Buses in Ipswich operate in the town of Ipswich in the English county of Suffolk. As of 2013 services are primarily operated by Ipswich Buses and First Norfolk & Suffolk, although other smaller operators, such as Galloway European, Carters Coaches and Beestons, operate routes from the town into the surrounding rural area. Many of the current routes are based on those established at the end of the 19th century when a horse tram network developed.
History
Horse Trams (1880-1903) The first ever network of public transport in Ipswich was one of horse trams. The proposal was accepted by the Board of Trade in 1879 and on 13 October 1880, the first line between Cornhill and the railway station opened, using 2 trams, drawn by only one horse each. The two trams were made in Birkenhead, were painted in a brown and cream livery and each carried up to 18 seated passengers. New routes soon opened: Princes Street to Brooks Hall Road in 1881, Cornhill to Barrack Corner in 1882 and Majors Corner to Derby Road railway station in 1883. In an Act of Parliament in 1881 the business was named the Ipswich Tramway Company. By 1884, the fleet had expanded up to 6 single-deck and 2 double-deck trams, pulled by a total of 18 horses. Trams were stored at Quadling Street since the beginning of the tramway and the Ipswich Transport Company continued to keep them there throughout the tramway's lifetime. The network did not expand further in any way, except for the conversion of 3 single-deck trams to double deck, and in 1901 the company was sold to the Ipswich Corporation, who continued to run the horse trams until 6 June 1903, when the network was closed for conversion to electric trams.
Ipswich Omnibus Service rivalry
In 1898, a rival transport operator, the Ipswich Omnibus Society, appeared operating 18 buses in a red livery operated a Bramford Road - Wherstead service, to compete with the trams. Like the trams, the buses were horse drawn, however they operated a '1d all the way' fare in order to take business away from the trams. This forced the Ipswich Tramway Company to lower their fares, however the buses still had an advantage over the trams: they operated on Sundays. The bus network expanded, doubling the trams' routes and serving areas not served by trams. Buses were stored on Kemball Street, off Foxhall Road. When the tram network ceased operations in June 1903 for the conversion to electric trams, the buses continued operating and took over all of the business, however when the new electric tram network opened, the buses were no longer viable and the Ipswich Omnibus Service ceased all operations by the end of 1903.
Electric Trams (1903 - 1926) Over 5 months, almost 11 miles of track was laid and electric lines were hung, ready for the trial run to Whitton, then a village, on 10 November 1903. A site on Constantine Road, then a marshy area, was bought and a depot, alongside new offices, was erected by the Ipswich Corporation for the new fleet of 26 double-deck electric trams. They wore a livery of dark green and cream and seated 50 passengers: 24 on the top and 26 on the bottom. On 21 November 1903, the first fare-paying passengers were carried on the route from Bourne Bridge to Whitton. Within a month, routes along Spring Road to the Lattice Barn pub and along Bramford Road were opened. The expansion of the network, giving passengers a faster service, forced the Ipswich Omnibus Service to close down by the end of the year. In early 1904, a route from Vernon Street to Princes Street via St Peters Street was opened and in May a route along Felixstowe Road was completed. The tram network did not expand further and in 1924 the decision was made by the council to convert to trolleybuses, instead of refurbishing all of the track. An Act of Parliament in 1925, allowed the Ipswich Corporation to convert service to trolleybuses and on 26 July 1926 all tram operations ceased.
Princes Street derailment
On the first day of public operations, at 3.40pm, car no. 20, operating a Wherstead Road - Railway Station service, derailed at a set of points at the top of Princes Street. The derailed car blocked the entire street, causing a back-up of traffic. After failed attempts at getting the car back onto the tracks, car no. 8 was used to help, however these attempts failed as well. The car was emptied and passengers transferred to car no. 8. Within a half hour of the accident, 9 trams were backing up around the Cornhill area. Eventually, car no. 24 was deployed to help with car no. 20 and together with car no.8, the derailed tram was brought back onto the tracks. The whole event caused much excitement to the public and many were watching the scene.