbon skids for current collection instead of trolley wheels, and five cars were experimentally fitted: these were reputed to be nos. 74, 121, 136, 147 and 160; the last three definitely had skids. A bow collector was suggested, but as the skids were not considered a success, nothing further was done about this, and these cars later had wheels refitted.
During this year, £33,000 (£983 thousand as of 2013), was spent on track, and in order to keep costs down all facing point turnouts had a dummy tongue on one side: in the case of trailing points, both sides had dummy tongues. As far as can be ascertained, Nottingham was unique in having a complete system with these types of points. When a car had to take a two-dummy trailing junction in the facing direction, dextrous placing of a point iron in the track was required to make the car go in the required direction.
Considerable difficulty was encountered in the Market Place at peak times in the control of the crowds, and a system of queuing was considered, visits being made to Leeds, Bradford and Sheffield to see similar systems there.
Previously, on race cars to Colwick ordinary fares had been charged, but in October the fare was fixed at 6d.
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