City of Oxford and District Tramways Co

of 118 St. Aldates Street, Oxford

1880 The company was registered on December 14th.

1881 Services started.

Because of opposition to overhead electric wires in Oxford, the National Electric Construction Co took over the system in 1907. As a condition of their tender, the company was to investigate the provision of an electric tram system without the need for unsightly overhead wiring but Oxford never did get electric trams

1913 William Morris as a city taxpayer, was infuriated by the lack of modern trams, started his own bus service competing against the trams. In response, the tramway company began its own motorbus services three weeks later, and so Morris withdrew in early 1914, selling his buses to the tramway company which then converted all its routes to motorbus operation.

Considerable expansion of the city and the bus services took place in the 1920s

1930 the Great Western Railway bought a 49% share of the company

1931 The National Electric Construction Co (owner of the remaining 51%) was taken over by British Electric Traction Co.

Thus BET became owner of City of Oxford Motor Services

See Also

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