Fewer New Vehicles This Year
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CONFIRMATION of the Govern decisiOn to limit this . year's intake of new motorbuses and trolleybuses to the home Market to 7,700 is contained in the Economic Survey for 1949, .published last week.
"Production for home use will have to be restricted in 1949 in the interests of other more important investment programmes and of exports," -states the Survey: " There are, however, special reasons for • meeting the Minimum requirements for trolleyhuses and double-decker btises to reriledy existing shortages Of these vehicles, especially in
London •
About 450 trdleybuses, 4,250 doubledeck Motorbuses, and -3,000 single-deck motorbuses forth the quota for 1949. Last year, more than 8,000 new buses were placed oh the road in Britain, although the original allocation in 1948
was 6,0130. •
The number of new goods vehicles supplied last year to the home market was about. 85,000, .compared with the
proposed quota for the year of 50,000. A further reduction in the directiOn of the, figure of 50,000 is to be made this year. although no specific number is mentioned. .
. " Annual. requirements simply to refresh the pre-war fleet amount to 70,000," states the Survey, "and it is estimated that 120,000 vehicles per year would be required for some years to restore the fleet to its pre-war standard. Although the present fleet of about 700,000 is about 180,000 greater than before the war, and 250,000 greater than in 1945, a considerable part of the increase consists of ex-Service vehicles, which are well worn, costly to run and wasteful ot petrol, and over the whole fleet the average age of the vehicles is considerably above pre-war."
Nevertheless,. the Government maintains that curtailment of capital expenditure on, new vehicles will have less serious consequences than in some other sectors of investment. .