Phases of PASSENGER TRAVEL
Page 67
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Notes on a Variety of Aspects of Coach and Bus Travel
BIG BUS PROFITS AT BIRKENHEAD.
Considerable Success Attends the Working of a Large Fleet of Vehicles by the Municipality.
TUDGING by the returns contained in
the annual report of the general manager of the tramways and motors department of Birkenhead Corporation, the bus undertaking of the municipality is in a very healthy condition, for in the year ended March 31st last a gross profit of /66,390 was recorded, the actual net profit being 125,000.
During the year the total income from the operation of buses was /183,017, operating expenses amounting_ to /116,627, the comparable returns for the previous year being £150,446 and /95,049 respectively. Interest, sinking fund and income-tax _charges absorbed £41,389, thus leaving the net profit as mentioned, above, this figure contrasting with 126,705 for the previous year.
Of the total net profit, /14,000 has been set aside in aid of the rates and /11,000 has " been transferred to the tramways net revenue account. " The bus reserve fund now stands at 125,874.
At the end of the past municipal year Birken_head Corporatidn was operating a fleet of 96 buses, but since then 12 vehicles have been disposed of and 21 new machines purchased, the present fleet thus consisting of 105 vehicles. The corporation has standardized on Leyland buses and 82 of the fleet consist of double-saloon models, 23 being singledeckers.
The revenue account for buses shows that expenditure was disbursed under the following main headings :--Traffic expenses, £87,933; maintenance and repairs, /15,594; general expenses, £11,611. Reduced to a per-mile basis, expenditure averaged 10.567d., whilst income was equal to 16.429d., this showing a very useful margin.
Birkenhead's first municipal bus was put into service in July, 1919, the first
double-saloon vehicle being commissioned for use in May, 1925. The gross capital expenditure on the bus system has been /160,884.
During the past year the buses ran 2,649,644 miles and carried 22,218,135 passengers, the average number of passengers carried per bus-mile being 8.37. The route mileage served by the buses is 77.81, and each bus averaged 96.76 miles per day.