MOTOR COACH DOINGS AND DEVELOPMENTS.
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Matters of Topical Interest to Proprietors of Chars-a-bancs.
Motor Coaching in the Eastern Counties.
GEOGRAPHICAL position plays a very important part in the successful operation of motor coach services
from seaside resorts. Some of the nearest resorts to London—and those most frequented by holiday makers from the Metropolis—are badly off in this respect, whilst others are particularly well situ ated. Most of the popular resorts along the seaboard of Kent, Sussex, and Hampshire serve as excellent centres of opera_ lion, but north-east of the capital, and particularly in the County of Essex, the nature of the country is such as to make the running of char-a-banes services a hazardous and speculative business.
As examples of these difficulties, we may well take the two principal county resorts of Southend-on-Sea and Clacton on-Sea. The The former town lies on the south-eastern seaboard of Essex, in a corner which is conspicuous for its ab sence of places of any size, and for its flatness. To its .east, the country is broken up by a series of irregular creeks which divide the land into many small undeveloped islands totally unsuited for charlr-banes services. The surrounding country abounds in small hamlets, but the majority of them hold little which is of interest to the tourist.
Many of the proprietors in Southend specialize in. short-distance tours to such
places as Hadleigh, South Benfleet,
Thundersley, Rayleigh. Hockley, Slambridge, Rochford, and Eastwood; the fares in most eases being 2s. and 4s. return, according to the nature and length of the trip. Tours are not run very far westwards towards London from Southend, for the simple reason that most of the holiday makers to the Essex resort hail from the Metropolis, and they do not like to-think that they are covering ground (although
it be by motor coach) which they have already traversed by rail. It is perhaps a curious strain in human nature, but it is a point that Southend coach proprietors have had to consider; moreover, although Southend is approximately 40 miles from the Centre a London, the densely-populated outskirts are much less distant from the coast.
There are two distinct -classes of custom in Southend, one being the day tripper (the town is 'known as the daytripper's paradise), and the other the holiday maker. With the former class, who like to do as much as possible in the short time available;the 2s. trips are exceedingly popular. The longer and more expensive trips make spetial appeal, of course, to the holiday maker. Praetically all the long-distance tours are run north of the town, the chief places of interest being in that direction.
About 60 motor coaches ply for hire in Southend, and in all cases licences are only granted by the local licensing authorities to ratepayers or owners of property in the neighbouring districts. There would probably have been many more chars-i-bancs operating locally had not the authorities decided some months ago to limit the number of licences issued. This was undoubtedly a wise measure, but unfortunately, before it was put into operation there were already more than enotgli vehicles to meet the existing demand.
The " Royal Red" motor coaches are the most prominent in the town, and they are run by the Westeliff-on-Sea Motor
Char-a-bancs Co., Ltd. This concern operates 20 coaches, 17 of them being of Daimler manufacture, and the others by Dennis Bros., Ltd. of Guildford. They were all new vehicles this season, and arewith handsome Buckingham bodes, most of them seating 28 passengers. A few 35-seaters are employed, but this type • of vehicle—chiefly on
account of its bulk—is only used -on the shortest tours.
One of the company's garages is ,situated on Pier Hill overlooking the front, and it-is from this point of vantage that must of the booking is done for half
day and one-day tours. The vehicles which occupy the hackney carriage stand along the front are only engaged On short tours at a fire of 2s. Seats for any Of the tours can be booked at the recognized booking offices in Southend, Westcliff, Leigh, and Thorpe Bay, and passengers are collected from the respective offices -at which they have booked.
On Sundays, Mondays, Wednesda-y, and Thursdays the company run an allday toui to -Clacton-on-Sea, Burnham-anCrouch (on two days), and Tunbridge Wells respectively, the fare for the first and last named trips being 21s.„ and for the Burnham tour 6s., which includes a motor boat trip across the River Crouch, and allows the passengers six hours at Burnham.
Seven other fis. half-day tours are run during the week, that on Fridays being via Galleywood to Chelmsford, for the comity town's market day. The morning trips start at 11 a.m., the fare being 9s. return in each case, and the afternoon tours at 2.30.
The daily service by char-a-bancs which the company aim to London for 6s. has also been well patronized.
