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PASSENGER TRANSPORT
THE LATEST NEWS OF IMPORTANT EVENTS
THREE NEW ORDERS TO .,_ OPERATE IN DECEMBER.
THREE new Ministerial Orders will come into force on December 1 next, and drafts of them are now available from the Stationery Office, The Public Service Vehicles (Licences and Certificates) Regulations, 1934, embody the amendments to the 1933 Regulations, which were outlined in our issue dated August 24; otherwise there is little change.
The Public Service Vehicles (Contract Carriage Records) Regulations, 1934, provide that a contract-carriage driver shall carry a work ticket bearing the name and address of the vehicle licence holder (Regulation 23 of the Licences and Certificates Regulations defines a licence holder in the case of a hired vehicle), the time and date of the commencement of the journey and the date of tiamination, if other than that of commencement ; the point at which the journey is to commence; details of the route, and the name and address of the party organizer.The record to be preserved by the licence holder must also incorporate the above information, with the exception of the holder's name and address. The work ticket may afterwards be used to form the record.
The Minister has also issued a draft of the Public Service Vehicles (Lost Property) Regulations, 1934, which supersede the 1.933 rules.
YORKSHIRE OPERATORS' PLEAS TO COMMISSIONERS.
F10"`a certain Yorkshire coach operator who was officially limited to running 20 vehicles on period-return work during the local holiday week, had to run 62 coaches to cope with the holiday traffic, is related in a memorandum prepared by the Yorkshire Motor Coach Owners Associa
tion. This memorandum, which sets out various points on which the Y.M.C.O. is dissatisfied with conditions in the Yorkshire Area, has been submitted to the Yorkshire-Lancashire joint sub-committee of operators.
The case quoted above is mentioned in support of the contention that there has been undue limitation by the Yorkshire Commissioners of the number of vehicles permitted to operators for period-return work at local holiday periods. Another point dealt with is the action of the Commissioners, in many instances, in refusing additional advertised excursions over and above those already licensed. It is that, in cases of new excursions, the Commissioners should issue experimental licences for a period of, say, a month, so as to give the operators the opportunity of obtaining actual traffic figures.
The memorandum also complains of delay, in many cases, in the granting of excursion and tour licences. Suggesting an extension of the period of validity of road service licences from one to three years, it is pointed out that this would encourage the purchase of more modern vehicles.
RAILWAY DOUBTS ON ROAD CO-ORDINATION SCHEME.
ALLEGATIONS that the road-trans.port companies were not seeking to co-ordinate bus fares, but were attempting to reduce charges as a reply to the railway companies' summer tickets, were made at an appeal inquiry at Darlington on October 5-6. The appellants were United Automobile Services, Ltd., Majestic Saloon Coaches (Newcastle-London), Ltd., Orange Brothers, Ltd., and Phillipsons Motor Coaches, Ltd., whilst the London and North Eastern Railway Co, made cross' appeals in the matter of fares.
The bus companies appealed against the Yorkshire Commissioners' refusal to reduce fares on services between London and the North, travelling to or via Yorkshire, whilst the L.N.E.R.
asked for an increase. The return fare between Scarborough and London was 31s., but the railway company said it should be 32s. 6d. When the fare of 31s. was fixed in 1933, the railway company had not objected. The London-York fare was 26s., which was fixed in 1931, and here, again, although the railways wanted to increase this to 27s. 6c1., they had not lodged any appeal when it was fixed. TRANSFER OF PERSONAL SERVICES: ORDER REFUSED.
HE Court of Appeal, consisting of Lords Justices Greer and Maugham, were, a few days ago, asked to make an Order directing the London Passenger Transport Tribunal to state a special case for the decision of the Court on the question of to what extent the services of the two massaging directors of the City Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., were to be transferred to the London Passenger Transport Board.
The extent of the undertaking went to the tribunal for decision, and there the question arose about the transfer of the services of the two managing directors, who were also managing directors of a coach company using the same garage. Although they worked without any separation of their time between the two concerns, the contention of the company was that fourfifths of their time was devoted to the bus company's business and their services to only that extent must be transferred.
The Board's submission was that the two directors were appointed by the bus company, and they did the business of the coach company without additional payment. Assuming the services of the two directors were transferred as part of the undertaking, the whole of their services were transferred and no question of extent arose on which the Tribunal 'should state a special case.
Lord Justice Greer said the application wcmld be dismissed because the two managing directors were the employees of the bus company. It was suggested that their duties should be in some way apportioned between the bus company and the subsidiary coach company. He could find no provision in the Act for any such apportionment. The bus company would not lose anything, because when the question of compensation came to be considered it would be compensated for the loss of that part of its business which depended on the management of the two officers.
