On 17 November 1873 it was inaugurated the first line of “Americans” between railway North and East (Santa Apolónia) and the extreme west of Aterro da Boa Vista (Santos).
On 31 August 1901 the tram service began.
The following years were marked by the complete electrification of the existing network, the appearance of new routes and the fleet growth with vehicles that were bought at first in the United States and, since 1924, were built on the company’s garage.
In 1940, to bolster the number of transports for visitors of The Exhibition of the Portuguese World, that took place in Belém, CARRIS acquired its first six buses. On 9 April 1944, the bus service was officially opened.
On the last decades, there were big changes in the tram fleet, due to traffic conditions and to its economical and social viability. This led to a gradual decrease in the number of vehicles and routes. In the meanwhile, the bus fleet was renewed, diversified and bolstered to suit the demand and specific requirements of the routes.
After the 1950s and 1960s, when company decisions led to considerable cuts in tram network, new ideas for its improvement were brought , which included new technologies (for higher commercial speed), increase of capacity and better operational conditions (bus lanes and specific traffic signs).
| 1872 - The Foundation On 18 September 1872 it was founded in Rio de Janeiro the Companhia Carris de Ferro de Lisboa. It gave the city a mass public transport network using the called american system - carriages pulled by animals moving on rails. |
| 1873 - The First Line On 23 January, the writer Luciano Cordeiro and his brother Francisco Cordeiro de Sousa, a diplomat, got the rights to implement a transport system, similar to the american one in Lisbon, called Viação CarrilVicinal e Urbana a Força Animal. On 14 February, Câmara Municipal de Lisboa aproves the concession conveyance to Companhia Carris de Ferro de Lisboa. On 17 November the first "Americans" line was inaugurated. The route that was opened to the public was located between North and East Railway (Santa Apolónia) and the extreme West of Aterro da Boa Vista (Santos). |
| 1874 - The Success The success they obtained, along with the network expansion, the fleet growth and the increasing number of traction animals, led to the need of getting permanent installations, ample and duly equipped, as the land they used until then were not enough anymore. In 1874, after long researches, they purchased a property that had belonged to the Condes da Ponte and housed D. Luis I hospice. There it was possible to create Santo Amaro Station, which was soon followed by the Arco Cego Station. |
| 1877 - The Americans
Although Companhia Carris has started its activity with vehicles pulled by animals - the "Americans" -, they have soon considered to replace it by a more efficient system. On 1877 they started searching information about the use of ateam locomotives on urban public transports, which ended with the implementation of temporary lines between Cais do Sodré and Algés. |
| 1900 - Generator Other studies and experiences were made on the following years (namely the subterranean traction cable and the accumulator trams). By the end of the year, Carris decided to adopt electric vehicles and it got the exclusive privilege of using the "Electricity by electrical conductors with motor" system in its exploitation perimeter. In 1900, the process of implementation of the new system started with the new rails settlement, the aero network launch and the construction of an electricity factory capable of furnishing the energy needed to its normal functioning. It was known as GENERATOR, it was composed by Casa das Caldeiras, Casa das Máquinas, Casa das Baterias and Depósito de Carvão and had an area of 6.102 m2. |
| 1901 - Speed On the morning of 31 August 1901, the first power-driven line, stretching from Cais do Sodré to Ribamar (Algés) was switched on. Citing a newspaper of the time "the inauguration of the power-driven tram line met with universal praise from the crowds of people who had gathered to see the great improvement, the luxury and elegance of the carriages, the comfort provided for the passengers and the speed at which they travelled. By 1905 the whole network was electrified and the "Americans" had disappeared from Lisbon streets. |
| 1937 - Trams In the following years, Lisbon saw more trams appearing, acquired in the United States or built in the company's garages. Worthy of note are the following: the building of the Graça line, considered as impractical, due to the lie of the land, and the Amoreiras Station, inaugured in 1937 and not only to serve tram network, bus also the bus network, which was inaugurated on 9 April 1944. |
| 1958 - Buses It can indeed be said that the three lines with which Companhia Carris started were the first steps towards a service wich would gradually take over from the trams and become the most important public transport on Lisbon on the second half of the 20th century. These lines were nº 1 from Cais do Sodré to Marquês de Pombal, nº 2 and 3 from Praça do Comércio to Miguel Bombarda, alternating between Rodrigo da Fonseca and Duque de Loulé. In 1958, the Cabo Ruivo Station was set up to provide the logistics for the service. |
