HOW READING'S BUSES FARED.
Page 69
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Details of the Past Year's Working. of the Municipal Fleet and Observations by the General Manager of the Undertaking.
ONE or two trenchant observations concerning the apathy of the travelling public are made in the recently issued report of Mr. J. M. Calder, A.M.I.E.E., A.M.I. Mech. E., the general manager and engineer of the tramways and motors department of Reading Corporation. He emphasizes the point that it is disappointing to find the public does not always patronize the municipal services in order that the ratepayers generally might receive definite benefits, and adds that if the carrying of passengers within the borough by private bus operators was stopped, the bus department of the corporation would certainly have a much better chance of paying its way.
In view of the efforts made by these operators to deal with passenger transport within the borough, which, Mr. Calder states, is already well catered for by the corporation, the department has spared no effort during the past year to do everything in its power to serve the public.
Fully alive to its responsibilities in this direction, the department has discarded old types of vehicle and replaced them with modern up-to-date buses. Workmen's fares on early buses, special vehicles to meet traffic requirements during inclement weather, vehicles for conveying the public to places of entertainment, sports meetings, etc., and special buses for carrying passengers who have to travel by train are some of the ways in which provision is made to meet the requirements of the public.
In spite of the competition which appears to prevail between the municipality and private operators, the Reading bus undertaking made headway during the past year. The traffic receipts at £49,977 (13.813d. per bus mile) were higher by 13,564 than for the previous year, the increase being equivalent,to .991d. per bus-mile run.
The total revenue of the department from the operation of both trams and buses was £127,721, whilst working expenses totalled £104,440, the actual gross profit of the undertaking thus being £23,281. After adding bank in
terest and deducting interest, capital and sinking fund charges, the balance was £4,105, and this is further reduced by £3,164 for depreciation of buses, thus giving a net profit for the year of £941, a figure which contrasts with £2,465 for the previous year's working. During the year the buses covered n total mileage of 868,354 and carried 1'1,171,888 passengers. On an average 5.95 passengers were carried per busmile and the average fare paid per passenger amounted to 2.23d. The first municipal bus service to be operated in Reading -was established in December, 1919, and at the present time eight regular routes are in operation.
For the past nine years the undertaking has shown a net profit, but this year's figure is the lowest recorded during this period. For every complete year since the bus service was established, a gross profit of several thousand pounds has been shown.
At the end of the period we have reviewed, the corporation was operating a fleet of 29 buses, comprising 22 of Guy manufacture (10 being six-wheelers), four Leylands, two Karrier six-wheelers and a Thornyeroft,