HOW MUNICIPAL SERVICES ARE FARING.
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Continuing Our Summarized Analysis of the Latest Available Passenger Transport Returns of the Most Prominent Municipal Authorities.
IN OUR Special Passenger Vehicle issue, published on February 8th, we devoted space to the opening instalment of a summarized analysis of the latest passenger transport returns of the most prominent municipal authorities. This was continued in our last week's issue• and will be a feature of subsequent issues, the various authorities being dealt with in alphabetical order. Although, in many instances, the passenger transport activities of the authorities concerned have expanded very appreciably since the issue of the latest reports, particularly so far as buses and trolley-buses are concerned, the details are of interest as indicating a phase in the development of municipal passenger services.
HULL (KINGSTON-UPON-HULL) CORPORATION.
TOTORBUSES were first used in the city and county .1..V_L of Kingston-upon-Hull in July, 1909, when the corporation's initial service was established in the Stoneferry district. The service was discontinued after about three years and was not re-established until October, 1921. In March, 1923, another route WSB opened, and in October of the same year several other services were inaugurated, these including certain night services. The route mileage served by the buses on March 31st, 1926, was 12i, whilst on the same date the overhead tramway system was in operation over 38i miles.
The tramways accounts for the past financial year, i.e, to the date mentioned, show that the receipts on the buses from passenger fares were £32,919, and on the trams £327,667. The total revenue was £33,018 on the buses and E330,787 on the trains, the net working expenses being £29,338 and £258,138 respectively. The average amount lltken per vehicle per week was roughly £46 on the buses and just over £57 on the trams, the average sum taken on the former being 12.98d. per mile and on the lather 16.77d. per. mile. The average takings per week on the buses have shown an increase since 1924 but on the trams there has been a steady decline since 1921 in the amount received from passenger fares.
In the twelve months with which we are dealing, the buses carried 4,047,493 passengers and the trams 63,975,265 passengers. The aggregate mileage covered by the buses was 608,536 and by the trams 4,690,169, these figures being obtained from an 'average of •13.73 of the former and 100.63 of the latter in use for 16 hours per day. The Hull Corporation uses buses of A.E.C., Bristol and Guy manufacture, some of the vehiclesbeing double-deckers.
• KILMARNOCK CORPORATION., ryN May 15th lastthe Kilmarnoek authorities had
• ‘.../almost as many motorbuses as tranicare in use, the actual figures being 12 and 14 respectively, so that it is possible to make interesting comparisons between the working results of each type, particularly as an average of six vehicles of each class was in service during the year which closed on the date mentioned. For this reason we set out the following details in tabular form:— mile 10.8 8.65 Number of passengers carried per day per vehicle ... 823 790 Journeys per head of population ... 51.22 48.07 Traffic revenue per bead of popu lation 5s. 2.419d. 5s. 6.882d.
Kilmarnock Corporation employs a number of 21-seater Albion buses. It inaugurated services with vehicles of this kind in December, 1924, so that the figures we have given are for the first complete year's working with motorbuses.
KEIGHLEY CORPORATION.
INARMUCEE as this important authority was the first in this• country entirely to substitute trolley-buses for tramcars, its experience is particularly interesting. It obtained
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powers to operate buses in 1908, and its first services with such vehicles were commenced in that year to connect with various tramways points. Further powers were secured in 1912-1913 to enable the corporation to establish trolley-bus services and to supplement the number of its bus routes, whilst in December, 1924, the trolley-buses took the place of the trains. In the report of Mr. Ronald A. Fears:I:ley, A.M.I.A..E., the general manager and engineer of the undertaking, for the year ended March 31st last, the revenue account for the trolley-buses showed that traffic receipts accounted for £20,109 of a total revenue of £20,410, and that the total working expenses were 08,355, the sum of £2,055. representing the difference between these figures, being carried to the net revenue account. After deducting capital charges, however, a deficit of £2,622 was shown on the year's working. So far as the motorbuses are concerned—Leyland and
Guy vehicles are in use—the revenue account showed traffic receipts at £29,720, total revenue at £30,305, and working expenses at £24,934, thus leaving a balance of £5,371, but this sum was reduced to £1,384 after meeting capital charges. During the year to March last the capital expenditure on motorbuses was increased by £12,759. The average fare paid per passenger was 2.58d.
The total mileage covered in the year by the trolley-buses was 355,916 and the vehicles carried 3,913,147 passengers, these returns being recorded on an average of 11 buses in use daily working on a route mileage of 5.12. The average total revenue per bus-mile was 18.763d., and the average working expenses per bus-mile (including power cost) 12.377d. When the tramway services were in operation the trolley-buses served as feeders to the cars, but now the buses run into the centre of the town.
LEEDS CORPORATION.
AT the end of March 31st, 1926, the Leeds City •Tramways and Transport Department, of which Mr. W. Chamberlain is the general manager, possessed 378 passenger tramcars, 23 motorbuses and 14 trolley-buses. The result of the year's working to that date for the three systems of transport showed that total receipts amounted to £929,262 and working expenses to £637,354; of the latter sum 49.2 per cent, was accounted for by traffic ex
penses and 22.05 per cent, by costs in respect of general repairs and maintenance.
It will thus be seen that the gross profit was £292,008, which was raised to £296,914 by adding revenue from bank interest, etc. Net loan charges amounted to £117,073, and income tax, rent of lines and revenue contributions to capital outlay, etc., accounted for a further 155,029, whilst £79,917 was provided for permanent way renewals. These amounts deducted from the gross revenue give a net surplus of £44,895, and this was used for the relief of rates ; the total sum applied in this direction since the commencement of the undertaking has been £1,680,586. By dissecting the collective returns we find that the tramways showed a net surplus of £51,987, and the trolley-buses and motorbuses a deficiency of £5,358 and 11,734 respectively.
The total number of passengers carried was 148,462,619, of which 2,958,153 were carried by the motorbuses and 2,087,845 by the trolley-buses. The average fare paid per passenger was 1.47d., and a calculation showed that, in the year, the population served travelled an average of 266 times and paid in fares an average sum of 32s. 7d. per head, the total population on which these figures were based being 558,500. The Leeds authorities instituted trolley-bus services in June, 1911, and motorbus services in October, 1913, and in connection with the latter uses a number of Guy vehicles.