EASTERN COUNTIES CO.
Page 55
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MAKES ANOTHER APPLICATION FOR "SEASONS" THE complicated question of the issue of season tickets by the Eastern Counties Omnibus Co., Ltd., was before the Eastern Traffic Commissioners at their sitting at Cambridge, last week. The company sought permission to issue " seasons " on certain of its stage-carriage services.
It was explained that, for many years, the company had issued season tickets. During the past year, difficulties had developed, and the Eastern Regional Sub-committee decided, last September, that application should be made for the issue of 12-journey tickets as substitutes for seasons, it being felt that the Commissioners were more favourably disposed towards the former.
As has been reported in The Commercial Motor, from time to time, the withdrawal of season-ticket facilities resulted in a great public outcry, and the expression of opinion became so strong thnt the Eastern Counties concern decided that application should at once be made to the Commissioners for permission to issue season tickets.
The question of protection for municipal-transport undertakings arose, and many local authorities were represented at last week's sitting. It was stated for the company that, in the past, no protection in connection with season tickets had been given to a municipality, although this had been granted on single fares. The company had avoided meeting local authorities on the subject, because it was felt that, as the application for season tickets was to be dealt with singly, any question of protection would be best dealt with by the Commissioners.
Mr. G. H. Iles, general manager of the company, said that during the year ended July last, 10,969 season tickets had been issued, 1,550 being in Cam
bridge, 680 in Peterborough, 3,937 in Norwich, 157 in Yarmouth, 864 in Lowestoft, 722 in King's Lynn and 3,009 in Ipswich.
Sir E. Haviland Hiley, the chairman of the Commissioners, remarked that the company had intimated that it would lose £50,000 a year, made up of £29,000 through the increase of 3d. per gallon in the price of petrol and £20,000 through an expected rise yet application was made for two different forms of cheaper ticket. For the company, it was pointed out that it would Prefer to issue 12-journey tickets, but the public demanded season tickets.
Long, complicated discussions took place during the sitting, and the chairman of the Commissioners intimated that they would have to consider the application in detaiL They did not object in principle to granting applications for any form of cheap travel which could properly be granted to one operator without prejudice to others.
Several factors had to be considered in relation to the present application. thesebeing applications for 12-journey tickets and the question of abolishing return fares, and the whole matter would take a long time to examine.
At a later sitting the Commissioners announced that they were considering the possibility of introducing a fare of lid, per return mile, instead of 12journey tickets.