PASSENGER , TRAVEL NEWS.
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The Latest Doings and Developments in the Bus and Coach World.
BUSES AND COACHES AT A NORTH WALES RESORT.
Details of the Activities of Some of the Most Prominent Passenger-vehicle ' Owners in Rhyl.
EVERAL of the muter coach and
motor omnibus owners in North Wales are making additions to their fleets this year, and others will certainly follow suit if the 1924 season gives early promise of being successful. At Rhyl, Llandudno and Bangor new coaches as well as -buses will make their debut.
Conditions at the various North Wales holiday resorts are vastly different, and whilst coach owners in some districts are able to work together through the medium of an association and, as a result, enjoy reasonably remunerative rates during the season, in other towns the element of competition has been carried to the point when it is exceedingly difficult to procure a fair and equitable return.
One of the two largest fleets in North Wales under a single ownership is that controlled by MESSRS. Brookes Bros.' of Rhyl. At present they are operating about 12 buses and .14 coaches, but new purchases have been made to supplement the existing' strength of bath departments. Nearly all the buses are Leylands, most of which are 40-seater single-deekers, with twin entrances, although two double-deckers are irteluded in the fleet. At the time of our visit to the headquarters of -Messrs. Brookes Bros., delivery was being awaited of two new doable-decker Leylands, each to seat 60 passengers. These will be put into service at an early date, and are -intended to operate ih the district between Rhyl and Prestaty,n, between which communications have been considerably improved by the provision of a fine new road. The distance be
tween the two places is approximately 4 miles.
Six main routes and a number of subsidiary ones are covered by the company's vehicles, and as fares are calculated on a basis of something like
per _passenger per mile, the following table will provide an indication of the mileage of each route, the maximum through fare being quoted in each awe: The value of -these communications will be obvious when it is stated that the White 'Rose services—the name under which Messrs. Brookes' vehicles run—inter-connect at certain places .with those of the Creiville Motor Bus Co., Ltd., of 'Chester, and thus en-able passengers to journey by bus to places so far afield as Llan:wrst, Chester, Mold, I3ettws-y-Coed, etc. Through return tickets are issued by each company far specified routes, and accounts are settled at periodic intervals on the basis of ticket's issued and collected.
In our interview with Messrs. Brookes it was emphasized that some of the bus routes could only be worked at a loss owing to the sparseness of traffic available; but that the company were maintaining them, on account of their value
to the public, from the proceeds of buses which operate in denser areas. Although strict time-tables ore observed on all routes, when traffic is heavier as many extra vehicles as -required are put into service. For weekday services, the earliest bus to go on duty leaves the garage at 7.20 a.m., and the latest to return home arrives in the garage at 12.6 0.M.
For the summer service over the new road between Rhyl and Prestatyn, new buses Will be available, and it is intended to run a half-hourly service, the fare for the 4 miles being at the rate of Id. per mile.
Messrs. Brookes also run buses in local districts, and these meet all trains at -Rityl station and convey passengers to all parts of the town. Additional vehicles are put into service on. alt special occasions and at holiday times. The time-table of the White Rose bus .services gives a list 'of the days and market days of all the towns in 'the area covered by the cciinpauy's services.
Each month a limited number of contract tickets is -available for use on Messrs. Brookes' buses, 'but the company reserve the right to withhold any el-aim for these privileges; Arrangements are made for the transport or a limited number of parcels, carriage paid, to be met at the completion of the journey or delivered on the main road only,
at the following charges lb. to 7 lb., 4d.; 7 lb: to 14 lb, 6d.; 14 lb. to 23 lb., 9d.; 28 lb. to 56 lb., is. 3d.; 56 lb. to 84 lb., Is. 6d.; small parcels (under 1 lb.), any distance, 3d.
The .coaching experiences of Messrs. Brookes last season were an improvement on the previous year, from the point of view of loads, and an enormous amount of, private party work was undertaken.
The company's fleet of coaches con
sists al ten 28-seater Leyland, one 14seater Lancia, and three 19-seater Landes. 4 new coach garage is being erected at Prest-atyn. The Rhyl season extends from May to September, and, consequently, there is .no inducement for owners to secure licences for vehicles for a longer period than six months. For winter work, when football, hockey .and other sports followers and dramatic parties are carried, buses are generally employed. This year's motor coaching -tares will probably be in the vicinity of .10. per passenger per mile.
The White Rose coach tours are 25 in number, and, subject to the minimum load requirements, are a regular daily feature of the company's activities. They -comprise morning, afternoon and full-day tours. The full list of tours is advertised to the public in a commendably lucid Manner, and mileages and departure and return times are given.
Before leaving Rhyl, all parties are driven to the head booking office of Messrs. Brookes, where all tickets are collected and checked. A photograph a the party is then taken, and by the time the coaches return in the evening a proof is available for inspection, so that passengers May order as many copies as they require.
Messrs. IllayI and Potteries Motor Co. have four A.E.C. single-decker buses in their garage awaiting licences from the local council, these, up to the present, having been withheld.
Hitherto this company, who specialize in the smaller type of Lancia coach, have confined their activities to coach mg, and this year they intend to run a similar series of tours to those they scheduled last season, when local competition was very rife, Red resulted in fares being depressed to something like id. per passenger per mile.. No great expectations are held of a rash of Easter traffic, which is likely to be concentrated on shorter runs. A Messrs. Rhyl and Potteries Motors also arrange for the photographing of all parties booking journeys on their coaches.