First Bus are, quite rightly, very proud of the fact that they have introduced an electric bus fleet into York.

Do not be fooled into thinking that this is the first time the city has ever experimented with electric-powered public transport, however.

More than 100 years ago, we had both electric buses AND electric trams operating in the city.

Let’s look at those electric buses first.

Local transport historian Derek Rayner has been investigating, and he has discovered that the first all-electric fleet of buses in the city was actually brought in in 1914.

“Information to be found in the Archives at York Explore will reveal that it was York Corporation which placed an order in 1914 for four 24-seater battery-electric buses from the Edison & Swan Electric Light Company - now 110 years ago,” Derek says.

“These were registered for use in the city in the early months of 1915 by York Corporation (Tramways Committee) located at 8, Clifford Street.

“These buses had registration marks of DN 12 (issued 15th February 1915) and DN 13 to DN 15 issued on 20th March the same year.

“The vehicles were described as weighing 3tons 5cwt, having solid tyres, a maximum speed of 12mph and they were blue and white in colour.”

OK, so solid tyres and a top speed of 12mph might sound pretty slow and uncomfortable to those of us used to modern transport.

But they must have been far better of the city’s air than the more polluting petrol buses that were eventually to take their place.

Derek says that these early York electric buses were housed in a small depot on Foss Islands Road.

They operated a service between Clifton Green and Heworth. Remarkably, the buildings which contained the battery charging equipment for the buses still exist at these two locations, although they are now in use for other purposes, Derek says.

York’s first generation of electric buses continued to operate until 1919, by which time they were worn out, Derek says.

“More electric buses, of the ‘trackless’ variety, were then purchased by the Corporation and these also operated in York,” he says.

“They were 24-seater ‘Railless’ trolleybuses, again single deckers ,and were registered DN 2985 - to DN 2988.

“They drew their power from overhead lines and were housed in a certain historic building which is no longer in existence in Piccadilly.”

He’s referring, of course, to the building that was known as Reynard’s Garage, which was on the site where Spark: York now stands.

“This (Reynard’s Garage) was only recently torn down and …could have formed a very suitable Transport Museum in the city centre, bearing in mind that not only steam lorries, steam cars and motor cycles but also aircraft were built in the city,” Derek says.

This ‘second-generation’ of York trolleybuses itself became ‘life-expired’ in 1929 - but that still wasn’t the end of York’s electric buses.

“A trial was undertaken in January 1931 with a view to resuming trolleybus operation,” Derek says.

“For this, a double deck trolleybus was borrowed from Doncaster.

“But it was found that double-deckers were not suitable for service in York with its narrow streets and thus three 32-seat single deck Karrier-Clough trolleybuses were purchased by the Corporation Transport and these resumed trolleybus operations in October 1931.”

Trolleybuses were not, of course, the only form of electric-powered public transport operating in York in the early years of the 20th century.

There were trams, too.

Back in 1909, the York Corporation - the forerunner of today’s city council - bought out the York Tramways Company, which operated horse-drawn trams.

In the space of a single year, the corporation had installed an entire network of electric tram routes serving most of the city.

The system eventually expanded until there were no fewer than 45 trams operating on six main routes out from the city centre to Acomb, Dringhouses, Fulford, Haxby Road, Hull Road and South Bank.

Sadly, York’s first experiments with electric transportation were not to last.

In 1934, York Corporation Tramways merged with the West Yorkshire Road Car Company.

A year later, the decision was taken to abandon electric trams and trolleybuses.

The last trolleybuses were withdrawn on January 5, 1935, while the last tram routes closed on November 16, 1935.

It has taken the city the best part of 100 years since then to rediscover the potential of proper, electrified public transport…