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Rural bus services (3)

11th June 1971, Page 58
11th June 1971
Page 58
Page 58, 11th June 1971 — Rural bus services (3)
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

HAVING looked last week at the more conventional means of maintaining rural bus services, it is common for examination 'candidates to let their answers stop there. But an analysis of the merits and demerits of a less conventional vehicle-the minibus-is also very relevant in any discussion on rural services. The following notes will be helpful to candidates in preparing a fully rounded answer on rural services.

A new minibus, seating 12-16 passengers, costs about £1500 to £1800. In approved cases it will qualify for a Government bus grant of 25 per cent towards the capital cost. While the initial price may still compare unfavourably with a second-hand bus purchase, the lower operating costs of the minibus ought to produce significant savings. These savings will not, of course, be in staff costs as the minibus driver will require a full wage. But there are other advantages to list: 1) Fuel Consumption; on a rural route, a minibus should return about 18 miles per gallon compared with about 10mpg for a

standard bus.

2) Maintenance; as the minibus is based on a stahdard van chassis, maintenance can be carried out on a contract basis by a local garage. Thus, there is no need for the operator to provide a garage and maintenance facilities or to employ mechanics.

3) Flexibility; the small size of the minibus means that it has easy manoeuvrability and this can be put to good use on rural services requiring the negotiation of narrow country lanes. The minibus could also be particularly suitable for the employment of women drivers-a largely untapped labour source, even on a part-time basis.

4) Licensing; Section 30 of the Transport Act 1968 provides for a simplification of the road service licensing system for vehicles seating 12 or fewer passengers through the issue of operators' permits.

Against these advantages must be set the one big disadvantage of the minibus-its limited seating capacity. If a route has a marked peak, it may well prove cheaper to operate throughout the day a bus large enough to cope with the peak and carry spare capacity at other times. Nevertheless, on a route with only limited traffic potential-and there are very many examples in rural areasthe minibus could prove the most economical means of maintaining a public transport facility.

In areas where no commercial service is justified even under a local authority subsidy the rural population will have to rely on services organized on a voluntary basis using either minibuses or private cars. The Road Traffic Act 1960 excluded small vehicles carrying no more than four passengers from the public service vehicle regulations in certain circumstances.

It is possible that there will be further licensing relaxations recommended following the surveys currently being carried out by the Department of the Environment in Devon and Suffolk. Already, through the use of their subsidy powers, local authorities have partially assumed the Traffic Commissioners' responsibilities for determining the levels of service and fare structures. In these circumstances a case could be made out for formally passing all licensing control to the new County Authorities, which under the proposals for Local Government Reorganization are to include public transport among their responsibilities.

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