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PASSENGER TRANSPORT
THE LATEST NEWS OF IMPORTANT EVENTS
M.T. CO. MAY HAVE TO CLOSE DOWN.
NOTES concerning appeals to the
Minister of Transport have been circulated by the M.T. Co., the wellknown London concern operating to the Isle of Thanet, which may be compelled to close down. Some time ago the company appealed against the refusal of the South-Eastern Traffic Commissioners to permit the carriage of passengers between Swanley and Birchington, and the appeals were dismissed.
A further appeal, which raised the same issue, was heard on October 12 last. Previous to that date the Minister assured the company and certain Members of Parliament who were interested in the case, that he would "come to it with an open mind."
The company made no claim that the circumstances were altered. It was felt that it was unjust that the concern should be deprived of a business built up during 14 years, whereas, in hundreds of other cases, operators have been allowed to continue their services, catering for similar intermediate points, which were started only six or seven years ago.
The M.T. Co. now expresses great disappointment concerning the Minister's decision on the latest appeal. In his written decision on this matter he said: " Similar questions were raised in appeals of the appellants upon decisions relating to earlier years, upon which the Minister made no Order." He found " no new circumstances which
would justify him in reaching a different conclusion from that which he reached upon the previous appeal."
" The Order involves the cessation of our business," states the M.T. Co, A new application to the SouthEastern Commissioners was scheduled for hearing on Wednesday last, to he followed by one from the East Kent Road Car Co., Ltd., for permission to use the picking-up points of the M.T. Co.
MORE TRAM ABANDONMENT.
(IN Wednesday last,. Salford Trans'port Committee recommended the city council to substitute motorbuses for trams, pending the introduction of trolleyhuses, in the Swinton and Pendlebury area. It was stated that the cost of reconstructing the tram track was estimated at £46,500.
BOLTON TRANSPORT TRANSFER.
THE transport committee of Bolton Corporation has agreed terms with Mr. Henry Martin for the transfer of the interest in his bus service between the "Royal Oak," Bradshaw, and Affetside, and the "Royal Oak," Bradshaw, and the " Starkie Arms," Bolton, via Nab Cate, Harwood, including the transfer of the vehicle now operating the service.
FEWER HACKNEYS IN SWANSEA.
THE applications for hackney carriage licences made to Swansea Watch Committo for 1934 number 102, as against 106 issued last year.
DEATH OF YORKSHIRE BUS PIONEER.
NAR. 11. RAWORTH. who died on 'November 27, founded the business now owned by the West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd., of which concern he was vice-chairman. As a builder he developed the Leeds road residential area in Harrogate, and to meet the needs of the residents he established a bus service. From this small fleet has grown that of nearly 500 vehicles owned by the West Yorkshire concern. Mr. Raworth was managing director of the company until about five years ago.
OPPOSITION TO SUNDAY EXCURSIONS.
THE Northern Scotland Traffic Commissioners are to give a decision on February 1 regarding the running of Sunday bus excursions in Invernessshire. At a meeting of the Commissioners, Messrs. Fraser and Eland, Inverness, received permission to run excursions in the shire on week-days. Inverness County Council is opposing Sunday excursions.
BIG STATION FOR DUNDEE.
AT North Lindsay Street, Dundee, W. Alexander and Sons, Ltd., is to erect the city's first bus station. The ground floor will be laid out in the style of an up-to-date railway station, and there will be a platform 180 ft. long. A restaurant, billiard rooms and scwahieie.
waiting rooms are included in the G. EWER AND CO. TAKING OVER TWO EASTERN SERVICES. WE are able to state that George Ewer and Co, Ltd., the wellknown London coaching concern, is taking over the London-Yarmouth service of Sid Page, Ltd. The latter company is retaining its excursions and tours business at Yarmouth, where its headquarters are established.
The Ewer concern is also taking over the London-Clacton-FrintonWalton service of Messrs. Monty Super Coaches, Woodford, but in this case the vehicles are not being transferred.
In connection with a rumour to the effect-that George Ewer and Co., Ltd., is in negotiation with Eva's Motor Coaches, Ltd., for the amalgamation of that concern, Mr. F. J. Speight, secretary of the George Ewer company, informed us that he could give neither confirmation nor denial, as it was too early to make any definite statement when we communicated with him on Wednesday afternoon. The comments of Mr. Albert Ewer, of Eva's, were of a similar nature.