CASEFOR REFORMS.
A MEETING of the YorkshireI-1 Lancashire joint sub-committee of operators was held at Blackpool, last week, during the National Conference of the Motor Hirers and Coach Services AssociationThe. sub-committee has not yet completed the collation of evidence in support of the request to be made to the Minister of Transport for reforms in administration.
TILLING ARBITRATION CASE RESUMED.
ON Monday last, the London Passenger Transport Arbitration Tribunal resumed consideration of the claim of Thomas Tilling, Ltd., for over £3,000,000 compensation for the transfer of its London undertaking to the Board. The hearing was adjourned in July last.
The Board offers five years' purchase of the average profits, plus an agreed value of property, amounting to £1,032,231. Sir William McLintock, giving evidence for the Board, stated that the accountants for the two parties had not considered principles of the basis for the computation of compensation, and they had never reached the point of considering what would be a fair price to pay Tilling's.
Sir William stated that Tilling's asked to be awarded the equivalent of 57 per cent, on the value of the transferred undertaking. As a result of the protection afforded by the London Traffic Act, 1924, the company had been able to earn 36 per cent, on its capital, but there was no guarantee that such profits would be permanent.
The case was continued yesterday.
MR. STIRKS CANDID COMMENTS ON COUNTER-ALLEGATIONS.
" 'THIS is th*etialy part of our area
I where these 'dog fights' are still continued," said Mr. J. H. Stirk, chairman of the East Midland Traffic Commissioners, at Northampton. He was conducting a public inquiry into allegations made against the United Counties Omnibus Co., Ltd., Northampton, by Frosts Motors, Ltd., Kettering, of breaches of conditions.
Mr. Stirk much regretted that the proceedings had to be pursued. Even after repeated efforts by the Commissioners, no solution of the transport problems in the district where the irregularities were alleged to have taken place had been reached. He considered both parties to blame. Frosts had earlier in the year to answer allegations made by the United Counties Co. and had had to pay a penalty. Mr. Stirk announced that both sides had accepted advice from the Commissioners.
NORWICH COMPANY'S TRAFFIC INCREASED.
AN improvement in the results of the bus section of the Norwich Electric Tramways Co. was shown at the 38th annual ordinary general meeting, in London, last week. The Eastern Counties Omnibus Co„ Ltd., has a controlling interest in the undertaking.
The number of bus-miles run increased from 925,711 in the year ended June 30, 1933, to 981,218 in the year ended June 30 last, the corresponding figures for passengers carried being 6,502,034 and 7,289,912. The revenue per vehicle-mile increased from 11d. to 11.64d., expenses being 8.93d. and 8.76d. respectively. The net profit for the year amounted to 219,249, to
.1342 which is added 2857 brought forward.
Mr. John F. Heaton was appointed chairman in the place of Mr. Francis FitzGeraId, C.B.E., whilst Messrs. W. Wolsey and J. Worssam were appointed new directors.
BOURNEMOUTH ORDERS MORE TROLLEYBUSES.
ANOTNER order, making the fifth during the past 12 months, has recently been placed by Bournemouth Corporation for Sunbeam-B.T.H. trolleybuses. The latest order is for 48 vehicles, which will bring the municipal fleet up to 103 trolleybuses of this make; it is said to be the largest trolleybus fleet of one make purchased by any municipality.
All these vehicles are of the Sunbeam MS2 six-wheeled type, with B.T.H. electrical equipment. Bodies for the trolleybuses recently ordered will be constructed by Park Royal Coachworks, Ltd.
The new 56-seater double-deck bodies are of similar design to those already delivered. Front and rear entrances and two staircases to the upper deck are provided, and the front entrance has a „sliding door operated by the driver. The seats are of tubular construction. Widney-Stuart half-drop windows are fitted.
A striking illustration of the popularity of the trolleybuses in Bournemouth is shown by the municipality's experience since the first route (Ashley Road to County Gates) was officially opened on June 22. Since that date the number of passengers carried, as compared with the corresponding period of last year, when trams and an experimental service maintained by four trolleybuses were both in operation on the same route, increased by 250,000.
CO-ORDINATION APPEALS.
I N connection with the report published in our issue dated September 28, headed "Operators Win Big Group of Appeals," it should be understood that the railway appeals failed and the appellants were required to pay costs, 175,000 FOR POOLE BUS-SERVICE RIGHTS.
A LTHOUGH the terms of the agree1-1 merit between Poole Corporation and Hants and Dorset Motot Services, Ltd., for the provision of a bus system on the expiration of Bournemouth Corporation's tramways lease, next June, have not yet been published, it was stated at a meeting of Poole Council, a few days ago, that the Hants and Dorset concern was to pay Poole Corporation 275,000 for 40 years' lease and 10 per cent.
