London Trolleybuses to Go
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TROLLEYBUSES in London are to I be replaced by motorbuses. beginning in about three years' time. There are today 64 trolleybus services with 253 miles of route; 750m. passengers, a fifth of the total, are carried every year.
All London trolleybuses, except those in the south-west (post-war vehicles with some years' service still to go) will have completed their useful lives in a few years' time. By then each vehicle will have run approximately 900,000 miles. Replacement by new vehicles will then become an economical necessity, and it is intended to introduce new lightweight motorbuses with 64 seats.
Two prototypes are expected to be put under trial before the end of the year. They will be 8 ft. wide and 27 ft. long and the suspension and transmission system will be designed to give passengers the smoothest possible ride.
London Transport's decision to abandon trolleybuses is because buses are more mobile and flexible in operation. It is estimated that running costs would be the same were the old trolleybuses replaced by new trolleybuses or motorbuses.
The programme of special pleasure bus trips from the suburbs to popular B14 London open-air attractions on Sundays and Bank Holidays this summer will be the biggest ever. Last year, 100,000 passengers travelled on these journeys. Services will be run on 56 routes from 165 suburbs.
Fourteen of the services will be new. They will be run to London Airport, Hampton Court, Chessington Zoo and Dorking. London Airport is again expected to be the chief attraction. Last summer, buses took 23,000 people there. Buses will use the new tunnels from the Bath Road under the airport to the new spectators' enclosure in the centre of the reception area.