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PASSENGER TRANSPORT
TRAFFIC RECORDS BROKEN DURING BANK HOLIDAY WEEK-END
• Big London Coach Stations Report Excellent Business
XCELLENT traffic during Bank J—dtioliday week-end was reported to The Commercial Motor, on Tuesday, by officials of the . four big London coach stations. Despite the doubtful weather, hundreds of thousands of people flocked to coastal resorts, and the resources of coach operators were fully taxed.
Mr. Gerald Nowell, managing director of the General Travel Agency (London), Ltd. (proprietor of the London Terminal Coach Station). stated that the traffic on the routes of Red and White Services, Ltd., and Black and White Motorways, Ltd., constituted a record, particularly in connection with the night services to South Wales. Over 500 persons were carried on the joint Red and White and Black and White services to South Wales on the Friday night prior to the holiday.
The bookings on the Empire's Best .service from the station to Clacton were E&S
reported to be " really excellent," whilst traffic on the Thanet Express set-vice to Margate and Auto Pilots service to Folkestone was said to be extremely good. Every coach operated by Messrs. Phillipsons to Newcastle was full to capacity, while on the same route Messrs. Charltons created a record. On all other services radiating from the station, the traffic was very good and record bookings were made over the counter.
London Coastal Coaches, Ltd., experienced excellent traffic on the Saturday and Sunday, but business on Bank Holiday was quieter, by reason of the fact that many people were away on holiday. Although statistics were not then available, Mr. Corbett informed us that it was likely that the traffic carried constituted a record for the station. " Capacity's bookings were reported by the Central London Road Transport Station, which experienced particularly heavy demands on the Blackpool services, over 2,000 more passengers being carried on the route than was the case last year. All traffic records for the station were broken and it was necessary to turn patrons away.
Although precise figures were not • available, it was thought the week-end traffic at the King's Cross Motor Coach Station had reached a record level and it was certainly far in excess of that of last year. On the booking side of the business, a new high-water mark was created and there was hardly a seat available on coaches bound for the coast on Monday morning.
These reports show that, despite innumerable restrictions, there is still ample activity in the coaching industry and that a large section of the public has a definite preference for road travel, irrespective of cost.
LONDON TRANSPORT'S FIRST FINANCIAL STATEMENT.
A PROVISIONAL statement for the Pi first financial year ended June 30, 1934, has just been issued by the London Passenger Transport Board. The estimated balance of revenue, after making suitable provision in respect of various items, is £4,778,782. After deducting an instalment of the tramway debt-liquidaticon fund, sums payable to local authorities in respect of interest on loans raised by them for the purposes of transferred tramways undertakings, and interest on London Transport stock, amounting to £4,070,044, an estimated balance of £708,738 remains. This sum is sufficient to pay, on September 10, a dividend of 3 per cent, in respect of the C stock for the yeas ended June 30 last.
During the year just closed, the nominal amount of stock issued and outstanding was £109,387,811. The undertakings of 11 of the independent operators specified in Section 5 and in Part V of the Second Schedule of the London Passenger Transport Act, 1933, had still to be transferred to the Board. The amount of the consideration to be paid for these undertakings, for certain tramways undertakings, the London businesses of Thomas Tilling, Ltd., and Tilling and British Automobile Traction, Ltd., and 45 independent concerns had not been finally determined.
Negotiations had, on June 30, been concluded with 57 proprietors, who had been refused consent to work wholly or mainly within the Special Area, and their businesses transferred to the Board for an agreed consideration in cash. In seven further cases, the transfers had been completed, although the consideration had not then been determined. These operations related to outlying portions of the Board's area.
A full financial statement will be issued so soon as possible. POOLE AGREEMENT WITH HANTS AND DORSET CO.
POOLE Corporation has decided in 1 favour of an agreement with Hants and Dorset Motor Services, Ltd., for the extension of the motorbus system throughout the borough. Certain negotiations are still proceeding,, and the sanction of the Ministry of Transport will be necessary to carry out the agreement, so that the terms cannot yet be made public.
It is understood that the corporation will receive 10 per cent, of the net profit on the operation of the buses in the borough. A proposal that the agreement should be limited to a period of 20 years was overruled at a meeting of the council, last week.
LEYLANDS REPLACE TRAMS.
(IN Monday last, Preston Corpora tion substituted buses for trams on the Ashton route, six Leyland oilengined buses with torque converters being used for the purpose. BIG COMPANY-CORPORATION CO-ORDINATION SCHEME?
