MOTOR COACH DOINGS AND DEVELOPMENTS.
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Matters of Topical Interest to Proprietors of Chars-a-bancs.
Motor Coaching in the Eastern Counties.
FURTHER to our article last week dealing with the motor coach services at Southend, we will now deal with those in operation using Clacton as a centre. There is a great similarity between the two Essex county resorts, although in the case of Clacton the fact that there are only two main roads out of the town militates against the extensive operation of coaches from this spot. The coach services of Clacton are fewer in number than those at Southend, but their magnitude is certainly in proportion to the number of visitors who frequent the resort; in fact, at, all the holiday spots we visited the magnitude of the business, as shown by the enormous numbers of vehicles in use, was the first impression created in our mind. Clacton is perhaps less fortunate than its southern rival in the matter of location. The surrounding terrain is very flat, and, moreover, as we have said, there are only two main roads out of the town. —There are no coastal roads, and, therefore, no coastal services. In spite of natural difficulties, however, at least six prominent proprietors make a satisfactory living from the operation of coaches in and around the district, amongst them being the Clacton and District. Motor Service Co., Ltd., Messrs. A. Clark and Co., Messrs. Hicks Bros., Messrs. A. Fitch and Son, Mr. Z. Fairclough, and the National Oninibrs and Transport Co., Ltd. The locel licensing authorities exercise very stringent guard upon unsuitable coaches being put on the road, and every vehicle, before being licensed, is •subject to a thorough road test by a competent engineer working under this authority. Not only does the vehicle have to render a good account of itself, but the driver has to satisfy this engineer that he is a fit and capable man to be entrusted with the driving of a bulky passenger vehicle. Local proprietors readily acknowledge that this careful supervision has benefited them, and resulted in accidents being reduced to a minimum. The Clacton and--District Motor Service Co., Ltd. are the largest owners with their headquarters in the town, and they run six Leyland motor coaches, these being 28.and 24 seaters. Daily and half-daily runs are made to Ipswich, the
return fares being 8s, and 6s. 6d. respectively, Harwich and Dovercourt
Brightlingsea 4s., Frinton and Walton 3s. 6d., Colchester 4s. 61, Dedham 5s., -whilst a daily circular tour of, roughly, 100 miles via Sudbury, Bury St. Edmunds, Cambridge, Haverill, and Halstead is run for 12s. 6d. The company also operate 15 Leyland buses 14 of them being double deckers to seat 34, the' other vehicle being a saloon type bus to carry 26. The bodies of these vehicles were built by Christopher Dodson, Ltd., to the company's own design. Six of these buses Use Colchester as a centre, and run a service to Brightlingsea and Walton-on-Naze. The Essex C.C. demand 1A.d. per bus-mile from vehicles run on regular services established since 1916.
The buses link up Clacton with St. Osvth, Brightlingsea Colchester, Wiventl'oe, Ftintcn and -Walton, Dovercourt and Harwich. The single fares to these places vary between 6d. and 2s. 9d., and in most cases a saving is effected by taking return tickets. The vehicles maintain an all-the-year-round kervice between these places, although during the winter months the service is curtailed. Three A.E.C. vehicles to seat 28 passengers each are operated by Messrs. A. Clark and Co. They have been running motor coaches since 1918, but their aaociation with the use of horse brakes
dates back years. The vehicles are used for half-day and day tours and for week-end runs to London.
Most of the proprietors in the coastal resorts of the county of Essex appear to have had a successful season, but practioally all the prominent proprietors condemn the incursion of inexperienced men into an industry of which they have no knowledge. whatever. They express the opinion that it is this class of men that will " kill '' the business unless something approaching boycott is practised by the largest owners. There have been instances where men of this type have been reasonable enough to join a local organization for the mutual protection of large and small owners, and this has enabled definite rates to be fixed,. but, unfortunately, certain proprietors have not adhered to these charges, with the result that the organization has fallen through. In most eases now proptietors fix prices to suit themselves. As an in • terestingreflection on this inability to organize on proper lines, we might mention that, although the running and maintenance of motor coaches continues to rise,'prices for tours have on several occasions been appreciably reduced. One Clacton proprietor told us that it was unprofitable to tout for custom in the usual way, and that, for the next season, he intended to arrange with the proprietors of local boarding houses to ta.kei the vehicle at, a figure. and fill it with people staying at their establishments. The onus for filling the vehicle will then not rest with him, and his responsibility will merely be confined to hitting the vehicle out on hire.
