PASSENGER TRAVEL NEWS.
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FCR the convenience of travellers from the north to the southern parts of England and to the Continent, or in the opposite direction, the London and North-Eastern Railway Co., in conjunction with the Southern Railway Co., have recently inaugurated a special service by saloon coach, which runs ffora King's Cross Station to the Victoria terminus of the Southern Railway. The service is twice daily and connects, as it were, the Pullman trains from the north of England and Scotland with the boat trains to the southern ports, which, of course, link up with the cross-Channel boat services and the Continental expresses.
Thus, this new service byroad through the heart of London enables a traveller from, say, Edinburgh, to book a passage and arrange for the through " carriage of his luggage to Paris, and, thence, to almost any town in Europe. In providing this new facility, the motor coach has obviated, so far as this particular route is concerned, two of the greatest inconveniences to travellers from the north to the south of England, or vice versa, namely, the trouble of obtaining transport for luggage and personnel from one London terminus to the other and the uncertainty of being in time to make a connection with the required train.
We understand that the first journey each day is made from King's Cross at 3.10 p.m., the coach having taken up passengers and luggage from the "West Riding" Pullman express, which is due at the terminus at 3 p.m. Arriving at Victoria at 3.30 p.m., the coach enables its passengers to board the Southern Railway express, which leaves at 4 p.m., connecting with the Continental service to Paris and the south of Europe.
At 4 p.m. the coach again sets out, returning to King's Cross with a load of passengers and baggage from the north-bound Continental train, which arrives at Victoria at 3.30 p.m. These passengers and their baggage are transported to the outward "West Riding" Pullman train, which is timed to leave King's Cross at 4.45 p.m.
The second run of the day is started from King's Cross at 7.45 p.m., after the "Queen of Scots" Pullman express has arrived from the north at 7.35 p.m. At Victoria the through passengers take their places in the 8.20 p.m. boat train
SO faronly one South African Government Department has realized the potentialities of the use of the commercial motor, and this is the South African Railways Department. By inaugurating bus and lorry routes into all parts of the country, this organization has considerably extended its usefulness. Many out-of-the-way dorps, or villages, and " camps " have been reached in this way. ',The transport of produce has been made easier and touring facilities have been increased.
Now the Department of Agriculture to connect' with the service to the Continent. The coach is run for the companies by Messrs. P. Hearn, of Gray's Inn Road, London, W.C.1, and Incorporates a Daimler chassis on pneumatic tyres. The body is constructed to carry 12 persons and is equipped in a luxurious manner with deep armchairtype seats. The coach is well ventilated, drop and . sliding windows being Provided.
The doors include an exceptionally wide one occupying nearly the whole of the width at the rear of the body—the coach being entered in this case by means of two steps—and another at the front on the off side for the use of the driver.
Luggage is carried on the roof of the vehicle, almost the whole of the area of the roof being enclosed, and this is reached by means of a sturdy metal ladder fixed on the off side. Daylight signs are carried at the front and rear on the roof of the coach.
is turning its attention to the motor coach, which, properly fitted, will, it is considered, make an excellent travelling demonstration car. The proposal is to equip a number of these vehicles in the same way as the agricultural-demonstration trains which are now touring in various parts of South Africa with staffs to give advice and to lecture to the farmers. The objection to the trains, however, is that they cannot get to those farmers who mast -need expert assistance. When a demonstration outfit, however, consisting of a number of these coaches is fitted out, no part of the country will be too remote for a visit.
Recently, in one of its official bulletins, the Department of Agriculture remarked : "The general use of motor transport has brought the farmer much closer to the Department, but it has, -at the same time, enormously increased the travelling bill of the Department. The possibilities of economy in this respect, without depriving -the farmers of the services they require, is farming the subject of close study. Whilst the Department ever has the interests of agriculture as the guiding principle of its work, it is never oblivious to the consideration due to the taxpayers."
