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Progressive Trans at Bradford port Syste
Trolleybuses and Motorbuses are Achieving Considerable Success an Municipal Service in Bradford and will Ultimately Displace the Trams Despite Heavier Burdens of Wartime Employment the Municipal Fleet Continues to be Maintained in Sound and Efficient Condition ALTHOUG°1-1, at the present time, buses, trolleybuses and trams take roughly equal shares in Bradford's municipal transport undertaking, this is purely
fortuitous. It is not the intention of the authorities to perpetuate ' the: tramways, rather it is the firm inten tion that oil-engined buses and
trolleybuses shall ultimately super-
sede them. These two types of vehicle are already serving a wide
area, as can be seen from the routemileage figures which, taken to con
venient fractions, are : Trams 211,,
trolleybuses 42, buses 73+. The lastnamed, however, includes important
joint services—that between Brad ford and Leeds (in conjunction with Leeds Corporation), the Bradford Huddersfield route (in conjunction with Huddersfield Corporation and Hebble Motor Services, Ltd.), and participation in the Dewsbury route with Yorkshire Woollen District Transport Services, Ltd.
Bradford opened its bus services in May, 1926, mainly to supplement the trams. True, they took the place of .
trains on a few short runs, but, generally, they have been devoted to linking up housing estates, opening out cross-town journeys and providing entirely new services. Trolley . buses have been used in Bradford since before the 1914-18 war.
The fleet comprises 130 trolleybuses, 102 motorbuses and 111 trams.
With three exceptions (including two coaches) the buses are all of the double-deck type, being mainly of Daimler and A.E.C. makes, the former having Gardner oil engines.
Power units of this kind were first introduced in 1932, and throughout the past 10 years their use has gradually been extended until the undertaking now owns 96 oilers. Trolleybuses are chiefly of A.E.C. and Karrier manufacture with English Electric equipment. Coachwork on these two types is generally by the Weymann or English Electric concerns and recent models have invariably been of all-metal construction, Careful regard is paid to the matter of staff selection and Mr. C. R. Tattam, M.Inst.T., general manager of the undertaking, reports that, on the whole, conductresses employed by his department are performing excellent work. At the outbreak of war the traffic staff included a sub-. stantial number of men with years of service to their credit and, as many of them came into the later: age groups, staff shortage did not "make itself felt for quite a considerable time. In fact it was not necessary to take on female staff as conductresses until 1941. There are now approximately 350 girls employed in this way, and, generally speaking, there is little absenteeism and their timekeeping is well up to the general standard.
At Bradford, there is no question of taking the first girl who comes along, handing her a bag and punch, then telling her to get on with the job. As has been emphasized, conductresses are selected carefully, they are given about a fortnight's training, then assigned to suitable routes.
Like all other transport systems, Bradford's has been subject to heavy pressure during war-time, additional traffic having intensified peak-hour activity and created new records. To meet the obvious difficulties thus created some staggering has already taken place and Mr. Tattam is urging the need for further developments along these lines, suggesting to employers that the various trade groups should each have their own set of hours—agreed times for all engineering establishments, slightly different times for all textile estab
lishments, further variations for shops and offices, and so on.
If such proposals are adopted it may be expected that the traffic situation will be considerably eased. At the same time persons making calls on, or deliveries to, a particular trade, would have a good idea of the range of times and would not encounter difficulties such as might arise where, say, one textile mill opened late and another closed early.
At Forster Square an excellent central station has been provided for some of the trolleyhus routes, but otherwise the various services start from convenient stands in various parts of the city. Shelters are provided at numerous places in the suburbs and the central area. Of considerable assistance during the highpressure traffic of war-time has been the fact that Bradford people have been educated over a period of years to appreciate that orderliness saves
time. They are definitely queueminded and the pusher-in is apt to be dealt with sharply by other intending passengers.
For some time past the last buses have been leaving the centre of Brad. ford at 9.30 p.m., whilst the final trams and trolleybuses have departed about half an hour to an. hour later; it is proposed to continue these timings throughout the summer months.
In round figures Bradford's bus fares work out at Id. a mile, whilst the average fare per passenger is 1.9d.; the maximum fare between the city centre and the boundary is 3d. On all journeys up to 9 a.m, workmen's tickets are issued at roughly half fare. A somewhat unusual facility is the availability of a six week-day season ticket for an unlimited number of journeys on any one route; the price is Bs. 6d. and, generally, this form of contract appears to be used as a convenience rather than as an economy.
Buses are norMally housed at the main garage, but as a safety measure 'tinder present-day conditions a portion of the fleet is dispersed to the smaller running depots. These machines are not kept in the open, but, in case of ,serious emergency, plans can be put into operation at short notice for the wide dispersal of most units to points where there is accommodation for them to stand in the open.
Daily inspections are carried out at the depots to which the buses are attached, but a separate engineering works is provided to deal with major overhauls. A complete reconditioning is carried out at 120,000 miles, but at intermediate periods of 30,000 miles each vehicle is docked. On this occasion there is a thorough inspection, cleaning and adjustment. Normally, the engine is not removed at this stage, but cylinders, pistons and bearings, etc., are checked for wear, and fuel pumps, governors and injectors are overhauled and tested. In these days, some slight relaxation of peace-time maintenance schedules is inevitable, but a reasonably satisfactory standard is still observed, despite the difficulties experienced in keeping adequate staffs of craftsmen at the repair works.
Employees' food problems are simplified by the presence of a canteen at the main depot, by facilities for light refreshments at the running depots and a café at the head office. An examination of the records giving oil-fuel consumption for theBradford fleet shows what at, first may seem some rather surprising fluctuations, the average being equal to about 8 m.p.g. on certain routes rising to 14-12 m.p.g. The reason, of course, lies in Bradford's multiplicity of hills, which are encountered in every direction. On some routes gradients are as sharp as 1 in 8 and, in the old days, petrol buses gave a fuel-consumption return on the wrong side of 5 m.p.g.
What with constantly heavy loads, steep climbs and equally steep descents, Bradford takes a big toll of its buses an.d their reliability, is an. index of the thoroughness of their maintenance, even under war-time conditions of use.