[1] The conversion of the Schaffhausen Waldfriedhof–Neuhausen Zentrum tramway to trolleybus operation was the consequence of a popular vote (referendum) held on 13 September 1964.

Schaffhausen's five two-axle Berna trolleybuses were delivered in early 1967, and the loaned vehicles were returned to Winterthur during 1967.

[2] The trolleybus system also took over the former tram depot, which was then at Cardinal, on the site of today's central fire station.

Only in the spring of 1970 was the trolleybus system extended from Ebnat to the St. Niklausen residential area,[2] which the tramway had served.

Since then, St. Niklausen has been connected into the system via a 1.9 km (1.2 mi) long clockwise operating balloon loop, by which the trolleybuses pass through the nominal terminus at Waldfriedhof without a lengthy layover.

The new branch was served only in rush hour, and VBSH introduced a second trolleybus route number for it: Line 2, Neuhausen–Herblingertal.

[2] At the outer end of the Herbstäcker extension, another balloon loop was constructed, served in the counterclockwise direction.

During the conversion work for this alteration, trolleybuses could run only to Neuhausen Zentrum, and the remaining section of the line was served for one year by replacement rigid motor buses.

However, the trolleybus system ultimately benefited from this work, as the level crossing barriers had previously hampered its operation.

In the first decade of the 21st century, the continued existence of the Schaffhausen trolleybus system was called into question, on grounds of cost.

However, and following thorough discussions, the city council decided in 2008, for ecological reasons – and despite the slightly higher operating costs – to retain the electrically powered bus services.

In September 2008, the City Parliament voted in favour of a corresponding resolution, paving the way for the acquisition of new low-floor articulated trolleybuses.

In the medium term, it is intended to convert the 8.4 km (5.2 mi) long motor bus line 3 (Sommerwies-Krumm Acker) to electrical operation.

In 1980, due to the extension of the system to Herbstäcker, two used rigid vehicles, both built in 1961, made their way from Lucerne to Schaffhausen.

A joint production of the Swiss companies Carrosserie Hess, NAW and ABB, they were given the fleet nos.

114 from service was a fire in the grounds of the system's depot, due to a technical malfunction in the vehicle's auxiliary motor.

[7] Some of the second generation trolleybuses had their rollsigns replaced in their twilight years of service with modern dot-matrix displays.

Due to their advanced age, the second generation vehicles, which were of high-floor configuration, were replaced in 2011 by seven low-floor Carrosserie Hess articulated trolleybuses of type Swisstrolley 3 (fleet nos.

The City of Schaffhausen had decided on 20 April 2010 to order these new vehicles, at a total cost of 10.5 million Swiss francs.