PASSENGER TRAVEL NEWS.
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The Latest Doings and Developments in the Bus and Coach World.
CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES AND COACH TOURS.
The Vehicles Owned by the Leeds Society Do Duty as Haulage Lorries in Winter and as Passenger Vehicles in Summer.
CO-OPERATIVE societies have special advantages in motor coach work. In the first place. the type of person usually associated with a cooperative society is just the class" from which the motor coach draws most patrons. Then, again, co-operative societies in the North of England, where they flourish most, usually have a slumber of branches in various parts of a busy industrial area within reasonable distance of central headquarters, and it is an extremely simple matter for these branches to become booking offices for coach tours.
In the case of the Leeds Co-operative Society, a transport department has been formed recently, and last year this department had four Motor coaches on the road. These are all Thornycroft machines, a type of vehicle which the society is now adopting as standard throughout the transport department. Two are three-tonners and two four tonners, and during the summer months they have standard 28-seater coach bodies fitted, while in the winter months they are engaged in general haulage work, care being taken when doing this work to see. that they are kept well within their loadin-g capacities. The coaches have a smart appearance, and the colours which have been adopted in the transport department—
red chassis and green body parts—make the vehicles look particularly attractive when on the road.
In the course of a conversation. Mr. 3. S. Holloway, the traffic manager of the society. "remarked that they did not apply for lire licences, as all their tours were arranged through a central booking office in Albion Street. The society has 93,000 members and just upon a hundred shops, and the shops are used as the medium for advertising the excurAions. The various organizations in connection with the co-operative Movement also provide many parties, particularly the Co-operative Women's Guilds and the Men's Guilds.' Mr.-Holloway remarked that they had really unique facilities for booking trips. They charged the standard fare, and did not, like some societies, allow dividend or bonus upon money spent on coach, trips by members of the society.
" We find a great deal depends upon the type of man selected for a coach driver, remarked Mr. Holloway, "and more qualities than those of a good driver are required with a man who is dealing with individuals of varying temperament, such as one finds on motor coach outings." Last year, in addition to the usual day and halfday outings, trips to Scarborough and Bridlington, upon which passengers could return after a week's stay, were arranged. On these trips the rear row of seats was used for luggage, together
with special boxes at the side. In building the coach bodies special care was taken •to see that there should be ample knee space, and this was a feature which had been very favourably commented upon by passengers. In the ordinary garage routine the vehicles were carefully examined every.. ten weeks during last season, but, in the case of the coaches, this interval was reduced during the busy season. The Leeds society also insured passengers against all risks. Up to the present there has been a very gratifying number of inquiries for coaches for the coming season, and Mr. Holloway an ticipates a successful season.