Dublin Witnesses a Transpori evolution
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IN common with operators in Britain, the Dublin United Transport Co.. Ltd., is finding its operations markedly affected by current conditions. Actually, the return per vehicle mile, as shown by recent statistics, has risen to Is. 4d:, which is the best ever recorded.
This fact, of course, is consequent upon a reduction in the number of bus miles, whilst at the same time there has been an increase in the number of passengers. In August last, the company's Public Relations Officer, Mr. L. A.. Luke, was interviewed on the radio when he explained something of the need for curtailments and took the opportunity of pointing out how desirable it was that pleasure seekers should avoid travelling during business peaks. He also urged the value of staggered hours for workers, During the past few years this system has undergone a revolution which 'is symbolized in the change of ,name from the Dublin United Tramways Co. (1896), Ltd., to the present title. The extent of the alteration may be gauged from the July, 1941, traffic returns which show that the buses tarried 12,346,603 passengers and travelled 1,560,255 vehicle miles. In contrast, the trams carried fewer than 2,000,000 passengers and ran under 200,000 miles.
The use of " 1896 " in the old title did not mark the year which witnessed the beginning of the undertaking, for there were horse trams in Dublin in the 'eighties, and it is on record that drivers and conductors were ordered to " keep a sharp .lookout for passengers and, by signalling, induce persons to travel who would otherwise walk."
Only eight years ago the tram was still the city's main source of passenger transport but its domain has been challenged, and very seriously, too, by the independent bus operatcirs who are said to have scoured the side streets for customers and to have pulled up at garden _gates, horns screaming, so that they should not miss any of their regulars. •
Private enterprise was going strong with scares of operators covering the city, many of them with very " inde pendent" ideas of their job. Services were unscheduled and a good deal of chariot racing went on when the various drivers came into direct competition. Cases of the less-scrupulous carrying of passengers , to seaside resorts at holiday times, selling them return tickets and omitting the little formality of providing any return service, were not infrequent.
Co-ordinating Control ' All this led to complications and, ultimately, to a -decision by the Dail to co-ordinate the passenger transport in -the city under the control of the D.U.T., which was given the power to buy the businesses and equipment and to take over the personnel of the various other concerns. This action eliminated many causes of trouble, but immediately presented both traffic and engineering departments with seemingly insuperable difficulties. The buses were of no fewer than 40 different models, representing more than 20 makers, and had seating capacities ranging from 17 to 26. Practically all of them had petrol engines.
Naturally, there were a few that bad been well cared for, but the majority told a sorry tale regarding their former owners' " efficiency." (Incidentally. four years ago there were periods when service delays and breakdowns occurred at an average distance of 134 miles). Devising maintenance schedules for the varied types was an extraordinary problem, especially as there were cases when the only way of obtaining the necessary spares was to cable direct ' to the original manufacturers in America.
More than 1,000 men, members of the staffs of the former operators, had to be engaged without their passing the usual tests, and it was some time before they could all be brought into line with the company's policy.
Plans were quickly set in motion for providing an efficient modern fleet, and the tramway works at Inchicore were adapted for the necessary bodybuilding, the chassis being imported in parts and assembled in Dublin. Vehicles now in use include over 100 Leyland L.T. model single-deck 36-seaters, 44 A.E.C. Regal single-deck 32-seaters, and 240 Leyland T.D. double-deck 56-seaters. These modern double-deckers are similar to the newest types of London Transport.
Since the institution, of the new fleet, mechanical breakdowns have been reduced to an average of one in about 70,000 miles. About 60 trams continue to be operated, but these will be replaced in due course by double-deck buses based on Leyland chassis.
The Inchicore works have facilities for fabricating the whole of the steel body and double-deckers have been turned out there at an average rate of 10 per month. The company has had to meet some criticism on the score that trolleybuses would have used a home-produced .fuel instead of necessitating fuel imports as do internal-corn bustion-engined buses. The reply is that, in the present circumstances, it is no more difficult to import...oil fuel than to import the huge quantities of coal, copper wire and electrical equipment required to maintain the system.
When the question of maintenance for the new fleet came into the picture the company's garage superintendents were all sent to study, for some weeks, the best methods in operation elsewhere. Engineers set to work and planned a dock system whereby every bus is now given a thorough examipation at intervals of 10 days, representing an approximate mileage of 1,500. At this stage there is a detailed inspection, whilst a general greasing up, a thorough cleaning of chassis and engine, and the checking and calibration of fuel pumps are undertaken.
Servicing System Before returning to service. the machine is given a road test and, following this, a report is made regarding the components that are to be to band .in readiness for the next servicing. This system is operated at each of the five garages, which are also responsible for the six-monthly dock. This includes the fitting of a reconditioned cylinder head, the regrinding of valves and a close examination thrOughout.
Reference has already been made to Inchicore,. where the vehicle building is carried out.. Here, also, a great deal of reconditioning is performed, work for which most English operators would rely on the manufacturers. Complete overhauls, at intervals of 18 months, are carried out, the operation taking five days for a single-decker and eight to ten days for a double-decker. Particularly valuable are the. company's latest publications which show a helpfulness towards passengers which is far removed from the chilly formality of many undertakings. Typical, is a notice regarding delays which reads:—
" The ceimpany endeavours by every means in its power to secure that Its buses run according to the time-table, but passengers are asked to realize that it Is not possible in Dublin, and it is not kiessible in any city, for buses tO be invariabot punctual.
The time-table is carefully drawn up on the basis of experience and observation inspectors exercise continual supervision of all parts of the company's system, avoidable unpunctuality is dealt with as an offence. It is, nevertheless, inevitable that a passenger should from time to time encounter delay, and observe two buses arriving together after an unusual interval.
"A bus driver, with his large vehicle and his duty of stopping for passengers on request, faces many difficulties. lie is delayed by traffic congestion, by weather conditions, by traffic signals, by road repairs, by processions, by accidents, by slowly, moving vehicles on narrow streets, by unusual :umbers of passen.g-,-rs„ and many other factors. On a frequent servIce—say, at threeminute intervals—one driver may be delayed three minutes, while the driver following him will run to schedule time, resulting in twp buses arriving together at some point on the route. "Passengers should report any persistent unpunctuality which may appear to require investigation, but their Indulgence is asked in the case of occasional unpunctuality of the unavoidable type instanced above."
How different from some notices that disclaim responsibility for delay!
Some idea of the growth in peak loads may be obtained from the fact that 30 years ago the Tramways Company was able to boast of record traffic with 276,000 passengers on the WhitMonday, but on Whit-Monday, 1940, the company carried well over 400,000 people. Even that was . not by any means a record, for on Christmas Eve, 1939, the total was 635,000 passengers in one day, whilst at one holiday period—also in 1939-2,000,000 passengers were carried,
Dublin is looking forward to being an all-bus city, but the war has naturally meant a slackening off of the changeover. In all, 80 chassis have -been ordered to enable the bus fleet to be completed, but only time can show when deliveries will actually be effected. However, for the present, Dublin is extremely proud of its transport progress.