This question of expense is the reason why technical exports cannot be sent on personal visits to individual farmers. The motor coach is being considered as the cheaper alternative. The proposal now under consideration is that an experimental coach and caravan be sent out. The demonstration staff of three or four men will be housed in the caravan, whilst the coach will be fitted with the instruments and equipment needed for exhibition purposes. A large number of working models, together with a portable cinema and lecture platform, will be included.
It is anticipated that, in the more remote regions, the most satisfactory results will be gained with the assistance of the cinema. For this reaeon motor coaches on that service will be fitted with special dynamos. Films of agricultural and educational interest will be shown. South Africa has produced several excellent agriculturaldemonstration films. These will probably be exhibited in regions where dry, erudite discourses, with all their valuable and learned instruction, would, in many eases, not be appreciated.
If the experimental motor coach proves satisfactory, it is very likely that the Deparbnent of Agriculture will fit out a series of these vehicles, some carrying special staffs to preach the doctrine of agricultural efficiency to special classes of agriculturists, like the maize, tobacco or fruit farmers. Other outfits will be of the composite Variety, possibly with a staff of 20 instructors, who will be able to cover every branch of farming in South. Africa:
The demonstration train, which was first adopted a few years ago, has proved a great success. Farmers who are unable to go to the colleges, or to meet many experts, gain all these advantages by visits to the train when in their district. This system proved so popular that, during 1927, 111 different places in the Union were visited. Judg MEM motorbus services which are
operated by the Burnley Corporation are largely of an experimental nature and are being run with the object of determining the capabilities of certain routes and the best types of vehicle to employ in the town. The corporation first instituted bus services in March, 1924, and, at the end of the period covered by the recently issued report of the general manager_ of the tramways and -motorbus department, i.e. March 31st last, the bus fleet corn
big by the fact that the beat response was obtained in small and remote. centres, where this form of providing advice is new to farmers, many of whom never go to agricultural shows and congresses, it is safe to assert that far greater successes can be prophesied for the motor coaches working far inland from the railways.
prised 17 machines, two being Mantislays and 15 of Leyland manufacture, seven of the latter Deing of the Lion type.
Itis made clear in the report of Mr. Henry Mosley that the development of the bus requirements of the area ia which I3urnley is situated are much behind-hand, largely for the reason that the corporation has not yet obtained the consent of neighbouring authorities which will enable it to exercise powers granted by Parliament. It is Mr. Mozley's opinion that, until this is effected and buses are used on the right routes, it will not be possible for the buses to do more than cover their working expenses, thus leaving the repayment of the capital a charge upon the tramway net revenue.
Important bus improvements are in progress which, although rather costly, are considered to be well worth while. Changes are already being made in buses in service, and the first seven vehicles purchased are being converted to the low-loading type. This is considered a most important move, and the I difference which it makes in the appearance of a vehicle is clearly discernible from a picture of one of the converted buses published in the report.
Discussing the problem of tramcar versus motorbus Mr. Mosley says that, so far, there has been no suggestion that the Burnley Corporation should abandon tramways and adopt motorbuses as an alternative means of transport. He expresses the opinion that the undertaking has no need to consider such a policy in view of the fact that the electric tramways system, as operated in the town, is superior both from the economic and safety points of view for dealing with local traffic. Owing to the streets generally being narrow, the corporation will always be forced to use a small type of bus. The bus system is certainly handicapped by the nature of the thoroughfares on which they run, and during the past year a good many springs were broken and tyres punctured.
In the year ended March 31st last the buses of the Burnley Corporation covered 769,757 miles and carried 4,201,855 passengers these figures comparing with 516,037 and 2,952,934 respectively in the previous year. From the figures it is possible to ascertain that the number of passengers per bus-mile was slightly less in the past year than in the previous 12 months, the actual figures being 5.46 and 5.72.
