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.
