PASSENGER TRAFFIC PROGRESS AT SHEFFIELD.
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What is Being Done by the Municipal Authority and by Private Concerns to Provide Adequate Facilities.
Tg city of Sheffield, the centre of the steelindustry, with a population of nearly 500,000, is now well 'provided for in the matter of passengertranspoet: There is an extensive municipal tramways system; in conjunction with which a. fleet of 'over SO omnibuses is run, as well as certain private undertakings, the latter catering for the longer distance traffic mid for the requirements of outside areas.
The corporation first obtained Sanction to operate motorbuses in 1007, but it was not until 1913 that the pioneer routes were opened, vehicles of the 34seater open-top double-decker type
beingemployed. The' chassis. which were utilized Were CC-type and CDtype Daimlers, And the services proved themSelves so shfisfactory that -powers to extend them were sought in 1914.
The intervention of the war prevented about 25 per cent, each of the following types :—A.E.C., 52-seater doubledeckers; A.E.C., 30 to 36-seater singledeckers ; Guy, 26 to 30-seater singledeckers ; and Leyland, 28 to 34seaters of the same type.
Amongst the double-deck buses is a large percentage with covered tops. This type has beers found eminently satisfactory, and, in one instance, has entirely replaced the tramways, that is, on the Fitzalan Square-Petre Street section. This route is so busy that a five-minute service has to be maintained during rush hours.
The conversion of all the municipal buses, excepting the double-deckers, to run on pneumatic tyres has now been completed. The latest additions to the fleet have, of course, been supplied with this class of equipment.
The majority of the 29 routes now working start from the centre of the city, but in a few instances services finish at the tram termini at Handsworth, Firth Park, Malin Bridge, etc.
The services extend to Barnsley, Maltby, Dinnington, Eckington, Chesterfield, Bakewell, Taingsett and Penistone, with various off-shoots and alternate routes and, in two cases, joint running with other undertakings has been arranged. The Barnsley route is operated alternately with the Barnsley and D!strict Traction Co., Ltd., whilst a number of the runs on the Chesterfield service is operated by buses belonging to the corporation in the town.
Turning now, to the activities of the bus companies in the district, we find that A. F. Hancock, Ltd., of Bamford, serves two routes to the south-west of Sheffield. One service runs to Hathersage and Castieton, whilst tha other runs to Buxton, both covering the first seven miles between Sheffield and Fox House.
The company's fleet of 14 vehicles comprises the following :—two Daimler OK-type 26sseater buses, six Karrier 28-seater chars-A-banes and six Albion Viking all-weather coaches.
Another concern running buses into Sheffield is W.-T. Underwood, Ltd., the general headquarters of which are at Worksop, with the engineering works at Clowne. Various difficulties have stood in this company's way in the matter of obtaining licences, and at one time its buses only ran to the Intake train ter
minus, but the Mansfield-ClowneSheffield route had runs to the centre of the city. The Dinnington route still ends at the Handsworth tram terminus, as does the corporatioa. service on the same road.
The services of the company have been running under their present title since 1920, and during the last seven years considerable developments have taken place. The whole fleet of vehicles, now numbering over a hundred, runs on pneumatic tyres. The routes have been much extended and now reach into Lincolnshire and to the East Coast. District depots have been established at Scunthorpe, Tibshelf, Mansfield, Dinnington and Chesterfield. CK-type Daimlers' to seat 26 passengers, an'd Associated Daimler 30-seaters are chiefly employed by the company.
In order to assist the travelling public, neat time-table eases, which also contain a route-map, are prominently displayed at numerous points aloug the roads covered by the buses, and another feature of interest is the establishment of over a hundred parcel agents, who receive and deliver packages for transport by the buses.