Three operators vie for bingo traffic
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• Three undertakings applied to the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners in Leeds last week to provide Halifax and surrounding districts with services to the Bingo Hall at Elland. Hebble Motor Services Ltd. sought to add this destination for half-day or evening excursions to all its eight licences; J. H. Sheard Ltd., trading as J. Hoyle and Son, applied for similar excursions from two starting points: and Halifax Joint Omnibus Committee sought authorization for two new express services. Halifax and Huddersfield JOCs objected to the first two applications and the third was opposed by the first two applicants. The Commissioners reserved their decision.
Mr. T. A. Dunstan, manager of Hebble, said that these excursions would be the natural development of the evening entertainment facilities already provided. Halifax Passenger Transport's stage carry services covered these routes but they were slow and changes were required from some points. He conceded that they would be cheaper but he felt that passengers should be given the greatest possible consideration.
Mrs. B. Walters, of Hebden Bridge, said she had travelled some six times with a private party on a Halifax coach but on one such occasion in December she was left behind at Elland and she would now only travel on an organized excursion.
Managing director of the second applicant company, Mr. J. H. Sheard, said that except for operating private parties, which he had done to Elland, there was no way of proving demand except by operation. Bingo did not always finish at a set time and passengers could easily miss service buses.
Chief assistant of Halifax Transport, Mr, F. Murray, said stage carriage buses served the route along which Hebble's Harrison Road excursion would run. Via Huddersfield it left at 15 minutes intervals and travel revenue was 48.3d per mile which was 4d/5d reduction in the last few months. Its Sowerby Bridge service now ran at 23.87d per mile, being 11.88d below the average operating cost and even with one-man operation this was heavily subsidized. Vehicles under contract to the bingo organizers had only a 16 per cent loading on any bus Friday night, said Mr. Murray. His drivers had reported that money was being collected on the coaches and the bingo manager had been warned that this must cease.
Mr. Murray felt that the excursion applications were little more than for a glorified stage carriage service to start and finish in the corporation operation area.
Halifax applied for express services from Brighouse and Hebden Bridge with intermediate picking up points; only members of the bingo club would be allowed to travel on these services. A minimum charge of Is would be made by the organizers. The applications was to enable the club to recoup some of the cost from the patron, said Mr. Murray.