1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172 
RUNNING BUS SERVICES IN 14 COUNTIES.
Page 76
Page 77
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Some Details of the Comprehensive Activities of the Crosville Motor Co., Ltd., the Headquarters of which are at Chester.
FAR flung is the extensive system of motorbus communications which constitute the organization of the Orosvile Motor Co., Ltd., of Chester, and the company's vehicles cover no fewer than 1,250 separate and distinct miles of routes, serving 350 towns and villages with a population of over 4,000,000: There are 120 motorbus services in 14 counties, these being Cheshire, Lancashire, Plintshire,, Denbighshire, Shropshire, Stefordshire: Carnarvonshire, Merionethshire, Montgomeryshire, Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Radnorshire, Herefordshire and Anglesey. By a series of interchanges it is possible to travel on the Crosville system from Cardigan, in. South Wales, right through North Wales, to Chester, Birkenhead, Warrington and Liverpool. The only services that are detached from this closely knit scheme of organization are those in Radnorshire and Herefordshire.
The vehicles operated by the Orosvine Motor Co., Ltd., number over 250, the majority being Leylands. The saloon types are of a capacity for 20, 32 and 40 persons respectively, whilst the double-deckers, which are employed on certain town routes, are Leyland 56 seaters. The remaining units in the fleet are Daimler 26-seaters. All the buses of small seating capacity are equipped with. pneumatic tyres, and the process of converting those now shod with solid tyres is proceeding.
The company has its headquarters at Chester and made its debut in 1911, when, with a Lacre bus, it opened the eight-mile service from Chester to Elle-s Mere Port. Since the termination of the war the whole of the Wirral Peninsula, which is the company's main sphere of operation, has been opened up by stages. In this area, although mainly residential, there is a remarkable concentration of services ; in fact, the Peninsula is almost honeycombed with Crosville routes, to which is due. in a large measure, the rapid develop went of this pleasant corner of Cheshire.
At the northern extremities of the Peninsula the company has no fewer than five public motorbus stations. These are located at New Ferry, Birkenhead, Wallasey, West Kirby aud Heswall, the last-named being a particularly fine establishment, with booking offices, waiting-rooms lavatory accommodation, loading bays, etc. The company has been successful in securing the co-operation of local councils, and despite the development of municipal motorbms enterprises, chiefly in the Birkenhead district, the popularity of pleasure outings to such resorts as Hoylake, West Kirby, Heswall, etc., is undiminished. Through touching important commercial and industrial centres, such as Birkenhead, Ellesmere Port, etc., which draw their personnel largely from outside districts, all-the-year-round traffic is available, and this provides a sound nucleus on which to build, particularly in view of the growth of the Wirral Peninsula as
a residential district.
Not only at holiday times, but daily throughout the year, the Crosville Motor Co., Ltd.,issues cheap return tickets which, in many instances, work out at less than 1d. per passenger per mile. When the charge is under 2s. 6d. (children Is. 3d.) for the return journey, the tickets are available for return on the day of issue only, hut when the fare is over 2s. 6d. (children is. 3d.)e they are valid for return at any Hine within 16 days.
Let us now examine how they work out -in practice. Take the route, Dolgelly to Blaenau-Festiniog. The fare for the single journey is 2s. 8d., but a 16-day return, ticket costs only 4s. On this tour, which is extremely popular amongst holiday-makers in the summer, a circular-ticket is issued enabling passengers to join the motorbus at any stage of the journey---Barmouth, Harlech, Maentwrog, Blaenaurestiniog, Trawsfynydd, Llanelltyd, Delgolly—and to complete the circle for the fare of 4s. 6d. The journey, hewever, must be completed on the day the
ticket is issued. On the NantwichChester journey' the single fare is 2s. 3d., and the cheap return ticket (available for 16 days) only 3s. Chester to New Ferry is is, 7d. for the single jeurney, but 2s. 4d. return by the cheap ticket. On-the Chester-Flint service the ordinary fare is is: 4d. single, and 1s. 6d. forthe return .fare. One of the most popular summer services is New Ferry to Mold, for which the ordinary fare is 2s. 5d. The 16-day return ticket, however, is only 3s.— a big concession. These instances could be multiplied over and over again, especially as there are no fewer than 1,200 separate entries of the points between which cheap tickets are available in the Crosville fares list.
