The last tram - 31 December 1936.
In July 1920 three new trams were delivered
but by the early 1920's it was becoming obvious that
the system, run down by more than 20 years of continuous
use and hampered by lack of materials during the war,
required much attention. Looking for alternatives to
major investment, the Council accepted a demonstration
of an early trolley bus in April 1922, which used the
tramway's overhead wires for electricity supply. The
demonstration aroused no enthusiasm and shortly afterwards
the commencement of repairs on some of the most badly
worn sections of track was approved. Through the 1920s
the tracks and cars were patched up and repaired and,
when the original 1897 cars were found to be beyond
repair, second-hand vehicles were purchased.
In 1934 the East Kent Road Car Co.
Ltd. offered to provide bus services in the Borough.
Initially the offer was rejected by the Corporation
who toyed with the idea of providing their own bus service.
By the end of the year, however, the Council had entered
into talks with East Kent. It was agreed that East Kent
would replace the tram services with bus services and
that the Corporation would receive three-quarters of
the profits from these services. Many of the tramway
employees were re-employed by East Kent. The Dover Corporation
Tramways finally ceased to operate on the night of 31st
December 1936. The last tram was driven by the Mayor,
arriving at Maxton depot at 11:30pm where an East Kent
bus was waiting to take the Mayor and other dignitaries
back to the Town
Hall. The bus service started at 5:28am the next
morning from Buckland. The old trams were scrapped and
the tracks either taken up or tarmaced over.
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