Maidstone Corporation Transport

Maidstone Corporation Transport, simply branded Maidstone Corporation, was the operator of trams, trolleybuses and motorbuses in Maidstone, Kent from 1904 to 1974. The operations of Maidstone Corporation passed to Maidstone Borough Council Transport in reorganisation of local government in 1974, expanding the Borough boundaries.

History
Maidstone Corporation began operation on 14 July 1904 with the introduction of a tram service to Barming, supplemented by routes to Loose and Tovil by 1907. The Barming trams were replaced by trolleybuses in 1928, followed by Loose in 1930. The Tovil tram was replaced by buses in 1929. Trolleybus routes were expanded through the years to the 1950s with development of new housing, until 1963, when the decision was made to convert trolleybus routes to bus operation. The last trolleybuses ran on 15 April 1976.

In 1974, due to local government reorganisation and expansion of the borough boundary, Maidstone Corporation Transport became Maidstone Borough Council Transport.

Liveries
Maidstone Corporation started out with an ochre and cream colour scheme, with gold Maidstone Corporation lettering in conjunction with the crest of Maidstone. With the decision to end trolleybus operation, a Fiesta blue and cream livery was introduced for the replacement motorbuses.

Fleet
Maidstone operated a fleet of Sunbeam trolleybuses. In 1959 following closure of nearby Hastings trolleybus network Hastings Tramways owned by Maidstone and District, Maidstone Corporation acquired five of their trolleybuses. Also purchased were two vehicles from the closing Brighton system, as personified by preserved 52.

Maidstone operated a universally double-deck fleet of motorbuses. Vehicles showed only destinations with no route numbers. The latter batches of motorbuses were standardised on the Leyland Titan as follows:


 * PD2/20	Massey	1956
 * PD2/30	Massey	1957-59
 * PD2A/30	Massey	1961-63
 * PDR1/1	Massey	1965-68
 * PDR1A/1	Northern Counties	1971
 * AN68/1R	Northern Counties	1972

Preserved vehicles

 * 56 (GKP 511) A 1944 Sunbeam W4 trolleybus, rebodied by Roe in 1960
 * 72 (HKR 11) A 1947 Sunbeam W4 trolleybus bodied by Northern Coach Builders
 * 52 (LCD 52) A 1953 British United Traction trolleybus bodied by Weymann
 * 26 (26 YKO) A 1963 Leyland PD2A/30 bodied by Massey

56 and 72 are located at the The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft, Lincolnshire. 52 is located at the East Anglia Transport Museum.

Maidstone centenary of transport
2004 saw the centenary anniversary of transport in Maidstone. In commemoration there was a rally, cavalcade and running day featuring preserved vehicles from Maidstone Corporation and other local operators of the time, together with present day operators. Local bus operators Arriva Southern Counties and Nu-Venture painted buses in liveries reminiscent of the ochre and fiesta blue corporation liveries, with Arriva Dennis Dart 3176 and Nu-Venture Olympian 100 in ochre, and Nu-Venture Leyland Titan T857 in fiesta blue.