Operating Aspects of Passenger Transport
Page 61
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DEPRECIATION CUTS HELP GLASGOW
GLASGOW'S municipal transport undertaking has finished the financial year, which ended on May 31, with a deficit of only £90,703. This has been possible, however, at the expense of :cutting drastically the normal deprccia, tion allowances on buses and trams. On the tramways section alone a saving of approximately £105,000 has been made on the depreciation allowance, and on the bus section there has been a cut of approximately £20,000. But for these cuts, the deficit would have exceeded £200,000. On the buses the deficit was £72.465, compared with £26,535 last year.
On the bus section, revenue amounted to £861,947 and expenditure to £791,148. Allowance for depreciation was £89,950, compared with ' £108,178.
IF A PASSENGER, A DRIVER IS NOT ENTITLED TO SIGNAL 'WHEN travelling as a passenger on a W bus, a driver is not entitled to give signals to the driver to start the ,vehicle. Reference to this regulation was made at Motherwell Police Court on June 17. The case was one in which Arthur Mann, bus driver, of Blantyre, pleaded not guilty to a charge that, being a passenger on a bus at Shields Road, on May 14, he gave a signal to the driver to start the bus without being authorized to do so, the signal being taken to be from the conductre.ss in charge of the vehicle.
The case for the prosecution was that the conductress signalled for the bus to stop near Shields Farm to permit a woman passenger to alight, it being alleged that the accused gave the signal for the bus to start again while the conductress was collecting fares. It was further alleged that the bus was put in motion before the woman passenger got clear, and, losing her balance, she fell. Before the bus had travelled its own length, another signal was given to the driver to stop, and he did so.
In defence, the conductress stated she rang the bell for the bus to stop and to start again. The woman fell because she alighted the wrong way. The driver admitted receiving the signals to stop, to start, and to stop again. Accused denied having given a signal to the driver. Mann was found not guilty.
" RIBBLE " RESULTS SHOW BIG REVENUE I N the year ended March 31 last, the total revenue of Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., was £1,604,178, and, after deducting all expenses, including depreciation, and making provision for taxation, the balance stands at £211,058. From this amount, general reserve receives £75,000, interim dividends paid during the year have taken £54,500, and, of the balance, £6,500 is absorbed by the dividend on the preference shares for the second half of the year, whilst £72,000 will be disbursed in the payment of a final dividend of 6 per cent. on the ordinary shares, making 10 per cent, for the year. The amount to be carried forward is £46,892. compared with £43,834 brought in.
GOOD-BYE TO HUDDERSFIELD'S TRAMS TO-MORROW ( June 30) the last of 1 Huddersfield Corporation's tram services—that to Brighouse—will change over from trams to trolleybuses. The work of converting the municipal tramways system to trolleybuses has occupied seven years, the first route being changed over in April, 1933, although the service did not actually commence until December of that year.
SALFORD BUSES ENJOYING PROSPERITY
COMMENTING on the Salford municipal-transport undertaking's profit of £20,918 for the year ended March 31, which shows an increase of £7,738 on the previous year's working and is the second highest profit during the past 10 years, Alderman E. A. Hardy, J.P., chairman of the transport committee, stated in an interview that, considering the increased cost of materials, and that members of the staff serving with the Forces are having their wages made up, it had been a remarkable year. "In view of the position, there is no likelihood of any immediate increase, in fares," he said.
The report reveals that 69,428,823 passengers were carried by the _buses and the receipts totalled £525,126, an increase of £50,755, to produce a net surplus of 455;892, compared with 450,870 the previous year. Although a profit was made on the buses, a loss was sustained on the tramways.
During 1939-40 the report reveals that the bus mileage totalled 7,621,546.
COLCHESTER HIT BY WAR CONDITIONS
BUSES of Colchester Corporation were operated at a net loss of £759 in the year ended March 31 last, compared with a profit of £719 in the previous year. War conditions are responsible for the loss, owing to increases in fuel costs and the fact that services were much restricted due to rationing of supplies.
GLASGOW'S NEW TYRE-MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT
transport department of TIGT.sgow Corporation has been notified by the India Tyre and Rubber Co., Ltd., Inchinnan, of its intention to terminate, as from June 30, the agreement for tyre maintenance made in 1938. The company has intimated that it is prepared to renew the agreement at the present rate of 0.187d. per vehicle mile, plus 12i per cent. This is on the understanding that, as requested by the department, the company will be required, in future, to undertake the full maintenance service of tyres, and that any future change in the rate now quoted should he subject to three months' notice.
This proposal has been agreed to by the corporation transport committee.
• " SOUTHDOWN" HAS EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD YEAR PRESIDING at the 26th ordinary general meeting of Southdown Motor Services, Ltd., Mr. Sidney E. Garcke. chairman, said that the company had had an exceptionally good year. He attributed this to the fact that, because the concern's year ends in March, it secured, in the past financial period, a peace-time summer season and an active war-time winter.
For the first five months of the year, the company had a good season, and, in the ordinary course, would have had a quiet winter, but under war conditions considerable extra winter traffic was tackled, due to many factors. Therefore, in the past year, the concern had the best of both peace and war-time conditions.