Bradford's Motor Coaches.
WHEN all the circumstances are considered, it is not surprising that Bradford is weltarovided in the matter of motor coaches. Bradford has even been pointed to with reproach as a city in which char-h-bancs riding was carried to extremes, but this statement was made by one of the national dailies, and against "the city of millionaires," as it has been called since the war, the newspapers have been very critical. Certainly in the matter of motor coaching there is room for differences of opinion. As a matter of fact, motor coaching is popular over the whole of the West Riding of Yorkshire. There are many reasons why this should-be so. The style of life, and the nature of the work of the people, taken as a whole, make open air pleasures doubly acceptable. In the West Riding mills and factories the work is hard and-sis carried on in confined places, latit the work generally is well remunerated and the operatives are well-to-do. These facts, coupled with the large number of very acceptable holiday places within reasonable distances all tend to make the motor coach
fill a dis tances, felt want.
Few centres could be more favourably placed for motor coaching than Bradford. Being also midway between the East and West coasts, the seaside holiday resorts of Blackpool, Morecambe, and Southport are available on the one hand, while Bridlington and Scarborough are within' reach in the other direction. Blackpool and Morecambe are the most popular places for a day excursion, and during the summer months several daily services are run to both places. Windermere is a long run from Bradford, and, although this journey is often accomplished, the fare is rather too much for the average, passenger, and there is too much riding for one day, but some very attractive two-day tours are arranged from Bradford to the Lake District, and the choice of paying an inclusive charge for seats and accommodation, or simply for seats, is left with the passenger on these long tours. Kirkby Lonsda.le (with the river scenery which enthralled Turner, the painter, and Ruskin, the art critic); Ingleton and Clapham (with the waterfalls and caves and mountain scenery) provide delightful runs among the Pennines; while very popular half-day runs are made to IVIttlham (for Malham Cove and Tarn and Gordale Scar) and Gisbirrn and Bolton-in-Bowland (for the charming scenery in the Trough of Bowland which cannot be reached by railway). The Yorkshire Dales provide a variety of trips, from afternoon excursions to Ilkley and Bolton Abbey and Gra,ssington to a long day's run into Uredale and Nidderdale, embracing A.skrigg, Middleham, Masham, Ripon, and Knaresboreugh and Harrogate. Ripon, Harrogate, Knaresborough, -York, and Wet-herby axe all centres to ,aithich journeys are made regularly, and, although there is much town riding during the journeys in a southerly direction the Dukeries are often visited from Bradford.
With such a list of places which are available, there is little wonder that many Bradford people have had stay-athome holidays and have spent a week in motor coaching from the city, thus avoiding the ey,ils of the autocratic seaside landlady and uncomfortable railway journeys. Bradford takes its holidays in sections, the mills in the various parts of the city observing Manninghain "tide," Bowling "tide," and ITerten "tide," while the adjoining townships have their local feasts. This is greatly to the advantage of the motor coach proprietors, of course. The rush of holiday traffic is not concentrated into one week-end, there are opportunities for arranging' a series of extended tours, and the rabd-week work during the summer months is very much brighter because cvf the fillips which are given as the various holidays come round. Special arrangements, were made/at the principal local holidays for passengers to the popular resorts to take return tickets, but to defer the return journey until the following week. About 2e. 6d: extra was charged for this privilege, and luggage was allowed free, provided accommodation was not interfered with unduly. In some cases luggage was sent on by lorry, and this arrangement was greatly appreciated. The announcement was made in the various :resorts that chars-a-bancsrwere returning to Bradford at specified. times, and some very satisfactory retura loads were found to Bradford and neigh bouring towns. In many eases these were railway passengers on the outward journey, because in only a-few instances were char-alhanes proprietors -allowing single. journey_ bookings. During the holidays king tours were-arranged to the Lake District, Scotland,North Wales, and the Midlands. For ordinary excursion .v.ork the charges are fixed upon the basis of 11d. per mile, the following being the actual fares for the journeys just mentioned :—Morecambe, 17s. 6d. ; Black, pool, 18s. 6d.; Scarborough, 18s: 6d. ; the Dukeries, , 17s. 6d. ; Bridlington, 18s. 6d.; Ingleton (starting at 9.6'clock), 13s. 6d.: Ribble Valley • (half :day), 9s. 6d: ; Malham (half day), 1Crs: ; Ripon and Boroughbriclge(half. day), ..10e.; Boston Spa and Wetherhy (half day), 8s. It loan imposing sight on a busy morning to see • Bradford's motor coaches leaving the recognized starting point in Victoria Square. From this centre coaches wend -their way to all parts of the North of England, The only recognized stands for motor -coaches in Brad; ford are in Victoria Square; . and the position of the stand seems to be a satisfactory one. The principal. mimem,ent houses. in Bradford _ are . in the vicinity, and the -vehicles are lined. up along two...of , the streets which :radiate from the square:The liFetrairig-Saithari:. ties in Bradford are very strict with respect to the construction and maintenance of vehicles, particularly with regard to width of overhang and the number of seats to the rear of the back axle.
