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Operating Aspects of PASSENGER TRANSPORT

16th June 1933, Page 60
16th June 1933
Page 60
Page 61
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Page 60, 16th June 1933 — Operating Aspects of PASSENGER TRANSPORT
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THE LATEST NEWS OF IMPORTANT EVENTS

NO TERMINALS IN CENTRAL LONDON FOR COACHES.

THE ■ long-awaited decisions of the

Minister of Transport on appeals against rulings of the Metropolitan Traffic Commissioner on certain applications for licences or backings for Coach services from provincial towns to London are now being announced. The appeals so far dealt with relate to services entering London on the northern side.

These appeals raised the questions of the exclusion of coaches from Central London and the limitation of pickingup points, and the Minister has decided to make an Order on the Commissioner. In no case does the Order provide for the granting of a terminal point or a picking-np point (for day services) within the central area, whilst all terminal points are on private property.

In the communication from, the Minister of Transport, it is stated that, although this accords with the Minister's general policy, it must not be assumed that he will reach a like conclusion on all other appeals. Vehicles will not be permitted to stop at a point for longer than the minimum period necessary for the picking up and setting down of passengers. The Minister's decisions will become effective on October 1 next.

The following are the operators concerned in the appeals:—

All British Line Coaches: E. J. Jones (LiverPool-London), Ltd.; MacShane's Motors, Ltd.; .I, Pearson and Sous; Joseph Bracewell; W. C. Standerwick, Ltd.; Woad Bros. (Blackpool), ltd.; Finglands Hire Cars, Ltd,; Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd.; Fast Midland Motor Services, Ltd.; West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd., arid others (Yorkshire pool services); Varsity Express Motors, Ltd.; Allchiles Luxury Coachways; Maylair Transport Co., Ltd.; W. A. Nightingale and Sons; Bean. mont and Priest; Birth Bros., Ltd.; Harry Edwin Hill; Westminster Coaching Services, Ltd.

The Minister makes 110 Order in connection with the appeal of MaeShane's Motors, Ltd. in respect of the company's Liverpool-London service, via T_Txbridge, as the application for a backing for the subsequent licensing period has been Withdrawn,

B42 CERTIFYING OFFICER WANTED.

THE Ministry of Transport invites applications from qualified mechanical and automobile engineers for a full-time appointment as certifying officer in the East Midland Area, at a salary of £55£647 10s. a year with expenses. Forms of application can be obtained from the establishment officer, Ministry of Transport, Whitehall Gardens, London, S.W.1, and applications must be submitted by June 22.

FIRST SUSPENSION OF STAGE. CARRIAGE LICENCE.

ON Tuesday last, the first suspension of a licence for a stage-carriage service in the East Midland Area took place, when the Commissioners ruled that the lleence of E. Naylor and Sons, Ltd., in respect of an Alfreton-Mansfield service, should be suspended for three months as from Monday next. When the company applied for a renewal of the licence, the Mansfield Traction Co. alleged that the Naylor concern had not adhered to the protection granted to the Traction Co., in that workmen's tickets were issued after 8.30 a.m. The Mansfield concern asked for disciplinary action to be taken.

BOOTLE AND MACSHANE'S. IT is stated that Councillor Haworth is asking Bootle Corporation to express the opinion that whichever company obtains the licences to operate the Merseyside services, it should give first preference of employment to the present employees of MacShane's Motors, Ltd.

"EASTERN NATIONAL" PURCHASE IN SOUTHEND.

THE Eastern National Omnibus Co.,

Ltd., has strengthened its position in Southend by taking over one of the routes of Borough Services, Ltd., between that town and Colchester. We gather thst there is, at present, no intention of taking over the remainder of the Borough undertaking, which operates routes as far afield as Grays, or that company's vehicles.

FORMATION OF CENTRAL FARES COMMITTEE APPROVED.

S forecast in last week's issue, the 'main fares committee, of which Mr. Sydney E. Garcke is chairman, met last Monday to discuss various problems, the meeting having been called by the Motor Hirers and Coach Services Association. For some unknown reason the Press was excluded, and delegates were requested to maintain secrecy concerning the proceedings, G'arcke undertaking to prepare a report for publication.

The Commercial Motor understand; however, that the setting up of a central fares committee was approved.

BLACKPOOL ECONOMIZING IN TRANSPORT EXPENDITURE. A LARGE number of suggestions put forward by the manager for the stabilization of Blackpool Corporation's transport undertaking was recently considered by the transport committee and has now been approved by the general purposes committee.

