MUNICIPAL BUS STATIONS: CAN THEY BE PROFITABLE?
Page 64
Page 65
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
AS part of the move towards encouraging a greater use of public transport in cities and towns, some local authorities are assessing the likely need for such facilities as bus stations, sometimes as part of their consideration of.redevelopment plans. Assessments of this type can only be based on estimates of potential demand—a very inexact science, particularly in present conditions—and a local authority cannot look to the Government for financial backing unless something in the nature of an approved type of road/rail interchange is planned. A bus station or bus /ear interchange at or near the centre of a city would not qualify for the 50 per cent capital grant—though possibly a car /bus interchange on a peripheral site would do so, on the grounds that it was designed to increase use of public transport.
One of the newest bus stations in Britain—and possibly the biggest in Europe—was opened in Preston, Lancashire in October 1969 and although its architecture has been praised, its siting at some distance from the railway station, has been criticized. It is on a six-acre site and comprises an 80-bay bus station with an 1100-car multi-storey garage above it; there are also offices and shops. The station has been referred to as a loss-maker, even with the revenue from shops, cafeteria and advertising. But while the bus station itself may not be viable,-the revenue from the car park would, it is understood, more than cover the loss—yet the two sections have quite separate.city treasury accounts.
The bus station is expected to reach full traffic capacity when three multi-storey office blocks in the vicinity are completed, bringing many new potential passengers directly to the area.
The station, which is in the centre of the town, is designed to cater for all bus services within the city limits. Vehicles operated by both Preston Corporation Transport and Ribble Motor Services Ltd make use of the station, and 12 bus stands are hired out to other public transport operators.
The buses approach the station head-on, the stands being grouped on two sides of a central island on which all the passenger facilities are situated. As well as a cafeteria these include shops, kiosk, a waiting room and wash rooms. The island itself is in the main concourse which is 8011 long by 50ft wide.
Because of the ,stringent economics demanded for the multi-storey car park, a structural pattern had to be adopted which would accommodate both cars and buses; the result is a 40ft grid spacing which accommodates five car spaces or three bus stands. To provide weather protection for boarding passengers, it was desirable to allow buses to penetrate beneath the outer edges of the lower floor of the car park, which necessitated a headroom of about 17ft. This has allowed the offices to be placed neatly on a mezzanine level within the concourse.
Preston Corporation has its transport headquarters there, and Ribble its town traffie office; the administration offices include a cashiers' department, while there is a canteen for the transport employees.
Passenger entry to the bus station is gained by three subways which connect it to the St. John's shopping centre, Civic Hall shopping precinct and the west side of Park Road, which is one of the main thoroughfares. At one of the main entrances there is a taxi stand. In the subways, alphabetical briefing signs are provided, and there are confirmatory departure gate lists around the concourse itself.
The 12 bus stands at Preston which are not allocated to corporation transport or to Ribble are rented at £370 a year, which includes rates but not the cost of any booking accommodation which may be required. For shorter periods, the station charges 15p for up to 30min, 50p for up to six hours and £1 for periods up to 12 hours. Five of the 12 stands are at present let on a permanent basis.
With the opening of the station, kerbside parking and picking-up facilities were withdrawn and operators are now prohibited from picking-up within two miles of the station. Independent operators forced as a result to use the station made unsuccessful attempts, with PVOA support, to have the charges reduced. But they have now accepted the situation and in fact have enjoyed increased capacities, partly because of the tendency to get more last-minute bookings at the new station.
It has become quite common in the past 10 years for municipal authorities to allow commercial operators to build and run urban car parks, the spread of the parking meter having made these a good proposition in many areas, but few property development companies are prepared to enter into a bus station venture. Such a project can easily cost £1m, and this is money which would earn a more substantial return, with greater security, on a housing development. One company which subscribes to this view is Brentkirk Ltd, of Manchester, which recently assessed the potential for bus stations. It was found that unless such a station contained a large number of shops and other public services it could not operate on a self-supporting basis.
A senior member of the company told me that, since bus stations attract large numbers of people, more use should be made of this "captive audience". This would, he felt, apply particularly to stations from which longclistance bus services were operated because these often involved waits of perhaps two hours between service departures. This was a period during which a wide range of facilities might be used.
He suggested that a gentlemen's hairdressers would be in great demand at any bus station—and that even a betting shop would be well patronized. As well as smaller shops and kiosks, the public might also take advantage of the availability of bulkier goods, which could be purchased on arrival and so avoid cumbersome articles having to be carried around on the bus, or alternatively having to be carried to the bus station prior to departure.
Brentkirk believes that it would be desirable for bus stations—which are generally on ground level--to have multi storey, offices built above them to provide an immediate source of regular passengers. The spokesman also drew attention to the secondary effect of placing bus stations close to a shopping centre; the turnover of the shops increased and subsequently the 'rateable value of the premises was improved.