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There are 63 vehicles licensed to ply, and those which have not been engaged forearly morning trips assemble inVictoria Square 'shortly after 10 o'clock, and at 25 minutes past the drivers line up s.nd number offin military fashion and then draw lots forpositions on the stands. Two sets of numbers are placed in a bag, one relating to "the Princes side," the stand near the Princes Theatre, and the other to the Alhambra side, the stand with the head near the entrance to the Alhambra music hall,. An excellent spirit appears to prevail among the men on the stands, and passengers are often passed from one vehicleto another to prevent vehicles running with
a light load. . •
A regulation which the Bradford authorities strictly enforce is that there shall be a glass screen behind the driver in order that his attention may not be distracted by passengers behind. Steps are being taken to ensure that a Conductor shall be carried on each vehicle, and it is understood -that the committee intend to insist that a glass screen shall be fixed to the left of the driver •to isolate, him entirely from the passengers if a conductor does not sit on his lefthand side. Thepolice -authorities state that they have no complaints against parties being rowdy, but it is generally found that mixed parties are., Mere orderly that when persons of only one Sex constitute the passengers of one vehicle. Coach partied passing throagh tha city are said to be more rowdy than those belonging to the city itself, but, this may be due to local patties realizing that they are in surroundings in which they may be recognized, and more closely observing the rules of decorum accord:
/ugly. •
A feature is made in Bradford -ot arranging big pgrties in the mills and workshops, and on these occasions it is often necessary to use a, big fleet of vehicles..All the North-of England race meetings are attended, but it is state,d, that thosewho,: patronize race meetings are. a particular °Iasi which doe,s not use the char-ft-banc-s on any other' Occasion.
Bradford is not a holiday, resort, and there is no need for the excursion services to close down with "the end of the season." In fact, there is no end to the season in Bradford. It is poS
sible to take a motor coach excursion on any suitable day provided one of the 'more popular resorts be selected, and even during the winter months there are good prospects that. the week-end work will be maintained. Regular work Ls obtained for-the chais-belaanc,s by catering for the supporters of the two English League Bradford football clubs. '
Organizing Coach Owners.
ViiTEILLST EVERY endeavour is being exerted to organize the motor coach proprietors into strong associations, those owners .who have taken kraal action by bringing an organization into being are somewhat perturbed lest the developments that may follow from the strengthening Of the motor coach section of the Commercial Motor Users Association and the Hirers' Section of the Motor Trade Association should result in a weakening of the whole of the forces generally.
On every band it is admitted that organization is ,nscessary, yet the-urgency of the need diminishes when the prospects of achieving suecels become remoter. Overlapping contributes to this Ind, and dissipatesenergies that may be more Usefully, employed in other directions. ,The letter which appeared in The Commercial Motor from the Preston G.M.U.A.. has been read at more than one meeting of motor coach proprietors, with the :interest itundoubtedly desefves, and has caused local-associations to put on their ,considering caps. Everykcal association wants to expand;the C.M.TLA. is an extensive organization and also wants to eXtend the sphere of its usefulness by getting in the "small man." Both aspire to progress, but, amongst the local people, there is 4 suspicion, altogether Unfounded, we know, that .the C.M.T.T.A. wants to broaden out at the expense of the established and already .recognized associations. The views of motor coach proprietors are jnteosely interesting on this subject, and-, whilst not everybody believes in national 41sociations being called upon to apply remedies for local problems, there can be no gainsaying that there is a pathetic need for an adequate realization of what the trade may acicomplish by co-operative effort.