The traffic revenue from the operation of the buses was. £25,580, whilst expenditure totalled £26,425, the latter being made up of the following items :—Traffic expenses, 113,039; cost of general repairs and maintenance, £5,751; cost of motor spirit, £5,040; and general expenses, £2,595. Under the heading of repairs and maintenance £2,656 was expended on chassis and 1652 on bodies, whilst tyres were responsible for an outlay of £2,069. The balance of expenditure over income was, therefore, „£845, but this compares favourably with the previous year, when the difference was £2,68:3. Reduced to a per-bus-mile basis traffic receipts are recorded at 7.976d. and expenditure at 8.239d. The proportion of receipts to working expenses was 103.3 per cent.
During the past year the buses ran an average of 6.52 miles to the gallon of motor spirit consumed, this figure being slightly lower than for the previous year. The total amount of the sinking fund at the end of the period covered by the recently issued report was 13,433, the whole being applied in the reduction of debt.
On March 31st last the buses operated over a route mileage slightly In excess of 14, and 10 separate services were run, the first having been started on March 17th, 1924, and the most recent on December 14th, 1927.
0.2 Of the present fleet, five of the buses were put into service in 1924, two in 1925, five in 1926 and five in 1927. Nine of them are 30-seaters, five 23seaters, two 24-seaters, the other machine being a 20-seater. Some of the vehicles have over 50,000 miles to their credit and, with the exception of the vehicle that was put into service in October last, all have run in excess of 30,000 miles.
Although the cost per mile for operating the buses is at a low figure, Mr. Mosley is firmly of the opinion
STATISTICS have recently been issued by the Irish Free State Department of Industry and Commerce relating to the bus services operating in the Irish Free State, and we note that in practically every column increases are shown. For example, in
May last, 1,210,836 vehicle-miles were run by buses in the country as compared with 959,253 vehicle-miles in January last. In these months, too, the number of passengers increased from 1,844,007 to 2,330,200 and the gross receipts from passengers from £34,378 to /48,165. In May, the total distance of routes operated was 9,194 miles, of which 4,016 miles were between Dublin and other centres and 612 miles in Dublin city itself.
By far the greatest number of vehicle-miles, however, was run in Dublin, whilst more than half the passengers for the whole country were carried within that area. In the month under review the average passenger receipts were 9.55d. per vehicle-mile, as against 8.03d. in January. The smallest profit was shown by the crossborder services with 7.01d. per vehiclemile and the most profitable services were those between Dublin and other places with 10.89d. per vehicle-mile.
There has been a steady increase since January in the number of routes operated, vehiele-miles run, passengers carried, receipts from passengers and that, with a standard type of bus in use and a fully developed service, it would be safe to look forward to a reduction in the cost of working to 70. per bus-mile.
. The repayment of capital on buses will be made within a period of eight years and there will be further capital commitments for vehicles during the current year. The motorbus by-laws of the Burnley Corporation have been sanctioned by the Ministry of Transport and came into operation on January let of this year.
average passenger receipts per vehiclemile. The number of companies operating is 113, and of these ten have gross monthly receipts in excess of 11,000; twelve have gross receipts in excess of £500, and twelve gross receipts in excess of /200.
_ In May last the cross-border services covered 529 miles and 61,572 vehicle-miles.
Long-distance Services from the West Riding.
Long-distance coach services to the coast have been organized from the West Riding of Yorkshire by the West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd., regular journeys being taken daily from Leeds to Scarborough, and from Bradford and Keighley to Blackpool and Morecambe. About half-a-dozen buses per day are run from Leeds to Scarborough, and a similar number from Bradford to
each of the west-coast resorts. The first vehicles leave between 6 am. and 7 a.m., and the last at 6 p.m. From Leeds to Scarborough the return fare is 7s. 6d., whilst between Bradford and Blaekpoid. and Morecambe the single fares are 6s. 6d. and the return fares 10s. to each place.
On the Scarborough route the return tickets issued between York and Scarborough are available on the Easi Yorkshire Motor Service vehicles.