George Ewer and Co., Ltd., was registered in 1930 as a private company, and has an authorized and issued capital of £25,000. It operates a fleet of about 50 coaches.
CLOSE LIMITS ON YORKSHIRE EXPRESS SERVICES.
THE Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners have adopted a policy of limiting the number of vehicles used on express services between Yorkshire towns and seaside resorts on the Yorkshire and Lancashire coasts.
In granting licences to the West Riding Automobile Co., Ltd., Messrs. Hancocks, and South Yorkshire Motor Services, they have, in some eases, restricted the number of vehicles to one per day, with, in certain instances, additional vehicles on Saturdays and Sundays and at the local holidays. Express licence holders have previously been permitted unlimited duplication.
Apparently, the Commissioners propose to carry out in Yorkshire the Minister of Transport's direction with regard to the limitation of duplication.
Mr. J. Keeling, secretary of the Yorkshire Motor Coach and Transport Owners Association, told our correspondent: —" The policy of the Commissioners is viewed with alarm. So far as we know, it was never intended by the Minister that seasonal express services, operated either daily or fairly frequently, should be dealt with as special holiday traffic."
"EAST KENT" POSITION. CCOMMENTS on the financial side of "`""Dassenger transport were made by Mr. Sydney E. Garcke, M.I.Mech.E., who presided at the 17th ordinary general meeting of the East Kent Road Car Co., Ltd.
Mr. Garcke stated that, during the period of comparative prosperity after the war, the company opened up many new short-distance stage services which would not have been remunerative but• for the exceptional circumstances. Fur
B48 thermore, under the pressure of keen competition, fares were, in some cases, reduced below an economic level.
In recent years, however, the public spending power had dwindled, taxation had been increased and petrol prices had risen.
Mr. Garcke remarked that the widespread increase in the use of small private cars was a far more serious factor in competition than improved railway facilities, in connection with travel from London to the coast. He did not think it practicable to make further adjustments in fares, and was of the opinion that the alternative of saving unnecessary mileage would have to be adopted in order to economize.
He stated that, for some years, the East Kent company had held the share capital of London and South Coast Motor Services, Ltd., working in the Dover and Folkestone districts as a subsidiary. There was now no need to keep this company alive as a separate organization, and it was expected to effect economies by absorbing it.
POLL ON TROLLEYBUS PLAN,.
FOLLOWING the decision of a meeting of Dover ratepayers in favour of the promotion of a Bill in Parliament to secure powers to replace the trams by trolleybuses, a poll on the subject is to be held in Dover on Monday next, January 8.
As stated in our issue dated December 22, the proposal was carried by a majority of two at the meeting.
scorrisH UNIONS MERGE.
THE competition between trade unions in the transport industry ceased in Scotland on January 1, when the Scottish Busmen's Union was merged into the passenger section of the Transport and General Workers' Union. The latter now has 20,000 members.
DATE OF WELSH APPEALS.
THE 19 appeals of Llanelly and Dis , trict Electric Supply Co., Ltd., against certain decisions of the South Wales Traffic Commissioners, which were to be heard at Uanelly on January 4, will now be heard on January 11.
FARES REDUCTION PROPOSED.
N°12 (Southern) Regional Sub-com mittee on Fares will hold a meeting at the Holborn Restaurant, London, W.C.1, on Monday next, January 8, to consider a proposal that single and dayreturn fares on services from London to Eastbourne, applicable from the Monday after the second Sunday in September to the Thursday before Whitsun. inclusive, should be 5s. 6d. and 6s. 6d. respectively, instead of es. and 7s. respectively.
GARAGES CAUSE HITCH IN LONDON NEGOTIATIONS.
ANUMBER of further cases in con
nection with the transfer of independent bus undertakings to the London • Passenger Transport Board was taken to the London Passenger Transport Arbitration Tribunal, last Tuesday. The Board opposes the transfer of the garages, as well as the businesses, of the Chocolate Express Omnibus Co., Ltd., Amersham and District Motor Bus and Haulage Co., Ltd., Miller Traction Co., Express Motors, R. Hawkins and Co., Ltd., Perkins Omnibus Co., Prince Omnibus Co., Victory Omnibus Co., and Reliance Omnibus Co.