The flexibility of the Crosville organization is one of its outstanding merits. Services are organized and fares adjusted to meet public requirements to the full limit of possibilities. Examples of this are to be found in the provision made for the conveyance of workmen at particular times of the day at cheap fares, by the issue of contract tickets and books of 12 -prepaid tickets for particular routes. How advantageous are the terms for contract tickets is obvious from a refer
once to the terms and conditions applying to the Birkenhead and West Kirby route, the ordinary single fare for which is 10d. and the day-return fare is. 3d.
Between intermediate stations industrial tickets 'are issued up to 9 am. and betweeki 12 noon and 2 p.m., these being available for return by any bus for the single fare. The cost of a monthly contract ticket on the Birkenhead-West Kirby service is only 20S., and it is provided that passengers may travel over any route for the through journey, but may not alight at intermediate stages, except on the route for which the contract is issued. Bonafide school children under the age of 16 are carried at half the contract rates.
A careful study of the Crosville timetables and fares schedule reveals the fact that every route and locality coming within the compass of the Criesyille organization has been subjected to the closest scrutiny and investig,ation, with a view, not only to fitting services to meet public demands, but also to stimnleting the development of traffic. Particularly flexible is the system by which the company commands such a big quota of holiday traffic.
The Crosville day-totirist tickets, which are issued on any day of the week at a charge of 35. 6d., enable passengers to travel by any bus and to change vehicles or routes anywhere and as often as desired within the limits of the day. The only stipulation is that these tickets are not available on service routes where the cheap return fare is more than 3s. 6d. This, surely, is one of the cheapest forms of bus ticket issued. A passenger is privileged to travel by the first bus leavihg the garage in the town in which his ticket is issued, and his authority is valid until the stroke of midnight. This goas-you-please system of travel is extremely popular during the summer months.
The Crosville Motor Co., Ltd., has .now established itself at a quaintly named Welsh beauty spot, the Loggerheads, about three miles from Mold, on
the Ruthin Road,Loggerheads estate, which comprises over 40 acres and includes the fine Loggerhead rocks, the adjoining woodlands -and riverside
walks, recently came into the market and was acquired by the Crosville Motor Co., Ltd., which has already completed a development scheme that promises to make this a more popular venue than ever it has been before, The company has laid out the meadow at the foot of the rocks as a tea garden and has also built a cafe and bandstand. leVell-known brass bands play every week-end and 'there is dancing on the green on Saturdays. The company's future plans include the provision of tennis courts, for. which there is ample space, and already there is a reserved enclosure for the parking of motorcars.
A representative of The Commercial Motor has already had an opportunity for inspecting the company's new estate and the facilities it provides. Crosville motorbus traffic to the Loggerheads on that day happened to be particularly heavy. The summer arrangements of the Crosville Motor Co., Ltd., provide for 40 buses per day from Birkenhead, New Ferry, Liverpool, Warrington, Runcorn, Liscard, Hoylake and West Kirby to concentrate on the Loggerheads, but these are merely minimumservice plans, which Scan be amplified according to the exigencies of traffic.
Throughout the Crosville system there is a series of interconnections with the motorbus services of other companies, and this is an obvious convenience to the travelling public. At Liverpool there are connections with the Mises of Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., to Preston, etc.; at Warrington with the vehicles of the North Western Road Car. Co., Ltd., to Northwich; and the Lancashire United Transport and Power Co., Ltd., to Eccles; at Delamere with the North Western Road Car Co.'s vehicles to Chester; at Crewe with the same company's vehicles to Congleton ; at Newcastle with the services of the Potteries Electric Traction Co., Ltd.; at Aberystwyth with the buses of the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Co., Ltd, ; at Abergele with the vehicles of the Llandudno Coaching and Carriage Co., Ltd. ; at Rhyl with 13rookeE Bros., Ltd., servioes; at Cardigan with the Great Western Railway Co.'s motorbuses; and at Kingston and Market Drayton with the "Midland Reds" to Shrewsbury.,