How Leicester Did It
Page 58
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General Manager Explains How the Municipal Transport Department made a Substantial Profit for Two Successive Years and can now Justify a Reduction in Fares By Andrew Seaconthe
THE seeds of Leicester Transport Department's success in showing a profit for the second successive year in 1952-3 were sown as long ago as 1938, according to the general manager, Mr. John Cooper. The transport committee of that year made "a bold decision" when they agreed to operate only motorbuses when trams were abandoned, and Mr. Cooper's belief is that a transport system of the nature of Leicester's cannot work to full advantage with trolleybuses and motorbuses.
There were, of course, Many other contributory factors, and I was left to draw my own conclusions from the evidence that Mr. Cooper readily placed at my disposal. He was, however, definite in stating that there was no simple answer.
Shortly after Leicester's surplus133,908 in 1952-53 compared with £32,909 in 1951-52---was made known, the city council laid proposals before the East Midland Licensing Authority to reduce certain fares. That was an obvious step to take, but the consequence was that within a few days of the application being made, local newspapers in many parts of the country were embarrassing their local transport committees by citing Leicester as an example. What those newspapers did not know was that when Leicester's existing fares were brought into force in July, 1951, they were among the highest in the country.
"Dormitory" Travellers to Benefit
The current proposals, if approved, will cost the department an estimated £18,000 a year, and amongst the people who will benefit will be those who have been moved from the city to new housing estates on the outskirts. But even these fare reductions have been planned with an eye on economy. .
Conductors will have a more simple fare scale to assist them, and it is hoped that this, in its turn, will have advantages in enabling them to collect revenue which, under peak conditions, might otherwise be lost.
Just after the war, Leicester was in the happy position of having a reserve fund of £132,000. This sum would have been inadequate to meet liability arising out of the tramway abandonment scheme, which began soon after the war, had not the department struck a profitable bargain with the city surveyor. The terms of the agreement were simply that tram lines no longer in use would be left in position until B24 the roads required re-laying. The surveyor could then tear up the lines as part of his normal scheme of road repairs, or cover them over at his discretion.
In this way, the reserve fund was found sufficient to meet road reinstatement, giving the motorbus system a clean start.
Another factor tied up with the conversion scheme was that three quarters of Leicester's existing bus fleet was acquired in 1948-50, when the tramway abandonment scheme was well under way. Thus, the department is in the difficult position of having to meet disproportionate capital charges until 1956.
Dead Mileage Cut
Dead mileage has been substantially reduced during the past 18 months by bringing back into use for.the first time since abandoning trains extensive premises in Bread Street, near the Clock Tower, the focal point of this busy and prosperous city. There, some 40 buses can be garaged in off-peak periods,. virtually on the doorstep of the points from which the evening peak traffic is carried. As Mr. Cooper pointed out, not many undertakings are fortunate enough to possess such a valuable asset.
Cleaning costs' have been reduced by the installation of an Essex bus-washing plant, which is used continually day and night. In fact, Mr. Cooper makes the claim that Leicester's cleaning costs are probably lower than those of any other.. municipal undertaking.
Amoag economy measures that speak for themselves arc a 20 per cent, reduction in non-traffic staff over the past two years, the reorganization of mileage from slack to peak periods, and the use of low-viscosity oil.
A part has been played by a small Powers Sams accounting plant on ' which waybills, mileage and fuel consumption are calculated. Computation of stores and wages will be done soon on a larger plant which the department has on order.
Five Standing
With all these economies it may be thought that Leicester is resting on its laurels, but the opposite is the case. New services have been introduced and existing ones extended, and in November last year the five-standing rule was restored. This is of particular interest in the light of current proposals to reintroduce the order nationally.
The fact that the undertaking was on
a sound financial basis, and that a , services operate. M a .built-up are ,helped, of course, in making th decision.
He believes that the policy has bee justified in Leicester's case in havin mitigated the problem of uncollecte fares and eased the conductors' task peak periods. To compensate for 4. loss in standing capacity, the workin fleet was increased by 4 per cent., brim ing in to use de-licensed vehicles.
In April last year a Is. tour of tit city was inaugurated. Operated at Ban Holiday periods only, it has ahead been patronized by more than 100,0C people, 5,000 for each day it has open ted. The tour, waich lasts an hour, especially popular with the old( citizens, as it .affords them an oppo: tunity to see "the new Leicester. Passengers are not, in the main, visitor for Leicester does not pride itself a being a holiday centre. .
Advertising .Pays The success of the tour is direct] attributable to advertising. The unde: taking takes space regularly in the city newspaper and .fills it, not with the sem official type of notice normal] employed by local government depar meats, but with " catchy "'phrases an striking drawings in the best traditior of modern publicity. Mr. Coopt ventured to suggest that his undertakin probably spends more on adVertisin than any of comparable size in tt country, but he knows his policy pay
Mr. Cooper, who has held his positio at Leicester only since April, 195 attributed the success chiefly to IF work of his predecessor, the late M Charles Stafford, to the present chai man of the transport committee, C11 S. W. Bridges, who is serving his secon period of office, and his predecesso Aid. C. B. S. Morley, who was in ta chair from 1946. until May 'last yea "My committee have always backed m 100 per cent.," he said. As to his ow part, Mr. Cooper would make no damn