What price coach frills?
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The recent report on Rural Transport in Wales—rejected by the Welsh Council who commissioned it — was the subject of a critical letter from one of your readers recently (CM August 22).
Mr H. R. .Langrishe, said the existing National Express service 662 was net good enough because of the journey time, and expressed the view that toilet and refreshment facilities should he provided on vehicles, The journey from Whitland to London is timed to take 7 hours 23 minutes, but without comfort .etops is only 6f hours on the road, averaging 35 mph. Most of the journey is by motorway, but a lot is by trunk roads which limits the speeds at Which we travel.
The standard type of vehicle used on the earvice is a 47-seater. Three seats Would be lost for a toilet compartment; more stilt would be [lost in equipping • the vehicle with refreshment Visibility — an important feature of coaches — would be diminished by siting the refreshment bar away from the toilet compartments which woutuld be essential from a health standpoint. A steward would also.. be required.
The attraction of the coach is That it is a relatively fast, comfortable, and above all, Inexpenahre alternative form Of transportation. Such equipment and staff would have to be paid for through'. increased fares on the services.
Past experience has shown that facilities are notlikely be popular with passengers if it means an increase in • .
fares above their present economic 'levels.
Regarding the report itself, the authors came clown firmly tin favour of "an express road transport network. Yet it was evident that during their years. . of research the existing. oath network was never properly considered.
Although a few of the services are there for a summer holiday makers, many of them operate all the year round, and give extensive coverage to all parts of the British Isles, It could be argued that the failure to study the existing National Express network severely weakens, if -not negates, the value of the study.
ALAN O. WATICINS, Public Relations Officer, National Travel (South Wales) Ltd.