NE WPORT Corporation's scheme to acquire the Capitol car park, building: and property in Merchant Street, Newport, to be used as a motor park and central bus terminus, at a total cost of about £40,000, has been complicated by facts which have come to light since the council adopted the plan.
Following the Newport authority's decision, Cardiff City Council sealed an agreement with a private bus company and the owners of the site for the lease to the council and the company of the Capitol car park as a Newport terminus for Cardiff Corporation's and the company's bus services. Subject to Cardiff Council • obtaining permission from the South Wales Commissioners to divert its routes at Newport, the municipality, with Red and White Services, Ltd., proposes to establish a bus station on the car-park site.
Cardiff Corporation was refused sanction, some time ago, to extend its bus service to Newport.
Newport Council was unaware of the lease arrangement when its decision to acquire the car-park site was made. There is a prospect of an agreement being reached in the matter if Newport is agreeable to the Cardiff service extension at Newport.
The lease of the site by Cardiff Corporation and the bus company is reported to be part of an agreement for a large-scale co-ordination scheme for
Cardiff services. It is proposed to make the new central terminus of the municipal and private services to Cardiff, from the east of Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire, the place of change to the council's buses for the journey to Cardiff.
WAGE CERTIFICATES FOR WORKMEN'S TICKETS.
DISCRIMINATION in connection with workmen's tickets is a big problem for the bus operator, and Mr. W. Luff, Blackpool Corporation's transport manager, has overcome the difficulty in what Mr. W. Chamberlain, chairman of the North Western Traffic Commissioners, described as a unique manner. These tickets are to be issued only to passengers who have certificates to show that they earn £3 a week or
less. This system was, last week, sanctioned by the Commissioners.
BUS OWNERS IN UNUSUAL CASE.
A T Dundee, last week, Sheriff Mal
colm considered a petition in the action at the instance of Mr. Charles Robertson, of Birkhill, near Dundee, against Mr. James Downie McGibbon, Lift, Dundee. The pursuer sought to have it established that he had been, and still is, a partner in the firm of Messrs. McGibbon's Bus Services, which the defendant denied, It was stated that the property and assets of the alleged partnership were in danger of being dissipated by reason of certain actions of Mr. McGibbon.
Mr. Robertson asked the court to B40 appoint a person properly qualified to take charge of the assets and property of the firm until the rights of the party had been determined. The defendant denied that there was a partnership with the pursuer. His property and assets were, he stated, in no danger of being dissipated, and he pleaded that it was unnecessary to appoint a person to take charge of the property and assets, which, he averred, belonged to him.
Sheriff Malcolm announced that he would give his decision later.
AIR SERVICE TO HELP COACH TOURS.
ROAD transport between Leeds and ‘Sherburn Aerodrome, in connection with the Leeds-Paris air service which was begun, this week, by London, Scottish and Provincial Airways, Ltd., is being provided by Wallace Arnold Tours, Ltd., Leeds. In connection with its coach tours to Scotland, the Wallace Arnold concern is hoping to attract Continental tourists through the provision of air-travel facilities from Paris to Leeds, where the road tours start. The company already has agents in Paris, and it is intended to establish agencies in Belgium and Germany.
Further details of the air service will be found on the "Air Transport News" page of this issue.
BLACKPOOL CONDITION FAILS.
THE North Western Traffic Commis
sioners have refused to attach to licences the condition proposed by Blackpool Corporation in connection with the setting down of coach parties at cafés, hotels, etc. The condition was published in last week's issue of The Commercial Motor.
Mr. W. Chamberlain, chairman of the Commissioners, has stated that the corporation should inform operators who had voluntarily agreed to the condition, that it had not been approved.
MERSEY TUNNEL BUS SERVICES.
l'HE subject of the operation of re1 gular bus services through the Mersey Tunnel is arousing considerable interest in Liverpool, and there are prospects of the formation of a special committee to investigate the matter. Sir Thomas White, chairman of the Mersey Tunnel Joint Committee, has stated that it might be necessary to obtain Parliamentary powers to run a regular bus service through the tunnel.
FIGHTING HARSH RESTRICTIONS.
I N connection with a paragraph pubfished in our issue dated July 27, referring to the struggle of Lancashire and Yorkshire operators to combat annecessary restrictions, the meeting of Manchester and Salford Members of Parliament is being arranged hy the Coach Operators' Special Committee, of which Mr. Charles Y. Lloyd is chair
man. The official appointed to canvass manufacturers to obtain their support is a representative of this committee. COMMISSIONERS AND PROTECTION AGREEMENT.
