Tour drivers to Italy need plenty of lire
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LACK OF CASH — that's the most likely reason to cause trouble to coach drivers on the Continent, once their vehicles have been given adequate preparation to guard against mechanical failure (writes Gordon Murray).
This, I learned while visiting R. W. Appleby Ltd., at Conisholme, Lincolnshire, is the firm view of Stuart Appleby and of his North Somercoates depot foreman, Tom Wilson.
It is a pertinent point in '75: not a vintage year for coach profits. Some smaller operators, I have heard, have been pruning the amount of money available to their drivers to meet emergencies on overseas trips. A false economy in the view of Mr. Appleby, who incidentally has driven foreign tours himself.
In addition to bus and coach work the Appleby family find time to make a delicious ice cream. But it was a coincidence that during my visit to the company one of its coaches should have returned from Italy. However, this point on providing a driver with a reserve of cash was brought home to me when I was told that tolls and taxes on that trip amounted to £70; the Mont Blanc tunnel alone cost £18. formed in 1913 (the first vehicle was a Model T Ford) and the green and cream Appleby vehicles are now part of the everyday scene in this part of Lincolnshire, the Continental side of the operation was not developed until 1956. Conisholme is 50 miles from the nearest M1 access point and around 250 miles from the English Channel ports.
Mr Appleby said that initially Continental operation w a s approached with some caution. Today the most popular tours are those to France including five and six days in Paris and 14 days to Brittany and the south-west; Germany and the Grand European Tour came next.
This season 30 Continental tours have been completed and the recent Italian trip •is the fourth of its kind, with Appleby coaches reaching as far south as Naples.
The tour, organised by the Humberside and Lincolnshire Travel Club, included eight days in Austria before crossing the Brenner Pass through the Dolomites to Padua in Northern Italy. The party visited Venice, Verona and Turin before returning through the Alps into France for the run back.
Appleby provided the vehicle and driver and made the necessary ferry bookings for the coach and passengers. The Ramsgate to Calais Hovercraft service was used, which takes only some 40 minutes. How ever, the company also uses the conventional ferry ser vices and finds the British Rail ferries staff most co-operative.
The company provides all neces sary documentation including green card, carnets, driver's hours books, breakdown information and a generous supply of cheques Normally, the company prefers to leave the bookings of accommodation to the tour organisers but on occasion, fox example tours for senioz citizens, the company also provides this service.
The driver is provided with a photostat copy of the vehicle's log book, a driver's guide to Europe, tyre service information—and a Euro-Shell card for fuel; most important as it relieves him of the worry of budgeting for fuel supplies. The driver also has currency for each country plus a reservt of Sterling and travellers' cheques.
One other possible problem area is that of Italian passpor control, However, if all passengers hold British passports there is seldom any delay unless a name should match one of those on the "black list." Then there may be s wait until the authorities are satisfied about the person's identity.