| 1960 - Changes The 1960s brought profound changes to the overall picture of Lisbon overground mass public transport system. The company policy was to phase out the trams within short time, replacing them by buses. The increasing use of private transport and the arrival of the underground were decisive factors in the disappearance of the tram from many parts of the city - Rossio, Benfica, Carnide, Lumiar. Along with this came an improvement in the bus network through the creation of new lines and changes on those already working. |
| 1974 - "Laranjas" By 1974, it was clear that the fleet was in urgent need of renovation. A tender was, therefore, opened to furnish the fleet with 200 new vehicles. The first buses were delivered on the following year and due to its color they were called "Oranges". |
| 1981 - Construction In 1981, the Amoreiras Station, as forecast, was taken out of service. The renovation and the increase in the fleet meant that new premises, strategically located, had to be built. |
| 1990 - Renovation Over recent years, new types of buses have been brought in to service (standard, articulated and minis) and there has also been renewed interest in the trams. This led to the acquisition of 10 articulated vehicles which combine state-of-the-art technology, a high level of comfort and excellent passenger-carrying capacity. There are also 45 traditional trams which have been renovated, creating a happy medium: the original lines are still kept but they are served by up-to-date electro-mechanical equipment. |
| 2004 and 2005 – Fleet Renovation In the bus fleet renovation plan, which is part of the reorganisation under way at the Company, Carris intended to replace its public service vehicles up to 2006 in the following way: - 2004 - 166 buses (40 minis / 106 standard / 20 running on natural gas) This operation allowed to reduce the average age of the fleet to 7,4 years. The reorganisation process will mean a significant fall in pollutants, since all of the models mentioned above comply with Community Directive Limit Euro 3 on exhaust emissions. CARRIS is therefore playing its part in the improvement of environmental quality in Lisbon. Besides this, the new buses have air conditioning and bring in a series of innovations which will have a great impact on safety and comfort, on operational procedures and on maintenance costs. |
| 2006 – Certification CARRIS defined as commitments to customers the following: In 2006, 100 new standard buses were acquired. This operation meant that the average age of the fleet by the end of 2006 was 6 years. |
| 2007 – European Charter Carris signs the European Road Safety Charter. Carris became, at the beginning of 2007, one of the subscriber entities of the European Road Safety Charter, is a letter of intentions in which the signatories commit to implement, on a proactive way and in short time, the measures they found necessary to make traffic safer, in order to save 25.000 lives on European by the end of 2010. 18 buses on certification process 18 other buses are about to receive certifications. Their application was delivered to the responsible entity, Certif, by the end of 2006. Environmental Management System Certification It is also on development process the Environmental Management System, according to NP EN ISO 14001:2004 norm, which controls and minimizes the impact of company’s activity on the environment. The application process must be concluded by 2007. Carris joins Business Council for Sustainable Development Carris joined BCSD (Portugal) – Business Council for Sustainable Development - on the first trimester of 2007, |
| 2008 – Climate Responsibility Ranking CARRIS was the 8th on Climate Responsibility Ranking: ACGE Index - by EURONATURA. In April 2008 Carris got the environmental management system certification, through NP EN ISO 14001:2004. On the study “The Country State on Sustainable Practices”, organized by Heidrick & Struggles and Expresso newspaper, in partnership with BES bank, CARRIS got 89.3% on sustainability barometer, higher than national average that registered 64,08%. On Customer Satisfaction study, CARRIS got 64,6%, which means that the majority of the passengers is satisfied with the company service. On June, at the European Mobility Fair that took place in Paris, a CARRIS driver took the 2nd place as Better European Driver on Bus d’Or contest. In terms of fleet renovation, CARRIS got in 2008 40 new vehicles, 20 average buses and 20 articulated buses. |
| 2009 - Fleet renovation running process CARRIS received the following awards:
This year the "One Less Car" movement is initiated. |
| 2010 - Always thinking of you Launch of new advertising campaign called "Always thinking of you", with tv spots, radio spots, presence in the Lisbon channel, media and web. 3rd phase of the project "Rede 7" concluded. CARRIS obtained the certification of its security and wealth in work management system and the certification of 12 more lines (total os 64 lines certified). CARRIS was recognized by its Clients as a Superbrand and received an award as one of the best companies to work for in Portugal (21st position in the ranking). Also awarded as one of the more sustainable companies in Portugal and Familiarly responsible, awarded by Deloitte and AESE. |
|
 |
d 2009 | www.carris.pt