So I found this ABC coverage as part of their 2017 Curious Adelaide series.
"Why was Adelaide's tram network ripped up in the 1950s?"

The article does play down any car company involvement and laughs off car industry involvement as just unfounded consipracy. But their skeptisism does not align with what we know of the pressure the car industry was putting on phasing out trams.

From the article:

"The Municipal Tramways Trust (MTT) introduced a 10-year plan to phase out trams in favour of buses by the mid 50s."

The public's affection for the network and dismay at its loss is evident in letters to the editor from the time.

C. Steele of Tusmore seemed to have a window to the future.

"A tram which carries 100 people has 50 times more right to be on the road than a car which carries only two people."

A scathing 1955 report by the Council of the South Australian Branch of Australian Electric Traction Association suggested some deeper issues..

I'll bet the middle/upper class who could afford a shiney new car on new roads had a very different take to more lowly workers who very much relied on the trams up to the end.. hmm

Im not satisfied that the article covers the question and is the end of it, but its definitley an nteresting read, especially the part on how folks responded in the last days of the tram and to the news of closure.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-01/why-was-adelaides-tram-network-ripped-up-in-the-1950s/9205768

#Trams #PublicTransport
#AdelaideMetro #WalkableCities #AdelaideTrams #AdelaidePublicTransport #AdelaideHistory #StrongerAdelaide

From the Wikipedia article:
“By 1945 the MTT was collecting fares for 95 million trips annually, representing 295 trips per head of population (350,000)”.

No mention of the tire company buying it out. The tramways trust was a gov endorsed tax-exempt non-profit, no mention of a sale.

I’m curious of if there was any pushback and more of the dynamics / politics leading up to 1958.

So I’ve looked over the main Wikipedia article for Tramways in Adelaide (thx Mathi also for sharing this) and it provides some interesting background.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tramways_in_Adelaide

Article raises some suspicion around unrecorded histories. The history section talks ALOT of the era 1901 to 1925, but gets pretty quiet after that. Come the 1940’s the network was pretty far reaching..

What happened to #Adelaide's tram network back in the day? (When it was all ripped out??)

This illustration, on display in historic Carrick Hill, Springfield of the land around Urbrae/Mitcham/Unley/Springfield just south of city of Adelaide, is pretty interesting.

Clearly shows (and emphasises) four nearby tram terminus.

> Mitcham Tram Terminus
> Kingswood Tram Terminus
> Fullarton Tram Terminus
> Glen Osmond Tram Terminus

Word was that a tram line ran up Glen Osmond Road and terminated near the bottom of the freeway, not far from the OTR/Hungry Jacks.

And this was all built without the tech of today.

Curious if anyone can date this further, but clearly this records a tram network that is now long forgotten.