A MUNICIPALITY HIRES BUSES.
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An Interesting Experiment by the Darlington Corporation to Ascertain the Needs of New Districts.
T"T' go-ahead authorities in the township of Darlington, who three or four years ago took a revolutionary step when they decided to abandon the entire tramways in favour of trolley-bus traction, is now making interesting experirneuts to ascertain the comparative costs and utility of railless cars and petrol omnibuses. This is being done to assist the transport department to decide which ferns of passenger vehicle is most suitable for further extensions of the town's
public transport system, which are now considered to be necessary. Feeling that the use of motorbuses might not prove the most economical means of meeting local requirements and that the outlay of considerable money in the purchase of a fleet of s-uc.h vehicles would, in consequence, prove a false step, the Darlington Corporation has, instead, adopted the novel expedient of hiring a number of vehicles. From the operation of these buses over a number of experimental routes, the authority hopes to secure data which will assist it in making its ultimate choice between trolley-buses and petrol buses for a number of additional passenger services in the town, which are required to meet the needs of a new and growing district.
We reproduce on this page a photograph of the fleet of five 28-seater pneu
ra Dennis saloon omnibuses which have been hired by the corporation from Mr. H. A. Harvey, bus contractor, of Tubwell Row, Darlington. These vehicles are now providing useful services between outlying parts of the town which in the past have been entirely without transit facilities of any kind. The vehicles have now been in service for six months and they have been retained for a further three months. At the end of the nine months' exnerimental period the corporation hopes to have full information available as to the comparative costs of working trolleybuses and petrol buses, as well as the needs of a number of districts, and it will then decide whether to purchase a fleet of petrol buses or to erect the necessary overhead equipment and operate trolley-bus services.
At the present time the vehicles are running between nrinkburn Road and Geneva Road on opposite sides of the town. Each few months they are transferred to an alternative route between the two points, in order to test the relative traffic requirements of various districts.