Six More Fares Applications Heard : Five Granted
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pROPOSALS by six undertakings; five of them municipal, to augment their annualrevenue by higher charges were heard last week and this week by Licensing Authorities. Five operators were notified of permission to raise charges.
The applicants -were the North Western Road Car Co., -Ltd., and Huddersfield; Todmorderi, Coventry, West Bromwich and Blackburn
. Corporations. Birmingham, Leeds and Sheffield Corporations, Mid Wales Motorways, Ltd., and Cheltenham District Traction .Co., have introduced, or will shortly bring in, revised charges..
-'There were 19 'objectors when the application of the North Western concern was, heard by the North-western Licensing Authority at Stockport. The company suggested adding id. to pre-sent nd. -to 6d. tickets, Id. to those over .6d., and to ordinary return tickets between 4d. and I Id.• It also proposed abolishing the 211 remaining Id: fares and calculating -the workmen's return rate on a basis of 11 times the single
rate, instead of 14 times. ' • Second Since 1923
For the company, it was stated that this was the second application math.' since its foundation in 1923. The first was lodged last June. The"present sug, gestions were estimated to augment revenue by £144,000 a year. After objectors had drawn attention in anomalies in the proposed faretables, the hearing was adjourned until March 12.
Pet:mission to add id. to the 2d. and 3d. single and 3d. and.4d. return fares was sought by Coventry Corporation when its proposals were heard by the West Midland Licensing Authority. On present charges, the iandertaking would be in debt to the extent of L80,000E90,000 at the end of the next financial year. This was equal to a 9d. rate. There woad be a deficit of £67,000 at the end of this year-and all reserves would be absorbed. ' There had never before been a transfer frona the general rm.! fund, the deputy city treasurer stated. Decision was reserved.'
West Bromwich Proposals The West Midland Authority also reserved decision after hearing 'the application of 'West Bromwich Corporation to increase all return fares up to 9d. by ld: and thereafter by 2d. It' was also suggested that return fares for workmen should be based on a minimum of 2id. and ordinary returns on a 6d. minimum._ Other' points in the application were that Id., lid, and some 2d., 3d. and 4d. tickets should cost id. more.'
Reasons given for the application, which the deputy town clerk said would be the last unless there were large unforeseen rises in costs, were the need to meet ;ncreased running costs, charges for reconditioning '19 war-time buses and for the replacement programme.
By March, 1953, Blackburn Transport Department will have a deficit of £25,000 unless charges are advanced. Increased fares were introduced a year ago. The case made by the corporation to the North western Licensing Authority was that another £19,000 had
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to be found this year for wages and £8,000 more for fuel, and the cost of tyres had gone u16. by 23.81 per -cent. Reserves amounting to £13,361 at March 31 last, would be only £3,267 in March this year.
Approval has now been given by the West Midland Licensing Authority and, the Minister of Transport to the pro--' pose] of Birmingham Corporation to introduce a 2d. mininuim charge. This will come into operation next Sunday. The 'proposal formed part of an appliCation heard last July, when it was nirned down.
Huddersfield Needs £122,000
. Huddersfield Corporation, applying to the Yorkshire Licensing Authority, on Monday, for advanced charges, is faced this year with a deficit of £84,722 On. the motorbuses and trolleybuses: By raising the minimum fare from lid. to 2d., £18,000 more revenue would be gained, and means for adding £122,000 to the revenue account were discussed. A loss of £5,098 was incurred last year.
The application of Todmorden Corporation to abolishthe children's Id. fare, and to raise the ordinary and workmen's return tickets to equal 14 and 11 the single rate, was also heard on Monday. Decision was deferred in both cases.'
Last-Monday, charges, on the services operated by Mid-Wales Motorways, Ltd:, Were raised, and are now on a basis of lid, per. mile for single tickets and 1.15d. per mile for day returns. On March 9, the higher fares granted to Sheffield Corporation will come into effect. It is expected that the undertaking's revenue will benefit by £226,000 a year by the new fare scales. Leeds Corporation has now received authority to advance charges so as to increase revenue by £215,000. The new rates come into effect on March 23.
Revised charges based on those applied for by the company have beenintroduced by .Cheltenham District Traction Co., following the successful appeal against 'the fares authorized by the Western Licensing Authority. the Minister of -Transport has .granted the proposed inereases suggested by the company in place of the sliding scale based on mileage formerly granted.
A new hearing of the application of Brighton Corporation and Brighton and Hove District Omnibus ,Co., Ltd., for modifications to, the scale of charges authorized by the South-eastern Licensing Authority is pending. The Authority had published variations to meet local Objections, and two formal objections have been made.