It was stated for the independents that they ran bus concerns either as companies or as partnerships with garages. The garages had not been worked in the names of the companies, but ih those of individuals, who were amongst the chief shareholders. The Board's view was that the garages were not owned by the companies, and it wished to exclude them from the transfers. Thus, the persons whose services Were being compulsorily acquired would be left with useless garages on their hands.
It was decided that the information required by the various parties should be exchanged and brought before the Tribunal within a month. For the Board it was submitted that, in some cases, 75 per cent, of the estimated value of transferred undertakings had been paid.
OPERATOR PROTESTS AGAINST
COMMISSIONERS' LETTER. ADISPUTE between Messrs. Triumph •
Safety Coaches, Southsea, and the South Wales Traffic Commissioners has arisen from a rather remarkable letter received by the firm from the Commissioners of that. area.
The firm applied for a short-period licence, including a backing in the South Wales Area, for an excursion from Southsea to Pembroke Docks. Subsequently, the party wishing to undertake the trip cancelled it, and the firm immediately advised the Commissioners in the areas concerned that they wished to withdraw their application
In reply, they received from Mr. Evan C. Griffiths, clerk to the South Wales Commissioners, a letter which -included the-following statement :—" I am directed by the Commissioners to write you to warn you, in clear and definite terms, that if this excursion or tour is run, notwithstanding the fact that you have not obtained the necessary licences, they will have no alternative but to take proreedings against you for a breach of the provisions of the Road Traffic Act, 1930."
Mr, J. G. Wyatt. of Triumph Safety Coaches, has sent strong protests to the Minister of Transport and to the South Wales Commissioners, objecting to what he terms the " threatening " nature of the letter. He regards it as a reflection upon his integrity as an operator. SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL PUBLICITY WORK.
A FAIR measure of support for the 'National Road Passenger Transport Week, which is to be staged by the Motor Hirers and Coach Services Association and other organizations, from May 6-13, has been forthcoming. Offers of assistance have been made by manufacturers, in the form of service, etc., for the coaches while engaged on a circular tour of the country, whilst funds are promised by operators.
In addition to those already selected to form a committee to choose the best slogan to he used in connection with
the National Road Passenger Transport Week; Earl Howe, the famous racing motorist, Mr. T. Newman, the professional billiards player, and Mr. Christopher Stove, the popular broadcaster, have agreed to sit on the panel. We are informed' that the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders cannot see its way to offer financial support for the slogan competition, but it has noryetreached a decision concerning the publicity week.
Full details of the preliminary plans appeared in the issue of The Commercial Motor dated December 22.
BIRMINGHAM TROLLEYBUS SYSTEM MUCH EXTENDED.
0N Sunday next. January 7, Birming
ham Corporation will inaugurate a trolleybus service on the Coventry Road route, to replace the existing tramways system. The change-over is being made at great cost, and 50 trolleybuses are to be operated. These are of Leyland-G.E.C. make and the six-wheeled chassis will carry 58-seater all-metal bodies built by Metropolitan-CammellWeymann Motor Bodies, Ltd.
MILAN BUS TRANSFER.,
THE bus services in Milan are to be
taken over and worked by the munipal tramways department early this year, when 20 new oil-engined buses are to be put into operation.
FURTHER LIMITS ON DUPLICATION.
THE Minister of Transport has de cided to limit the duplication of coaches by Messrs. James Pearson and Sons (Happy Days Motorways) on art express service from London to Liverpool, with extensions to Southport in the summer. This decision has been reached as a result of an appeal by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Co. against the action of the NorthWestern Traffic Commissioners in licensing the service.
The limit of duplication is similar to that imposed on certain companies in September last. Not more than three times the minimum number of vehicle journeys worked in the same direction on any day, all the year round, may be operated.
Since September, similar conditions have been imposed upon several longdistanbe services in various parts of the country.
MORE BUSES REPLACE TRAINS.
(IN Monday last, a it equent service of buses replaced the trains on the route from Watford to Rickmansworth (Metropolitan and London and North Eastern line), The average number of persons carried per train was five.
LAST G.W.R. BUS SERVICE TRANSFERRED.
ON Monday last, January 1, the
Southern National Omnibus Co., Ltd., took over the last bus service to be operated by the Great Western Railway Co. in association with the Southern Railway Co. on the route from Wyke Regis' to Raclipolet Five years ago the G.W.R. owned a fleet of NO buses covering 168 routes, but these have been transferred to its various associates in the road passenger transport industry.