The terms ef the agreement are not to be published until a decision has been obtained from the Ministry of Transport on the proposal. Representatives of Bournemouth and Poole Corporations attended a conference at the Ministry, last week, and the Ministry undertook to give a decision, this week, as to whether to grant Poole's application to complete the agreement with the company, or whether to uphold Bournemouth's objection. Bournemouth Corporation offered, some time ago, to provide trolleybus services in Poole.
JOINT APPLICATION FOR LICENCE TRANSFER.
A PPLICATION has been made to the PlYorkshire Traffic Commissioners by five companies operating jointly to take over an express service between Scarborough and Doncaster, previously operated by Messrs. Phillipson's Motor
Coaches. The companies concerned are the West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd., Yorkshire (W.D.) Electric Tramways, Ltd., Yorkshire Traction Co., Ltd., East Yorkshire Motor Services, Ltd., East Midland Motor Services, Ltd.
A further application has been made to the Yorkshire Commissioners by the Midland General Omnibus Co., Ltd., for permission to take over certain services previously operated by Messrs. James Cresswell and Sons. DEADLOCK IN NEWCASTLE STATION DISPUTE.
LITTLE has been heard, during recent weeks, of the dispute between independent operators and Newcastle Corporation concerning the Haymarket bus station. As little publicity as possible has been given to the matter, but The Commercial Motor understands on good authority that the operators, at the request of the Lord Mayer and town clerk, paid the amounts claimed by the corporation in writs that were issued months ago, and the cases were withdrawn from the lists.
The Lord Mayor promised, it is understood, to do all that the operators asked in the way of making alterations to the station, but nothing has yet been done to right the operators' grievances. The town clerk is now demanding the handing over of the money in the suspense account, but the operators are insisting that their complaints be remedied before this step is taken.
PROSECUTION FOR CARRYING STRANDED TRIPPERS.
FOR taking upon its own shoulders the responsibility of providing transport for more than 500 persons who were stranded as the result of delay in a steamer arriving at Ardrossan, Ayrshire Bus Owners (Al Service), Ltd., was summoned at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court, last Friday. The company was charged with carrying passengers at an hour later than that authorized by the Commissioners.
It was stated that a pleasure boat due to arrive at Ardrossan before 11 p.m. was late, and that more than 500 persons would have been stranded unless they could have obtained some means for conveyance. The officials of the bus company were unable to communicate with the Commissioners and they accepted the responsibility of running a special service.
The Sheriff was prepared to look indulgently on this case, but it was not to be taken as a precedent.
" CONTRACT " CASE WON.
rrI-IE operators were successful when 1 Messrs. Towler and Sons, of Brandon, Suffolk, were summoned at Methwold, last week, in connection with a contract-carriage offence.
It appears that a party was organized in connection with the Royal Agricultural Show, at Ipswich, but the vehicle used did not belong to Messrs. Towler, who were unable to utilize their own bus for the work. It was submitted that there was no evidence to suggest that Messrs. Towler hired the bus for separate payments, and that, in any case, the Royal Show was a special occasion. The party was a private party and all the members had some community of interest.
The prosecution contended that, if the Royal Show had been a one-day event, it might have been a special occasion, but how could a special occasion last from Tuesday to Saturday? The representative of the Traffic Commissioners admitted that he could not define a private party. The magistrates ruled that this was a private party and a special occasion, and dismissed the case with £3 3s. costs. WEST MIDLAND COMMISSIONERS PROTECT RAILWAYS.
S0141E argument concerning reductions in fares occurred at a sitting of the West Midland Traffic Commissioners, last week, when a number of operators in the Potteries sought to introduce new rates for football traffic and other excursions. The independent operators were in agreement, but the Potteries Motor Traction Co., Ltd., did not wholly agree with the proposals.
For Crosville Motor Services, Ltd., it was submitted that operators who ran excursions and tours from the Potteries to Chester would be taking traffic from the company, but the independent operators retorted that they were working before the Crosville concern came into the district. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway Co. also objected.
Col. A. S. Redman, chairman, remarked that, if the needs of the public could be met in other ways, the Commissioners had to consider whether road services were required. If the railway companies reduced their fares, that was no reason why road-transport operators should do so. He did not favour undercutting that made existing railway facilities unremunerative.
The Commissioners sanctioned the football excursion fares, because they considered that followers of the game should be enabled to attend matches at as reasonable a cost as possible. They were not prepared to alter the fares for the other excursions, where there was a difference of opinion between the read-transport operators and between road and rail.
The transport committee of Chesterfield Corporation has made arrangements for the acquisition of additional private bus services.