Created 3-Feb-25
Modified 20-Mar-25
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There had originally been horse tramways in Greenock, but the history is too complex to warrant explaining here. The Greenock and Port Glasgow Tramways Company was incorporated in 1887 and this horse tramway was bought by the British Electric Traction Company (BET). It was electrified in two stages in 1901. It became quite successful and the operator built up a fleet of over forty trams. However, the period following World War I was more difficult caused by a combination of the Depression and competition form unregulated motor buses.
The Company had started running its own buses as early as 1911, but BET had decided to consolidate its bus operations under a new subsidiary, Scottish General Transport Company Limited and there Greenock and Port Glasgow ceased bus operation from 1st January 1914. It resumed in August 1925 to tackle the serious competition the trams were facing and it wasn't long before the Company decided to convert the tram route to bus operation. They obtained the powers to do this in 1928, adopting the new title Greenock and District Motor Services, and the last trams ran on 15th July 1929. The sale of Scottish General Transport to Scottish Motor Traction brought Greenock and District into the SMT fold in 1931 and in 1949 it was eventually absorbed into Western SMT following Nationalisation.
The Company had started running its own buses as early as 1911, but BET had decided to consolidate its bus operations under a new subsidiary, Scottish General Transport Company Limited and there Greenock and Port Glasgow ceased bus operation from 1st January 1914. It resumed in August 1925 to tackle the serious competition the trams were facing and it wasn't long before the Company decided to convert the tram route to bus operation. They obtained the powers to do this in 1928, adopting the new title Greenock and District Motor Services, and the last trams ran on 15th July 1929. The sale of Scottish General Transport to Scottish Motor Traction brought Greenock and District into the SMT fold in 1931 and in 1949 it was eventually absorbed into Western SMT following Nationalisation.
© David Beilby
