One of South Yorkshire’s busiest bus depots which started life as an operational base for electric trams is celebrating its centenary.

Rawmarsh depot was opened in 1907 by the Mexborough and Swinton Tramways Company to run services between Rotherham, Rawmarsh, Swinton and Mexborough and to mark the occasion Stagecoach Yorkshire has repainted one of its modern buses in an old livery.

Shayne Howarth, Assistant Operations Manager at Rawmarsh depot, said: “The depot has always been a very busy operating centre and also an important one in terms of its position on the South Yorkshire transport network".

“We thought it a good idea to take a nostalgic look back by repainting a modern bus in the green and cream livery carried by the last electric trolley buses until 1961 and several passengers have said they can remember it."

By the end of 1929, the tramway era had passed and the company was renamed the Mexborough and Swinton Traction Company, with services in the hands of electric trolley buses, known locally as the “Trackless".

The electric trolley bus reigned supreme for many years until motor buses were introduced in the mid 50s because of extensive local housing developments which demanded more bus routes.

The last electric trolleybuses ran in 1961 when all services were converted to motorbus operation.

In 1969, the Mexborough and Swinton Traction Company was taken over by the Yorkshire Traction Company which provided the services from Rawmarsh depot until its takeover by Stagecoach in 2005.

Services are now operated under the Stagecoach Yorkshire name.