BRADFORD'S SUCCESS WITH TRAM AND BUS.
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The Growing Use of the Trolley-bus and Motorbus in a Town Which Has Long Possessed an Efficient Tramway System.
EOGRAPHICALLY and indnsliftrially, the city of Bradford presents problems in passenger transport which are not easily comparable with the conditions in other towns. The great wool centre was not built up on the lines of any preconceived plan, but grew in its present surroundings on account of the proximity of the coal fields and au abundant supply of water coming down many streams providing an important element for manufacturing processes. These valleys have meant many gradients, and the roads in every direction rise sharply. The Bradford Tramways Department has for many years undertaken the passenger transport of the city and of the surrounding districts, and the succt..ful working of the tramways is clear from the large slims Welt the department has handed over to the general funds of the city -in relief of rates. Conditions have changed in recent -years and • new features have arisen which have made it necessary for the management to review the situation and to make plans for the future. Not the least pressing problem which has to be faced is •
that of competition with private motor-omnibus services.
Bradford was, indeed, one of the pioneers in the trolley vehicle field and actually the first concern of any sort in England to put on the road a six-wheeled passenger vehicle, which was built to the design of. Mr. R. H. Wilkinson, the general manager of the undertaking, in the works of the department in 1922 and is still in service. The department has a fleet of 25 railles,s vehicles in service, of which six have been recently supplied, three being A.E.C.s and
three Garretts. Mr. Wilkinson is by no means inflexibly wedded to electric traction, however, and he has in service 24 motorbuses, these being Leyland Lions and A.E.C. Renowns. In an interview granted to a representative of The Commercial Motor, Mr. Wilkinson kindly gave some details of Bradford's municipal passenger transport activities. The first motor-omnibus was delivered in May last, he said, and with their arrival they took up the three existing forms of roaci■' passenger trans port—trams, trolley vehicles and petrol omnibuses. With 250 tramcars, however, it will be seen that the train is still well in the ascendant. Before the war, Bradford was well provided with tramways, and they had 59 route-miles of track to serve a population of 380,000 people. The size and importance of the undertaking may be judged from the fact that the car mileage last year was 7 millions, and the passengem carried, 101 millions. With tramways so well developed, the finding of new routes was a somewhat difficult matter, but at the present time there are 11 routemiles of railless and six motorbus services in operation. No new tramway services are proposed or are likely at the present time, but, in the ease of further services, the decision to adopt motor-omnibuses or railless trolley-buses will depend upon the density of the available traffic, and, as a matter of fact, it is recommended that certain tramway sections shall be closed down and other means used.
Mr. Wilkinson holds that the rallies; vehicle has a greater average speed and is more economical than the motoromnibus on busy routes
and is the vehicle most suitable and likely to displace the tramcar. It is only on densely populated routes where a very close service of ears is required that the tramway can justify itself.
Dealing with running costs, Mr. Wilkinson said that, taking everything into consideration, he estimated the cost per car-mile for single-deck railless and motor-omnibuses at 12d., whilst for trams it was 17d., basing the earning capacity of the railless vehicle at 70 per cent, of the tramcar and of the motor-omnibus at 50 per cent, of the tramcar.
Mr. Wilkinson holds that longdistance passengers oa the trams could be carried at lower fares than buses could charge, and his committee has approved recommendations with regard to fares that would benefit very considerably the bong-distance passenger, and which, he was sure, would be found to be financially sound. There were as many long-distance passengers at the week-end going out of Bradford as there were coming into the city during the week. In the long run, the cheaper fares for long-distance passengers benefited those who lived in the city as much as those who lived outside. He had always held that it was a sound policy to give cheaper fares for the long distances, and he had not recommended this step merely to meet bus competition in Bradford. He recommended that the present iii, fares should not be interfered with; that the present led, fare should be increased to 2d., and that a 3d. maximum fare should be fixed for all long distances. As evidence that he had not introduced this simply to meet the opposition which had arisen through the introduction of motorbuses, Mr. Wilkinson showed a report he prepared in 1920 which urged this step. "In tramway operation I find it is not quality, but quantity that counts," said Mr. Wilkinson. "Lowness of fares considerably increases passengers, find it is far better to get a big aggregate sum in small amounts than a small aggregate in comparatively large amounts."
The present chaotic state of transport results in the public paying higher fares than is necessary, if buses ran into the city from outside at proper protective fares and just sufficient to meet the requirements of the long-distance traffic, they would be a greater public benefit. It now costs about £600 per car per annum for permanent way and rates, as against the £72 tax of the motor omnibus. In other words, the tramcar maintains two-thirds of the main roads for the benefit of all other forms of vehicular traffic and the relief of rates.
The great disadvantage of the
tramcar at the present time, particularly for long distances, is its speed, which in Bradford was lower because of the steep gradients. To meet this difficulty, Mr. Wilkinson is building at the present time a new type of car, which will attain a high speed, and will he provided with upholstered seats. It will be a singledeck vehicle on bogies, with eight wheels all driven through worm gearing from two motors. The driver will be comfortably seated, and In every way it will incorporate the very latest in design so far as comfort for passengers and quick loading are concerned. The track gauge in Bradfordis only 4 ft., and it seems rather risky and unnatural to attempt to drive a double-deck car on such a gauge at a high speed, said Mr. Wilkinson. Therefore, he had been compelled to adopt a single-, deck vehicle which he was sure would be able to attain a high but safe speed. For the present, only one car a this type was being built, but if it were found to be satisfactory one route would be provided with similar cars, for it would be little use having one high-speed car between two slow cars of the ordinary type. With a considerably higher average speed, however, it would be possible to bring passengers into the city from the outer districts in welch less time, which would attract additional public patronage.