L.T.E. Appeal for Better Service
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AWARNING about the London
Transport Executive's falling passenger traffic and an appeal to the staff to do everything possible to attract more passengers by better service are made by Sir John Elliot, chairman, in his New Year message to the undertaking's 87,000 employees.
"Public transport operators all over the country—indeed all over the world —report falling traffics," Sir John says, "and London Transport are no exception, although I am glad to say that we are not nearly as badly hit as some of our friends on the other side of the Atlantic whom I visited recently.
"I wonder if you all realize that we are carrying about 500,000 passengers a day fewer than last year—for every 100 people we carried in 1950, today we carry only. 84. If we are to keep going as Londoners expect, we must look round for ways and means of improving our results by reducing or cutting out unprofitable services and by making the service we sell as attractive as possible.
"in the long run, in a democracy, the public will spend its money where it chooses, and if people choose to use motorcars, scooters, bicycles or their feet for their transport, or not to travel at all, there is nothing we can do to prevent them.
True, we have a monopoly of public transport in the London Transport area, but that does not alter the fact that there arc many competitors for the Londoners' time and money besides ourselves."
BETTER SERVICE TO MEET CAR COMPETITION
"nUR greatest competitor today and
in future will. be the private car. This competition can be met only by sustained personal service and improved facilities. Each of us must improve•our standards of service and contribution to the day-to-day operation."
This was stated by Mr. James Amos, chairman of Scottish Omnibuses, Ltd., in a New Year message to the staff. The company, he added, faced rising costs and falling revenue, but would try to maintain unremunerative services.
NO NEW COACH STATION
PLANS for a regional coach station at Henbury have been rejected by Bristol Planning and Public Works Committee. The scheme, put forward by Mr. C. Slater, of Red Rose Coaches, included the provision of a restaurant and office block. The committee pointed out that the site was being reserved for industrial purposes.
COMPANY FINED £32 PLEAbING guilty to 16 summonses for allowing drivers to work excessive hours and failing to ensure that current records were kept, Nettlefold and Moser. Ltd., London, SE.!, were tined a total of £32, with £6 6s. costs, at Hull last
• week. One driver was fined £18 and another £6.