• PASSENGER TRAVEL NEWS.
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The Latest Doings and Developments in the Bus and Coach World.
BLACKPOOL'S "BIG FIVE."
Brief Details of the Activities of Concerns which are Running Daily Services to Manchester.
FOR a long time the extraordinarily cheap daily motor coaching services from Blackpool to Manchester have loomed largely in the public eye. At the present time there are no fewer than five of these services and rates have recently been reduced from 4s. to 3s. for the return journey of about 95 miles. Blackpool coach owners are operating up-to-date saloon vehicles for these trips, and bookings aggregate between 160 and 200 per day.
The question arises whether five services by separate conterns 'better fulfil the requirements of the travelling public than a single organization providing a series of journeys timed to run at convenient intervals.
From the public point of view the answer is "Yes," because the existence of these rivalries between coach owners has resulted in the cutting of fares, which, in turn, has created more traffic. Blackpool people desiring to visit Manchester prefer to make an early morning start, generally about 9.30 a.m., and c36 one reason why they prefer to travel by road is that the return fare is 50 per cent, cheaper than the single rail fare. and 40 per cent. lower than the railway companies' day excursions.
The advantages of coach travel sio not end here, because Blackpool motor coach owners allow free travel for children, unless the vehicle be fully occupied and the child occupies a seat. Another factor which has influenced business in favour of thi3 coaches is that dogs may be conveyed free. The rail charge for a dog from Blackpool to Manchester is 2s. 6d. Ordinary luggage is conveyed free by motor coach.
Manchester shopping houses view with much favour these cheap travelling facilities from Blackpool. Most, if not all, the Blackpool coaches unload their passengers at Manchester at the loading yard at Messrs. Lewis's store.
The journey from Blackpool to Manchester, takes about 21 hours each way and the day trip gives passengers 51 hours' stay in the town. About nine motor coaches make the journey every day, and when the demand justifies it others are put on. The Blackpool motor coaching cornpanics running these daily serviceg to Manchester are Messrs. Standerwicks, Cl. Smith, Spencers Motors, Wood Brothers (Blackpool), Ltd., and S. and J. Wood, Ltd.
Gradually there is being built up a series of connections from the Lancashire towns to Manchester. Fares, mileages, etc., may be summarized as follows:—
Longdate S'gle. R't.n.
s. d. s. d. s. d.
One of the anomalies of the situation is that passengers desiring to travel from Manchester to Blackpool are required to pay a fare of 4s. 6d. return. The Liverpool motor coach owners are quoting 5s. return for the Blackpool run. Blackpool coach owners, however, quote 3s. day return, 2s. 6d. single journey, and 4. 6d. long-date return.