THE question of protection under an agreement between Southampton Corporation and Hants and Dorset Motor Services, Ltd., was raised in an appeal by the former which was heard last week. The corporation appealed against the South-Eastern Traffic Commissioners' action in renewing a licence of the company without imposing a minimum protective single fare of 4d.
It was stated that when the company commenced to run in the Southampton district, in about 1921, a minimum
single fare of 6d. was fixed. Some years later, the protective condition was waived as the result of operation on the route by an additional company, which, however, passed out of existence. Later, a protective fare of 4d. was reinstated.
As a result of a complaint by the corporation, the company applied to the Commissioners, in April of this year, for permission to raise the return fare from 6d. to Sd. The application was refused. When the licence was due for renewal, the corporation objected to its being granted unless a minimum fare of 4d. was imposed.
In view of unusual circumstances, Sir Henry Wynne, who heard the appeal, decided to admit fresh evidence in connection with the finances of Southampton Corporation bus undertaking which, last year, worked at a loss. It was stated that the company did not seek to depart from the agreement.
TROLLEYBUSES FOR NEWCASTLE.
KIEWCASTLE Corporation's Bill, 11 seeking power to replace trams by trolleybuses, has now received the Royal Assent, It is hoped that the new service will be inaugurated at the end of the present financial year. At a meeting of the transport and electricity committee, last week, consideration was given to the purchase of a fleet of 28-30 tr011eybuses.
WHY A MUNICIPAL MERGER FAILED.
WE are now able to amplify the announcement in last week's issue to the effect that the negotiations between Stockton and Middlesbrough Corporations for the amalgamation of their transport systems had failed.
At a meeting of Middlesbrough Town Council, last week, Mr. J. Hamil, chairman of the transport committee, stated that there appeared not to be much hope that negotiations would be successful when resumed a year hence.
The division of revenue was the point upon which the negotiations turned. At first, Middlesbrough Corporation suggested an equal division; in reply, Stockton asked for 60 per cent, of the income. Middlesbrough would not agree tO the latter proposal and suggested as a compromise that, during the first year, Stockton should receive 55 per cent, of the revenue, and thereafter the division should be on an equal basis. The negotiations then failed. 'CROYDON ASSOCIATION EXTENDS ITS SPHERE.
ANYpublic-service-vehicle operator whose principal place of business is within the Metropolitan Area, south of the Thames, is now eligible for membership of the Croydon and District Motor Coach Owners Association. The Association concentrates on endeavouring to improve the position of coach and bus operators in the outer Metropolitan Area, and has amended its constitution and rules to meet the requests of many operators for membership.
At a meeting of the management council last week only one member was absent. Instances were quoted of operators who were still experiencing considerable hardship as a result of the administration of the Road 'Traffic Act, 1930. It was unanimously decided to lecommend an increase in the number of picking-up points permitted in certain districts in the outer Metropolitan Area.
Another resolution was passed recommending that there be no restriction
on the type of ticket issued on express services.
The hon. secretary is Mr. S. D. Oddy, F.C.C.S., M.I.M.T., Speedway House, St. Nicholas Road, Sutton..
LOSS AT BOURNEMOUTH.
J)URING the year ended March 31 last, Bournemouth Corporation's transport undertaking worked at a net deficit of £1,026.'
REVOCATION APPEAL FAILS.
THE Minister of Transport has, on appeal, upheld the action of the West Midland Traffic Commissioners in revoking three public-service-vehicle licences in respect of 14-seaters run by Mr. Taylor, of Ketley Bank, and a road-service licence for Mr. Taylor's service from Dawley tp Woodhouse Pits. This decision has been taken as the result of the infringement of licence conditions, • The appeal was lodged through the Road Passenger and Hauliers Association, 39, 13ennetts Hill, Birmingham. BUS-SYSTEM PROFITS HELP THE TRAMWAYS.
THE accounts of the transport department pf the Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield Tramways and, Electricity Board for the year ended March 31, 1934, show that the bus undertaking was operated at a gross profit of £18,152, revenue having totalled £94,398 and working expenses 276,246, the balance carried to
the net-revenue account being equivalent to 2.12d. per bus-mile.
After meeting interest and sinking fund charges, etc., the amount carried to the appropriation account is £8,669. This net profit is apportioned as follows : —transfer to tramways account, £6,447; transfer to depreciation fund, £765; bus engines, £1,457. During the year under review the tramways were operated at a net loss of £6,242.
The aggregate mileage • covered by the buses in the past year was 2,054,164, and 12,135,806 passengers were carried.