The transport system is to be centralized at Rigby Road, at least 12 new double-deck buses are to be purchased, the central transport fleet is to be remodelled and certain new machines obtained. Alterations are to be made in the bus repair work, the costing system is to be extended to enable monthly cost accounts to be obtained, and the method of cleaning vehicles is to be improved.

Amongst the many other recommendations approved is one for the seeking of powers to run motorbuses or trolleybuses in place of the trams. Moreover, various concessions in the way of cheap or free tickets are to be withdrawn or restricted, WARRINGTON'S BUS SUCCESS. THE accounts of Warrington Corporation for the year ended March 31 last show a net profit of £2,027 on the tramways, aS compared with £3,521 in the previous year, and a net profit of £12,957 on the motorbuses, as against 411,317 a year earlier. YORK'S NEW NEGOTIATIONS WITH WEST YORKSHIRE CO.

IT is reported that the special com mittee appointed by York Corporation to deal with the position of the municipal transport undertaking is considering a new scheme providing for an arrangement between the corporation and the West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd. It is stated that the company would undertake the internal transport of the city, the municipality to be provided with sufficient revenue to meet loan charges.

It may be remembered that York Corporation's Bill for the formation of a company by the city council and the West Yorkshire concern to operate the transport system was rejected, mainly owing to railway opposition in connection with the operation of buses outside the municipal boundary. We understand that it is proposed, in the event of an agreement being reached, that the corporation should apply to the Light Railway Commissioners for permission to abandon the tramways and trolley-bus system, and to replace them by motorbuses.

SEVERAL LINCS AMALGAMATIONS FORESHADOWED.

CONSIDERABLE changes in bus ownership in North Lincolnshire are, we understand, in process of arrange

ment. Grimsby Corporation is, it is stated, proposing to purchase the services of the Provincial Tramways Co., which lie in its area, whilst a controlling interest in Advance Motor Services, Ltd., Scunthorpe, is now believed to be in the hands of Enterprise and Silver Dawn Motors, Ltd., of that town.

Advance Motor Services, L.td., was registered on May 16, 1928, and runs services to Cleethorpes, Retford and Grimsby, with three A.E.C. 32-seaters and three Reo vehicles.

The other large operator in the neighbourhood is Scunthorpe United Motor Services, Ltd., an amalgamation of small owners registered as recently as September 25, 1921. It is understood that the Lincolnshire Road Car Co., Ltd., is negotiating for the purchase of this concern.

BUS STATION FOR BOLTON.

THE improvements committee of Bol ton Corporation has approved, in principle, a proposal to erect a bus station on the site of the premises formerly used as a railway warehouse, in Deansgate, near the junction of that thoroughfare with Moor Lane. The borough engineer is to prepare detail plans and estimates of the cost of the scheme, which is proposed to include offices and waiting rooms.

MORE IMPORTANT MERGERS.

WE understand that Black and White Motorways, Ltd., Cheltenham, has taken over the Bournemouth-Oxford.service of Link Safety Coaches, Ltd., and two of the Ritter concern's Leyland Tiger coaches have appeared in Black and White livery. The connection to Birmingham formerly given by the Samuelson company is now made via Oxford with the service of the Birmingham and 'Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd. Black and White Motorways, Ltd., is an associate of the Birmingham and Midland concern. At the end of June, the Regal Travel Bureau of the "Express" services to Llanclly and Manchester will, we understand, be transferred to "Black and White." We understand that this company is now running the service of the South Wales Express Co., Ltd., and another well-known operator is rumoured to be involved in the deal.

As exclusively forecast in our issue dated June 2, the Birmingham and Mid land and North Western Road Car concerns have assumed control of the service of Majestic Express Motors, Ltd., Manchester.

Rotherham's transport manager has been empowered to inquire as to a site suitable for conversion into a central station. NEW STANDARD CONDITIONS FORYORKSHIRE EXCURSIONS.

NEW standard conditions for excur sion and tour licences, which have a vital bearing on the pre-booked-party question in Yorkshire, have been issued by the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners. Operators may now pick up pre-booked parties at any point within a radius of three miles of the licensed starting point, and this will enable them to perform, under licence, work which was formerly done on contract.

