PROGRESS IN PASSENGER TRAVEL.
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The Latest Doings and Developments in the Bus and Coach World.
The Pioneer Coach Station,
Nearly 7,000 Coaches Carrying 160,000 Passengers Use Blackpool Char-a-bancs Rendezvous.
THE BLACKPOOL motor station— of which plans and a full description were. published in The Commercial Motor early in the year—and the first station of its kind in the country, has had a very successful inaugural season, and in an interview with a representative of this journal, .Mr. J. C. Wild, the secretary of the proprietary company indicated that between now and the cornmenoemeut, of next season considerable alterations mid improvements would be' carried out, so as to render the station additionally useful, not only to passengers, but to the coa.chowners availing themselves of its services.
It should be emphasized that this station has nothing whatever to do with the Blackpool Corporation. It is purely a private concern, initiated by Shaw's Depositories, Ltd., and is now a private liability company. This explanation is necessary owing to the resentment with which many motor coach owners with anything which savours of the red tape of municipal administration, owing to the drastic measures the Corporation have taken to deal with coach traffic in Blackpool. This station has accommodation for 129 chars-a-banes anc1.30'private cars, and during the season the number of coaches garaged on these premises was no fewer than6981 *inch, by the way, is a higher number than has been garaged at any other premises in the town, and one might even say, in the county of Lancashire. The approximate number of passengers was 160,632, this total being based on an average of 23 passengers per coach, and the majority of them used the station premises for both the incoming and outgoing.
"To show the usefulness of the café and cloakroom services, have you any figures," we queried, 'indicating the number of meals served, articles left in cloakrooms, etc. ?
" Both these services were used extensively," said Mr, Wild, " and, whilst we are unable to give the precise figures, -we should approximate the number of persons served with refreshments at 70,000, and articles left in the cloakrooms at 25,090, showing that both these facilities were appreciated.
" The space we had reserved for these departments at the beginning of the season had to be-trebled in the case of the cafe and doubled in the oase of cloakroom accommodation. On cold days for travelling many passengers personally saw the manager and expressed their appreciation of the manner in which the catering was carried out, stating that it -was a very decided improvement on anything that had been done in the past to makemotor coaching more enjoyable. The facility of being able to obtain a cup of hot beverage on arrival constituted a real welcome. In our interviews recently with some of our owner-driver loatrons we learnt that quite a number
of 'the constant travellers were often heard to remark whilst the char-a-bones was on its way that they were looking forward to getting hot refreshment the moment they arrived at Blackpool. This, we consider, showed in the best possible way appreciation of our efforts in this direction," " What daily coach services regularly used the station? "
" During the season we had daily services running from the station to Preston, Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington, Choi-ley, Bolton, Manchester, and all districts within ten miles' radius, Liverpool and Sheffield. We also had bi-weekly services to Bradford, Leeds, and Sheffield. For these districts we -could book without hesitation any passenger or any number of passengers for the return journey."
"What have you done when you have had an excessive number of bookings?"
"On such occasions, when the bookings have been very heavy to any particular town, we have been able to arrange for coaches from other districts on our premises, and returning light,. to take these extra passengers, and this made their day's run remunerative. On more than one occasion motor coach owners have found it profitable to run coaches empty to Blackpool, after having asked us to hook returns for them on certain days:.
We asked Mr. Wild if he could state the number of return bookings arranged through the station, and if he could explain the reasons for the apparent popularity for the single return booking. From observations made, be gathered that in quite a number of cases owners in inland towns have preferred to book single journeys, owing to the fact that by re-booking for the return journey the aration was able to obviate the sending through of either a short number of care or an excessive number. The station could tell these owners the exact number of passengers booked, say, a day before, by telephone, and the owners made their arrangements accordingly. Here is a detail of the usual arrangements A particular holiday week starts, say, in Lancashire on Friday. You will have the motor coaches of this district having passengers booking for Blackpool. Some are coming for the day, some for three days, and some for the full week. The booking agent, without elaborate book-keeping, cannot tell the owner the exact number who are requiring to return on the particular days, namely, the Saturday, the Wednesday and Saturday week. This would have meant that on the first Saturday the coaches would be returning with very few passengers. On the Wednesday, perhaps, they would be running through a number of day-return passengers, and find when they got to the station that, with the few empty seats they might have, the coaches would not permit them to bring back the number who required to return on this day, and who had been booked on the previous Saturday. And then, again, for the Saturday following, owners were unable to estimate the number of coaches they would require to send to Blackpool to fetch back those due to return on this day. This, of course, led to a deal of confusion at the beginning of the season, and made the single bookings necessary.
"In other instances," Mr. Wild continued, " we had people who were tempted by the fine weather on the return date to come to us with the return half of their railway ticket in their hands and pay to go back by motor coach."
" How did visitors to Blackpool get to know they could book a seat back to their home town at your station? " 'This was done by taking a page advertisement in a weekly journal which is delivered free to all boarding houses in the town.
'Drivers of all vehicles, on arriving at the station, were asked to declare the time of departure, and were parked accordingly. The departure times of all vehicles were recorded, and, should a passenger forget . the return arrangements, an inquiry at the station office soon puts him right. As a matter of fact, any passenger arriving can be told by a reference to his ticket what time the coach is due to depart. An indicator of coach departures is to be installed for the coming season. Strict time-table arrangements have been observed, and departures during the past season were announced by a platform attendant."
