Flat-Fare test by Ribble
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AN experimental flat-fare bus service will be started on August 19 by Ribble Motor Services Ltd. in Formby—a town situated between Liverpool and Southport. It will provide the company with information on the operation in urban area conditions of a one-man bus with a flat fare and a self-service ticket machine.
With a total mileage of 6.85, the new service is divided into three separate circular routes—A, B and C—running continuously. On one route (A) there will be a frequency of two journeys an hour, the other two each having an hourly frequency.
All the services have a common link at a point near the railway station, and route C also links with the railway and with Ribble rural services at Freshfield. The service will operate six days a week from Monday to Saturday between 0703 and 1854 each day.
To operate the service, Ribble has adapted a standard front-entrance Leyland Leopard with Marshall 30ft-6in-long one-man body normally used in rural districts. Sole major change is that it has 36 seats instead of 44, to increase the platform area around the Setright Multi-Set ticket machine fitted on the offside parcel bay behind the driver's seat.
Although according to the company, the adapted vehicle and its interior configuration, is not necessarily the ideal for this type of operation, the experiment will "give some practical pointers for the one-man operation in the future of short-distance lowdensity urban services". The fare will be 6d. for adults and 3d. for children.
To help launch the service and avoid unnecessary delays at the ticket machine in the first days of use, Ribble has widely publicized the facility.
Free plastic-covered pocket route maps and time tables have been distributed; so have throwaway leaflets giving full details of the service and an illustration of the ticket machine with operating instructions.
Before the grant, the local paper reported Ribble's plans comprehensively, and when the licence was issued a Press release went out from Ribble covering most of the "educational" points concerning the new service for publication in the Formby Times.
On August 18 (day before the service is inaugurated), the vehicle will be available for inspection by the public at a point near Formby railway station.
TWO PAPERS FOR mpTA
TWO PAPERS are to be presented to the Municipal Passenger Transport Association conference in Eastbourne next month. One will be by Mr. J. H. Locke, under-secretary, Ministry of Transport, and the other by Mr. T. E. Tindall, directorgeneral, Road Transport Industry Training Board.
The conference will be held from September 11-15 and the business sessions will be in the Congress Theatre, Winter Garden.
Glasgow Fares Application: Glasgow Corporation is to seek permission to increase its bus fares by adding a penny on the 4d and 8d, and 2d on the 10d fares.
ELDERLY PEOPLE in Nottingham may be selling their free bus passes because they can buy replacements for half a crown, the city transport committee was told on Monday. Mr. John Wake, transport manager, said the department could lose as much as £1,800 a year if the system was abused.
Altogether, 180 free bus passes had been replaced during the year. Several people had lost their passes twice. The committee agreed that for a second loss there should be a time lag of three months before reissue and that the charge should be 5s.
Bohan Surplus: Bolton Corporation Transport had a surplus of £47,425 for the year ended March 31.