Licence 1 provides for excursions and tours from authorised starting points. Licence 2A deals with the carrying of pre-booked and unadvertised parties, with a special clause permitting the operator to pick up Passengers at any one point within a radius of three miles from the licensed starting point, provided that the Commissioners are satisfied as to the bona fides of the service.

Licence 2s is for period excursions and tours.

The modification regarding prebooked parties is one recently asked for by Yorkshire Coach Owners, Ltd.

Commissioners' attitude towards the other proposed modifications, such as authority to operate all the year round, is not yet known. Yorkshire Coach Owners, Ltd., regards the introduction of pre-booked-party licences as a considerable step forward for the excursion and tour operator, and as a development which will reduce contract work in the Yorkshire area to a negligible quantity.

BUS SUPERINTENDENT DEAD. THE death has taken place in a New castle nursing home of Mr. W. It Lee, who was for four years bus superintendent to Newcastle Corporation.

Mr. Lee opened a new service for United Automobile Services, Ltd., in 1918; when he was transferred to Lowestoft as the company's traffic manager for the eastern counties. Later he took up a similar position with the company at Bishop Auckland.

BLACKPOOL SUPPORTS APPEAL. BLACKPOOL Corporation is to sup port the appeal of Lancashire and :Yorkshire Motors, Ltd., against the refusal of the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners to grant the company licences for certain services terminating at Blackpool. COLWYN BAY FINED FOR . UNLICENSED RUNNING.

FURTHER to the statement in last week's issue, Colwyn Bay Council was fined, on June 7, at Colwyn Bay Police Court, for operating runabout buses without road-service licences. Nine charges were brought by the North-Western Commissioners.

It appears that, since 1926, these small buses have been worked along the three miles of promenade, which the council regarded as its own private road, thus not requiring buses used on it to be licensed. On the advice of Mr. .W. Ckamberlain, chairman of the Commissioners, the council agreed to apply for licences, but, as the application had not been heard before Easter, the local authority decided to operate the buses during the holiday.

It was pointed out that the authority considered that it was better to try. to act in the spirit of the law and afford visitors travelling facilities, than to act in the letter of •the law and deny transport to the public. It was also stated that, as the application for licences was not due to he heard until the next day (Wednesday), the council had run the promenade service again at Whitsun.

The magistrates imposed a fine of 10s. in each of the nine cases, with costs.

On Wednesday, the North-Western Commissioners granted the council a licence for one route to be covered by the runabouts, but refused an application in respect of another.

BOURNEMOUTH'S SUCCESSFUL TROLLEY-BUS EXPERIMENT. SUCCESS is being experienced by Bournemouth Corporation in the operation of its experimental trolley-bus service from the &mare to the County Gates, which commenced on May 13. It was stated at a meeting of the town council, last week, that, during the period from May 18 to June 5, 104,568 passengers had been carried by the trolley-buses and £430 had been collected in receipts. The average working cost per vehicle-mile was 14.51d. It appears that a decision as to the future of the trams will not be reached for another two years, but, later, trolleybuses will be employed gradually to replace the trams, in eases where the tracks are in a poor state of repair.

MORE BUSES FOR BURY: BURY Corporation has now definitely decided to substitute buses for the trams on the section between Bury and Belton, next September. Bolton Corporation has referred to a sub-committee the matter of a through bus service.

DEWSBURY AND OSSETT AGREEMENT WITH BIG CO.

IN connection with the Dewsbury and Ossett Passenger Transport Bill, reference was made at a recent meeting of the tramways committee of Dewsbury -Corporation to a; proviso requiring that the National Electric Construction Co., Ltd., should not enter into any working agreement with any other company, body or person fqr the operation of services within Dewsbury and Ossett, in respect of any Period after January 1, 1956; except with the consent of the authorities.

It appears that the company has been in negotiation with the Yorkshire (Woollen District) Electric Traurways, Ltd., and at the meeting referred to, it asked for approval of an agreement proposed to be entered into by the two concerns. The corporation consented to the agreement, although it did not approve of it. " SOUTHDOWN " CARRIES OVER 34,000,000 PASSENGERS.

A CLEAR insight into the strong posi

tion of Southdown Motor Services, Ltd., was provided by Mr. Sidney E. Gera°, M.I.Mech.E., chairman, at the 19th annual general meeting of the company, at Brighton, last week.

