2019 marks the centenary of Lothian buses. Originating in 1871 as the Edinburgh Street Tramways Company, it operated a horse-drawn tram line from Haymarket to Bernard Street in Leith, which was then a separate burgh from Edinburgh. Through several changes The Corporation of the City of Edinburgh introduced a motor bus service in July 1914. This service was short-lived, with the buses being requisitioned for wartime use, and services did not resume until after World War One.
The City Corporation took over Edinburgh and District Tramways on 1 July 1919, forming Edinburgh Corporation Tramways. The first post-war regular bus service began on 29 December 1919. The route ran between Ardmillan Terrace and Abbeyhill via Holyrood Palace, the Royal Mile and the Castle.
From that one bus route, today over 700 buses cover over 70 routes across Edinburgh and the Lothians, carrying 120 million passengers annually.
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