AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

Passengers

20th February 1976
Page 31
Page 32
Page 33
Page 31, 20th February 1976 — Passengers
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

bypost

One hundred Postbus services are running in rural areas in Britain and more are planned. But two is likely to be the optimum in the Isle of Wight

FOR A YEAR now two postbus services have been operating in the Isle of Wight. On a recent trip there I found that the postbuses are obviously valuable to resklents; but that there is little, if any, scope for further similar services on the Island.

There are only 100 Postbus services in Britain. The latest one started in Scotland, which has 70, last month. But about 100 more are planned there in the next two years.

Of the remaining 30 services, 16 are in the South East : some regions are more suitable for operating this type of public transport service than others. Certainly, Postbuses are particularly fitted for the provision of a vital public transport service from remote places to the nearest town. The topography of the South East, however, is in direct contrast to that of Scotland.

In Scotland, not only do the vehicles provide, in addition to mail delivery, a passenger service, but they also deliver groceries and milk—even doctors' prescriptions.

Although no part of the Island is as remote as parts of Scotland, some areas can seem pretty isolated especially in the winter when holiday-makers are few. Many of these areas have never enjoyed a bus service and residents normally faced a long walk to pick up a bus to the nearest town or village served by the National Bus Company, Southern Vectis, routes.

Logical

On the other hand, normal regular Post Office mail deliveries using small vehicles such as minivans operated in these areas throughout the , year. It seemed logical, therefore, for a public 'passenger service to be introduced broadly based on the mail routes and with co-operation between the Post Office, the local authority and the bus company operating existing routes.

Deputy head postmaster John Gill, who had already been involved in the introduction of Postbuses in Sussex, told me that, having first agreed with the local authority that such a service would be of advantage, the first step was to sit down with representatives of the bus company to avoid conflict between Post buses and regular existing services.

There had to be as little duplication as possible, though complete segregation of routes was not entirely feasible. With the co-operation of Southern Vectis it was possible to reach agreement on the kind of issues which lead to objections when road service licences are applied for.

For instance, where routes coincided, the Postbuses either set down or pick up, but not both. The fares, too, were agreed on a comparable basis; maximum fares on the Postbuses are 19p from Newtown and 21p from Brighstone.

Two possible routes were established, one running from Newport to Newtown in the north west of the island and the other from Newport to Brighstone in the south west. In practice, it would be more apt to describe routes as starting from Newtown and Brighstone. The early morning outward journey from Newport is intended for the distribution of mail and on the inward journey the driver clears the postboxes en route, and also picks up passengers. Passengers from Newport to the outlying districts will be carried on the outward journey if they wish to take advantage of the service, but the real aim is to give inward-bound passengers about two hours in Newport before returning home.

Costing

The proposed service was costed first on the basis of operating a mail-only service with a minivan or similar ye hide and then using an 11seater minibus. The difference between the two costs were presented to the Isle of Wight County Council as the sum which would be needed as a possible subsidy. The final amount which would be required from the local authority was, of course, the difference in cost less the fares collected.

In cash terms, the cost difference for running the two services with two Commer Pb 2000 psv with 11 passenger seats and one spare unit, was in the region of £800, but fares collected during the past 12 months on both services have amounted to nearly that sum.

Although mounting costs have affected the original estimate, I was told that the Post Office had no intention of seeking to renegotiate the first agreed subvention. In these circumstances, the local authority will not be called upon to contribute towards the cost of providing what has proved to be a useful service to residents in remote areas.

Some of these to whom I spoke were loud in their praise of the service. They do not have to walk to postboxes to pick up the bus as the drivers clear the boxes. They can be picked up en route sometimes at their own front gate. One resident at Atherfield sticks a small red flag in the bank outside his cottage gate if he wants to travel into Newport. Another person ties a small piece of white rag to a stick. The bus will stop if the driver sees these signals.

Previously, it would have been necessary to walk to the Military road which skirts the southern coast of the island in order to catch a bus into Newport and another walk in the opposite direction on the return journey would also be necessary.

Viable

Postbus services can often be economically viable even with a small weekly passenger carrying. But the Post Office's absolute priority must always be the delivery and collection of mail: passengers must take second place to letters.

Pos.tbus routes can only approximate to Postvan routes and where these constraints are acceptable there is a basis for a Postbus service. Incompatibility, which is often the case, rules out the operation of Postbuses.

In the broader spectrum of the whole United Kingdom, there are other factors which affect the introduction of further Postbus services.

Apart from the changing role of the Post Office itself which could absorb its planning resources to the detriment of possible new services, local authorities are being exhorted to reduce spending.

The cost of Postbuses must be underwritten by both the Post Office and the local authority and there is an obvious reluctance to commit future financial resources, at this time.

Moreover, the Post Office now tends to ask for the full cost of Postbuses to be underwritten by local authorities and to ask for a guarantee of operating subsidies over a period of five years rather than undertaking an annual renegotiation. In addition, a lump sum payment is required on the introduction of the service.

This is an even longer period over which to undertake such a financial commitment especially when local authority budgets are being reduced and the involvement of local government in transport is likely to decline.

Redeployment

In the long term, a possible decline in letter postings could make further routes more attractive as the Post Office redeploys to develop new activities. Its best asset is the network of physical communication which it operates and it will undoubtedly need to capitalise on this network, particularly in rural areas.

Perhaps part of the future role of the Post Office might lie in providing a kind of servicing agency for rural areas dealing with the collection and delivery of people, goods and mail in remote country districts. The Postbus service could be the nucleus of this new conception.

For the present, although the Post Office is certainly providing a much needed rural bus service in many areas, perhaps at no cost to itself, it certainly gains only in prestige.

Tags

People: John Gill
Locations: Newtown, Newport

comments powered by Disqus