The company also operate three bus services, one being in Southend itself, and the other two in outlying districts. Daimler 2 ton chassis fitted with saloon bus bodies are employed for thiswork. As being typical of the enterprise which the concern have displayed in operating their services, we may mention that all these vehicles are fitted with giant, Godllyear pneumatic tyres. They were one of the pioneersso far as the adoption of this class of tyre on passenger vehicles is concerned, and so Kitisfactory has been
their bus experience that they contemplate fitting the whole of their coach fleet with large-sized pneumatics. Their experience has proved that, apart from smooth, silent, and flexible running, these tyres have appreciably reduced maintenance costs.
From point of size, the -Westeliff-on Sea Motor Char-a-bancS Co. is by far the largest coach concern in Southend, but -another popular service is run by the Victory Belle Char-a-banes Co. This concern was established in 1918, and they _ run five Scout vehicles, all, of them being 30-seaters. Half-day and day trips, identical With those oi the company whose activities we have already described, are run, whilst the concern specializes on journeys to London. The coach leaves Southend every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for London, and is often away for several days doing beanfeast work. The company have a booking office in London at 13, Norfolk Street, New North Road, for the convenienceof those travelling by road coach to Southend. Each of the vehicles engaged on the short journeys does three trips per day. The vehicles engaged_ on the London service are fitted with capacious locket's at• the rear for the' accommodation of luggage, and, provided it can be conveniently carried•, .restriction as to weight. carried by each passenger is imposed.
"Blue Coaches," four in number, are
run by the, Southend-on-Sea Char-a, banes and Transport Co., Ltd., of Tyler's Avenue. Three of these vehicles are 30seaters, two being 1-type Daimlers, and the ether one an A.E.C., whilst the fourth vehicle is a Garford fitted with 16-seater body. The company also garage one vehicle in London, which is used on service to and from Southend. Hour trips and beanfeasts I-o• the only classes of work undertaken: the morning runs being to Rochford, Rayleigh, and Shoeburyness. and afternoon runs to Hockley and Rayleigh, amongst other places. When the char-a-bases „season is over, the company intend to use their coach chassis for goods haulage, for, although South Essex is not a commercial centre, they think that "there will, be plenty of goods haulage. by road, as ,railway rates are so high." " These are the chief char-a-bases pro; . prietors in the town, but other services covering practically the same ground are • run by Messrs. Charles Baker, a. C. Bruton, T. Heal, H. Bingham, G. A. Weston, and E. Brazier' and the St. Helen's (Westeliff) Motor Co., Ltd. Althcmgh, as we have already said; the coach services from Southend are
limited in scope; the popularity at' those run cannot be questioned. The general consensus of opinion amongst proprietors, however, is that too many organizers are after the cream of the business, and that unless something is done to restrict further the number of licences issued, or to co-ordinate existing services, many of the present proprietors will cease to find the business a lucrative source of income. Moreover, this matter may become more acute when the new scale of taxation. comes into force next year, although in certane quarters it is suggested that the heavy passenger tax will solve the problem of coach operation for the small proprietors by prematurely forcing them to retire from the business. In this way the new taxation may do good.
Most of the coach proprietors are agreed that the only way to overcome effectually the antagonism of certain unprincipled proprietors, who seek te tam patronage by the artless method Inf cut-rates, is to organize on soundbuso• ness lines. Varying opinions exist as to the best• way in which this can -be accomplished, but the majority of the coach owners favour the establishment of an association affiliated to the C.M.U.A. One -proprietor suggested that there was,no need for a new association, but that a Motor Coach Cominittee of the C.M.U.A., composed of practical owners of coaches, would meet the ease. This committee should be permitted to-exerciEB its authority without resort having to be made to the National Council,
whose efforts should be mainly confined to the protection of the policy of the parent body. "Unity is strengtH," said one large owner, "whether it be to protect the large or the small man, and some organization is an urgent neces sity." Organization on proper lines would also protect local owners from the incursions of proprietors in neighbouring towns.
The National Steam Car Co., Ltd., run many vehicles into the town from neighbouring districts, among them being services of single-deck and double-deck A.E.C. buses from Chelmsford.
As a reflect-ion on the rowdyism of certain sections of coach travellers, it is interestipg to mention that in the Southend district we noticed that several of :the wayside inns and hotels displayed notices stating that "zio char-a-banes parties would be served. As is always the case in such circumstances, the innocent have to suffer along with the guilty, and it is a pity that inn proprietors cannot .aconfine their refusal to the rowdier element.
At Southend, as in many other places, char:a-banes services are an integral part of the life of the town. They are billed as one of its attraetions.
In an early issue we will deal with the coach services in operation at Clacton. They are not so numerous as those at Saufhend, probably for the simple reason that the locality has not much to offer in the way of attractions.