The electric tram is an electrically-powered urban vehicle that runs on tracks and is designed for public transport of passengers and/or cargo. The Portuguese word for tram, ‘bonde’, is derived from the English word bond.

The construction of a road linking Recife to Olinda began in 1817, passing through Santo Amaro das Salinas, where a dump had been made and whose route, in a straight line, considerably reduced the journey. Due to the conflicts resulting from the 1817 revolution, the construction was abandoned.