Trolley buses were common here from the 1920s to 1962.
THE earliest buses on Singapore's roads were trolley buses which were brought in during the 1920s to replace electric trams. Like trams — and unlike today's diesel-fuelled public buses — trolley buses were powered by overhead electric lines. They ran on roads rather than tramlines.
The Singapore Traction Company had a 30-year monopoly to run trolley buses and motor buses in town.
By 1929, 90 trolley buses plied a distance of 30.5km. Two years earlier, the tram service, which started in 1905 had been phased out.
The fare then? 10 cents.
Because of the electric lines that powered the buses, journeys could be eventful. Whenever a bus turned a comer, the conductor had to hop out and grab ropes connected to the lines. Otherwise, the connection would be broken.
Improving technology meant faster modes of public transport, such as motor buses — called wu xian dian che, or wireless vehicle.
Mostly Leylands, Albions or Chevrolets, these buses ran on fuel. From 1935, "mosquito buses" — so called because they could weave in and out of traffic — began to serve rural and fringe areas.
By the 1940s, there were more motor buses than trolley buses on the roads. Trolleys were completely replaced in December 1962, and the electric lines that powered them came down.
The Singapore Traction Company collapsed in 1973.
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