Company Timeline   1900 Warrington Corporation Tramways Department was established under the Warrington Tramways Act, Warrington Corporation was authorised to construct a tramway system running along the five main roads out of town and by the end of 1902 21 trams were in operation   1913 First petrol engine bus entered service   1928 More motor buses came into operation   1931 First tramway abandonment occurred and by 1935 the trams had passed into history. During the 33 years of operation, the trams enjoyed a proud record, carrying 225 million passengers, operating 15 million miles and recording just one fatality   1935 Tramways Department became the Transport Department   1940 Joint services across the town were established with Lancashire United Transport. In 1950, 39 million passengers were carried and the Department operated 83 buses. Post-war housing developments saw services extended into these new areas, and this process continued until the 1980s   1960 The Transport Department moved from Bank Street to the current premises on Wilderspool Causeway, a move completed in 1964 when the offices were commissioned   1963 The Transport Department purchased its first rear-engine double deck buses, a small batch of Daimler Fleetlines.   1965 One person operation of buses commenced with some single-deck routes   1970 Double deck one person operation was introduced   1974 Local government reorganisation meant that the Transport Department became responsible for all the Borough Council's transport requirements   1977 A start was made to the creation of the modern Warrington Borough Transport fleet which we see today, with the purchase of the Department's first Leyland Atlantean rear-engine double deckers   1986 Bus services in Great Britain (outside of Greater London) were deregulated, and the state/municipal owned operators were privatised or set up as limited companies. Warrington Borough Transport Ltd. (WBT) was set up as an arms length company, wholly owned by the Warrington Borough Council. Fleet size at deregulation had dropped to 63 vehicles, but these were buses of a much higher capacity than previously. Since 1986, a policy of discreet expansion has been followed, the basic premise being that if money could be made by operating services deemed uneconomic by other operators, then WBT should assume operation. Thus, in the decade following deregulation, WBT expanded towards Leigh and Northwich on both commercial and supported services   1987 Minibuses were introduced on services to Penketh and Dudlows Green. Operations on behalf of Cheshire Bus (the public transport support unit of Cheshire County Council) have at times been significant, with buses operating far from their traditional Warrington base   1995 Two bus companies (the then British Bus subsidiary North Western and the former P.T.E. operator Merseyside Transport Ltd.) registered predatory local services in the Warrington urban area. From the outset, WBT chose to defend its operations in the town, with services reinforced to maintain market share and many new and second hand vehicles purchased to achieve this end   1996 The "Bus War" reached a conclusion. WBT and North Western (Merseyside Transport having capitulated in August 1995) withdrew back to their previous operating areas, with the exception of Birchwood, where operations were assumed by North Western   1997/98 The company returned to profitable operation and was able to start investing in a fleet replacement programme   1998 Twelve Optare Metrorider 25 seat minibuses were purchased   1999 Eight super low floor (SLF) Dennis Darts with Marshall Capital 40 seat bodies were added to the fleet. The SLF Darts incorporate a wheelchair space and are capable of lowering the floor to facilitate easier loading at bus stops   2000 A further 10 SLF Darts were added to the fleet   2000 Major programme of bus shelter renawls takes place across the network   2001 Bus patronage which has been falling since the mid-1990s starts to show growth   2001 Company wins its first Warrington Business Award (for Social Responsibility)   2002 The company celebrates it's centenary with an open day attracting 3,000 people   2004 Awarded Investor in People status   2004 Real Time Passenger Information, which now covers 225 stops, was introduced throughout the Borough   2005 Reached Charter Mark Standard for our commitment to customer service   2005 Company wins its second Warrington Business Award (for 'Business Survivor')   2006 Free off-peak concessionary travel introduced   2006 Brand new, state-of-the-art Bus Interchange opened   2006 Service re-branded as Network Warrington, with the strapline ‘Making Warrington Move’ added to all bus livery   2006/7 1 million additional passengers attracted to the service, resulting in a 15% reduction in morning peak congestion recorded in Warrington   2007 Company achieves record passenger satisfaction levels of 98%   2007 Re-development of Golden Square, Warrington's main shopping centre. Company invests £2million on 19 new buses and charges 1p fares on opening day.   2007 Company awarded 'Mayor's Award for Sustainable Business'   2007 Company wins its third Warrington Business Award (for Social Responsibility)   2007 Company is runner up in Shire Bus Operator the year category at the UK Bus Awards   2008 Becomes first UK bus operator to be awarded OHSAS18001, the International Standard for Best Practice in the management of Health & Safety   2008 Company signs groundbreaking Bus Reliability Improvement Plan with Warrington Borough Council which sees transport policy in Warrington focus even further on promoting bus travel

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