Mr. Garcke mentioned that of every is. of revenue, nearly 2d. is debited to taxation. He stressed the value of coach stations and the important part they play in attracting custom, as well as referring to the advantages of interavailable tickets for travel by Southdown vehicles and by rail.

It was stated that during the past year the company carried 609,254 passengers from London to the coast. Since the electrification of the Southern Railway line from London to Brighton, the Southdown concern's traffic had declined to only a trifling extent, and Mr. Garcke felt that, in the long run, the road and rail traffic on this route would greatly increase, on account of the improved facilities.

In connection with the company's big tours business, Mr. Garcke paid a tribute to Mr. A. D. Mackenzie, a director and traffic manager of the clancern.

The chairman noted that accidents involving the Southdown vehicles occurred only once in 21,558 miles of running, even the slightest. mishaps being classi fied as accidents. Breakdowns were found to occur once in 57,333 miles. During the past year, the company's -vehicles carried over 34,000,000 passengers.

Speaking of recent developments, Mr. Garcke stated that the company had a new and capacious garage at Eastbourne, and that it had just concluded arrangements with Bognor Urban District Council for the purchase of a central site to be used as a coach station.

COUNCIL DISSATISFIED WITH APPEAL RULING, CROOK Urban District Council, one of the many local authorities which supported Ennis and Reed, Ltd., in its appeal against a decision of the Northern Traffic Commissioners, is not satisfied with the ruling of the Minister of Transport. As reported in our'issee dated June 2, the company appealed against certain conditions, relating to the Newcastle-Durham route, for the protection of other operators. The Crook authority is to call a meeting of interested councils at which the local Members of Parliament are to be invited to be present, with a view to sending a protest to the Minister.

It was stated that the Minister's decision would involve the discharging of 25 members of the staff of Ennis and Reed, Ltd., and was said to cause considerable inconvenience to the public. Regarding the Minister's contention that only. 210,000 persons of the 450,000 population interested in the service had supported the appeal, it was pointed out at the meeting of Crook Council that the other people had not been asked to endorse it.

SOUTHPORT BUS STATION.

SOUTHPORT Corporation is to con. street a bus station on the front of the site of the coach park, adjoining the Ainsdale Beach.

MERGING ACTIVITIES IN L.P.T, ARE C0NSIDERAI3LE activity is evinced by Green Line Coaches, Ltd., and London General Country Services, Ltd., in purchasing small operators before the commencement of operation by the London Passenger Transport Board. We understand that negotiations are in progress in several directions.

London General Country Services is purchasing the Watford local routes of the Premier company of that town, and has assumed control of the Aston-Aylesbury service. The Watford-Aylesbury route of the Chiltern Service is taken over by the "London General," whilst the Eastern National Omnibus Co., Ltd., is acquiring the Chiltern route between Tring and Leighton Buzzard.

A similar division of the former Associated Coaches (Ongar), Ltd., is already in force the Epping-Chelmsford route being taken over by L.G.C.S. in

the :London Passenger Transport Area aS fay " As °Agar, 'whilst thence to Chelmsford, the Eastern National Company is operating the service.

Green Line Coaches, Ltd., is seeking the transfer of the licence held by Lewis's Cream Line Coaches for a coach route—one of the shortest in the Metropolitan area—from Brookmans Park to London. This originated with a station ear-hire business and now employs five Gilford vehicles. The London-Hemet Hempstead route of the Premier undertaking (Watford) is also to be abso.rbed.

ELLIOTT BROTHERS' PURCHASE.

WE understand that Elliott Brothers (Bournemouth), Ltd., proprietor of the Royal Blue Automobile Services, has taken over the service of Traveller Saloon Coaches, Ltd., between Ply mouth and Portsmouth. The latter concern was formed in Plymouth in April, 1930.

LATEST TOURS SCHEDULE OF "BLACK AND' WHITE:"

AN attractive brochure describing the programme of coach tours operated by Black and White Motorways, Ltd., Cheltenham, has been issued.

The tours are fully conducted and include that-class hotel aeoommodaton. The trips may be joined at over 150 provincial towns through which the Black and White Services operate, and passengers may be carried to Cheltenham at the same inclusive fare for the tour. The trips are for three-day ta eight-day periods and cover the Wye Valley, Wales, Devon, Cornwall, South Coast, the Shakespeare Country and surrounding areas. The prices range from £4 48. to Ill us.

00 another page in this issue will be found an announcement concerning an interesting and important development in which Black and White Motorways, Ltd., is involved.


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