Trolleys

Morris County once had an extensive trolley system. The Morris County Traction Company began trolley service in downtown Dover in July of 1904. It was expanded over the years until the system was completed in 1914. At that time, one could board a trolley and ride to any of the following destinations: Bertand's Island Amusement Park at Lake Hopatcong, Ledgewood, Succasunna, Kenvil, Mine Hill, Dover, Wharton, Rockaway, Denville, Mountain Lakes, Boonton, Morris Plains, Morristown, Madison, Chatham, Summit, Irvington, downtown Elizabeth, and downtown Newark. Buses and private automobiles were soon too much competition for the trolley lines, and the trolley cars were replaced with buses between 1926 and 1928.

Buses

The first bus operation in the county was a subsidiary of the Morris County Traction Company. It operated from 1912 until 1914 between Morristown and Madison, bridging the gap between the two unconnected portions of the trolley line. Small jitney buses began operating in the county about 1920. Each minibus was individually owned and operated on the same route as the Morris County Traction Company trolley cars, usually running a few minutes ahead of the trolley car. The Dover Bus Company was the second bus subsidiary of the Morris County Traction Company, which began service on July 1, 1923 between Wharton and Dover.

Bus service was operated throughout most of the towns in the county by the late 1920's by large and small private companies. Over the years most were discontinued due to low ridership from growing automobile competition. On the day trolley operations ended, the Public Service Coordinated Transport Company purchased the route franchises and began bus operations. Over the next 25 years they extended the former trolley routes to Hackettstown and Newton. In the 1960's and 1970's, the automobile took away so many passengers that the bus routes were cut back or discontinued.

The County of Morris started sponsoring bus service in February 1970 when the West Morris Transit Company, the operator of the #10 route, abruptly discontinued service. This route became the first Morris County Metro (MCM) line. Since then, the county has expanded the system to seven bus routes serving major transportation corridors. Also, in 1980 the Morris portion of the Transport of New Jersey Bus route #70 was taken over by the county and became the MCM #3 route. All other MCM routes were planned and placed into service by the county. Today, the only private bus companies still in business in the area operate express bus service to New York City with very limited or no local service.