" What are your conclusions after the first season's working!" " Our experience of the first season's working shows that if motor coaching is successfully to compete with railway travelling it is essential that motor coach stations must become more popular, as the public will demand that at the end of their journey it is not sufficient to be dumped down in any out-of-the-way corner, with no proper conveniences. " Then, again, the ability to obtain refreshment on the spot is greatly appreciated, and it can readily be understood that a person visiting a seaside town on a one-day trip does not wish to have to spend a good proportion of his time hunting round the town for a conveliient place to get refreshme,nt. In some small details our first intentions will be altered, but our original object of service to the coach proprietors and convenience to the passengers will still obtain."
As has been indicated at the commencement of this article, alterations are
to be carried out at the .Blackpool coach station during the close season, and these are shown in the plane which we reproduce. The present seating accommodation of the station ;café is sufficient for 200 persons. This accommodation is being more than doubled, and it. is expected will be ready by next Easter in time for the opening of the 1922 season.
Petrol Buses Supersede Trolley-buses.
TN OUR last. week's issue we referred 1 to the loss sustained by the Keighley Corporation on its trolley-bus service, and to the fact, that on one of the most difficult routes it had been decided to substitute petrol buses, following the successful employment of Churchill coaches over this route. We now learn that Leyland saloon buses have been adopted by the corporation to supersede trolley-buses on the Oakwerth route, where these vehicles have not proved satisfactory on the severe gradients which are encountered.
Three. buses have been secured, one to be kept in reserve, while the other two keep up a 20 min. service on a route just over two miles in length, which rises in places with a gradient of 1 in 8 until the road is 530 ft. above the starting point. The rise is not a gradual one, however, for there is a considerable fall at one point on the outward journey.
The buses are of 50 h.p., and are se designed that when traffic is heavy the rear entrance is used; but when the passengers are not numerous the front, entrance is used, in which event the driver takes the fares. There is accommodation for 32 passengers, the seats in the front portion of the bus being in twos, at each side of the central gangway. At the rear there is a compartment for smokers, the seats in this case being round the sides.
The driver has a separate compartment, approached by the door at the forward end of the bus, but it is possible to gain access from the front door to the central compartment by -lifting a hinged seat on the driver's left. Ample ventilation is provided by ventilators in the roof, and there is electric lighting throughout. The comfortable riding in these buses has been commented upon,
and during the short time they have been in service they have carried an increased number of passengers solely on account of the quicker and more regular service provided and the increased comfort.
The Steep Hills of Great . Britain.
THE Automobile Association has compiled a list of the principal steep hills in Great Britain, which should be of considerable use to motor coach drivers as well, as to other users of the highway. The average and maximum gradients, oature and length of the lulls, etc., are given, as well as their situation.
It is interesting to note that Cairnwell. Hilt (near Glensbee, and miles from BIairgowrie) is on the highest road in Great Britain. The length of the bill is 3,678 ft., and the average gradient is 1 in 8.9. The famous Countisbury Hill -(near Lynmouth, North Devon) is one of the steepest hills in England, with a_ gradient of 1 in 5. The even betterknown Porlock Hill (North Devon) has a length of three miles. The first 1,000 yds. has a gradient of 1 in 6, and other parts are 1 in 8. The total rise is 1,365 ft.
Birdlip Hill (Gloucestershire) has a length of two miles ; average gradient 1 in 8; steepest gradient 1 in 7. Magnificent views of the Severn Valley are obtainable from tbe summit of Birdlip Satirising Hill (on the Strafford-Banbnry Road) has is total length of 1,000 yds. The gradients are :—First 200 yds. 1 in 10; a decrease to 1 in 20; sudden increase at angle to I in 9; remainder from 1 in 8 to 1 in 61. There are two dangerous right-angled turns on this hill. Sanrising commands extensive views. The rich Hill, at Broadway, has a gradient of 1 in 11.
The list contains particular of close upon 200 steep hills.
Rural Areas and Coach Traffic.
AT a meeting of the Rural District Councils Association attentiorawas drawn to the undoubted lack in rural dietriets of proper and sufficient sanitary accommodation for persons travelling by motor chars-a-bancs.
The powers of Section 44 of the Public Health Acts Amendment Act, 1907 (which may be put in force in a rural district" by order of the Minister of Health), should not be overlooked. The section will enable a local. authotity to require the owner of any inn, publichouse, beef-house, eating-house or place of poblic entertainment to provide and maintain therefin one or more proper and aufficient urinals in a suitable position. The owner may appeal to quarter sessions against any requirement of the local authority under Section 7 of the Act.
The association came to the conclusion that the matter was one calling for action by individual local authorities.
An Enterprising City,
TN these days, when applications are being made for closing roads to char-i-banes traffic, it is refreshing to hear of ar city council which is welcoming vehicles of this type, and inviting them to visit the city. The general secretary of the C.M.U.A. has been informed by the town clerk of the city of Ripon that his council is desirous of attracting motor traffic to the neighbourhood of Ripon, and that it is proposed to inaugurate an information ;bureau in order that persons desirous of visiting the district may be afforded information as to the character -of the roads, objects of interest, hotels, restaurants, etc. At the-suggestion of the town clerk, the general secretary has supplied him with the names of the Association's divisional secretaries in the north of England in order that he may he able to complete his list of chaa-t-bancs proprietors in that part, of the country.