BUSES PROVE SUCCESSFUL AT EDINBURGH
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() 'again the operations of the
transport department of Edinburgh Corporation have been conducted in a manner which must be highly gratifying to the authorities, for in the year ended May 15th last we note that the figures relating to total revenue, passengers carried and mileage covered were all in excess of the comparable figures for the previous year. The working expenses per mile on both the buses and the tramway were slightly reduced, and this must be regarded as very satisfactory when it .is remembered that the working expenses for the previous year were queted as the lowest of any under. taking of a similar size in this country. The combined revenue for the year from the ,motorbus and tramways services was £950,988, an increase of 123,874, whilst the mileage run at 15,508,843 was 683,511 higher than the previous year's figure.
Up to the period covered by the report, the capital expendiTure on buses, garages, etc., amounted to £404,449, of which sum £268,409 has been paid off. During the year £51,283 was expended on the purchase of buses and coaehes.
The revenue from the bus and coach services amounted to £195,927, compared with £182,659 in the previous year, whilst 31,755,580 passengers were carried, representing a 7.9 per cent, in
crease over the figure for 1930. The buses covered an increased mileage of 308,149, the aggregate return being 3,809,350. The total bus expenditure amounted to £173,251, so that there was a balance of £22,676 to carry to the credit of the net revenue account.
After deducting interest and sinking fund charges, the net surplus on the 'year's working was £2,925, the available credit balance being increased to . £3,981 after adding the balance stand log at the credit of the motorbus account at the close of last year. This sum has been used as a special contribution towards the liquidation of debt for capital expenditure.
The results of the working of Edinburgh Corporation's bus system during the past 10 years are clearly set out in the accompanying tabulation.
On May 15th last the corporation owned 131 buses and 22 motor coaches, all but four of the buses being singledeckers, mostly of 32-seater capacity. The vehicles run on a route-mileage of 62, and, during the year with which we ire dealing, each vehicle covered an average of .140 miles, per day at an average.speed of 9.7 m.p.h.