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PASSENGER TRANSPORT
HALIFAX AND WORKMEN'S FARES
I AST week Halifax Town Councii confirmed the refusal of its passenger transport committee of requests, made by two organizations in the town, for an extension of workmen's fare concessions on the corporation's bus services from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. In moving an unsuccessful amendment to refer the matter back to the transport committee, Mr. N. E. Barber said that that section of the community which rode up. to 9 a.m, was equally deserving of consideration as passengers who rode before 8 aim. Some of these people, he declared, had to walk to work because of the Cost of transport. Seconding the amendment, Mr. H. Garside said that the passenger transport committee had no right to differentiate as between the workers. Alderman A. W. Longbottom suggested that, if the committee could not grant the concession asked for, it should consider the weekly ticket System, as was operated in Bradford, Alderman A. H. Gledhill, chairman of the committee, said that the question of workmen's fares was a national and a serious one, The ,committee wished to give every concession, but during the ensuing financial year it had heavy commitments amounting to £62,771, which was more than the net profit for the past year.
BUSES AND RATE RELIEF— OPPOSITION IN BOLTON. COMMENUNG at a meeting of 'L.-Bolton Town Council, last week, on a grant of £20,000 from the profits of the transport undertaking to rate relief, Councillor Cheadle said that Labour members were opposed to ta-king money from the users of buses to pass on as relief to ratepayers. This year £30,000 was being -taken from the electricity and transport departments. He was fearful of what the effect might be on the rates next year. Alderman Bradley, chairman of the transport committee, said that the department did not expect a big profit next year, but it could afford to make previous grants. The department had bought a number of buses, and it was incurring heavy interest and sinking fund charges. At the end of five years these charges would disappear, but the buses would continue to run. Then the profit would go up again. He had never been in favour of increasing fares for the relief of rates, Bolton's bus fares, it was said, were practically the lowest in the country.
WHITBY'S NEW BUS 'STATION OPENED.
jy/EITEY'S new bus station, which W comprises a loading and unloading platform 170 ft. long, ticket offices, waiting room and an inquiry and left luggage offices, was opened on Thursday of last week by Major R. S. Eastwood, chairman of the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners. The cost of the station was £6,000.
WITHOUT DR WING LICENCE FOR FOUR YEARS.
WHEN a bur driver appeared at W Lincoln Police Court last week, it was stated that he had driven a corporation bus since 1935, without being in possession of a driving licence. It transpired that the driver had been .paid 5s. each year for the purpose by the corporation, but that he had failed to obtain the licence. This was revealed following an accident in which the driver's bus was involved. For driving without a licence he was fined 5s. and for misappropriating 15s, he was placed on probation for 12 months, and ordered to refund the money.
MANCHESTER ORDERS TOTAL £644,000
BY 61 votes to 47 Manchester City Council last week carried an amendment to a recommendation of the transport committee whereby orders for 125 bus chassis were to be divided between two manufacturers. The amendment moved that the orders should be distributed amongst three companies—Crossley Motors, Ltd., to supply 84 chassis, Leyland Motors, Ltd,, 83, and the Daimler Co.. Ltd., 83. The total value of the orders is stated to be £044,000. Sir Miles Mitchell said that if the corporation standardized its buses on one or two types, it did more -than standardize—it stereotyped, and there -would be no progress. "No one can say," he said, ''who has to experience travelling on our buses that they are as good as those in other cities. There are few places where I am so treated as a human shuttlecock as I am. in Manchester. When we are extending out buses all over the city, when we are scrapping trams which • were safe and comfortable, it is wrong to say that we will give orders for buses only to two concerns."
TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT HELPS RATES IN HASLINGDEN.
IT was stated at a meeting of Haslingden Town Council last week that the bus department had contributed £1,500 towards the relief of the rates.
CORPORATION BUSES TO MORECAMBE AND HEYSHAM.
rOINCIDING with the opening of the city's new bus station, Lancaster Corporation buses ran, for the first time last week, to the neighbouring borough of Morecambe and Heysham. ANOTHER JOINT DEATH OF MR. J. L. GUNN.
TRANSPORT BOARD?
QPEAKING at Blackburn last week,
Councillor G. B. Eddie said that experts who had investigated the matter of forming a Joint Transport Board for Blackburn, Accrington and Darwen, on lines similar to the one so successfully run by Burnley, Nelson and CoInc, have reported in favour of the recommendation.
If carried through, each corporation would, presumably, be allotted shares in the undertaking in proportion to the size of their respective transport systems and there would be inter-running of buses between the three towns.
Trams have already been abandoned in Accrington, and Darwen Corporation has given notice of its intention to cease running trams between Blackburn boundary and the Circus.
OPPOSITION TO SOUTH SHIELDS APPLICATION.
rrHE transport manager of South 1 Shields Corporation has had an interview with the Northern General Transport Co., Ltd., to discuss the council's proposal to extend its bus service from Simonside to the Market. The company requested certain concessions jilt was to withdraw its opposition to the application. The committee decided that the proposed terms be rejected and that the application to extend the service be submitted to the Northern Area Traffic Commissioners.
NEW SERVICE OFFERED TO BLACKBURN.
THE chairman of Blackburn Trans 1 port Committee has been authorized to reporton an offer, made by Messrs. Farnworth's Motor Services, to sell to the corporation their BlackburnHod dlesden bus service.
BOURNEMOUTH'S
SUNBEAM-B.T.H, TROLLEYBUSES. I N our annual Analysis of Municipal
Bus Fleets, which appeared in our recent Special Municipal Number, an error occurred in the data given in respect of Bournemouth Corporation. Actually, the 103 trolleybuses in the service of this municipality are of Sunbeam-B.T.H. manufacture, and not as stated in our compilation.
BOLTON'S RECEIPTS UP BUT SURPLUS SMALLER.
THE chairman of Blackpool Corporation Finance Committee, Alderman J. Potter, J.P., sounded a note of warning when he presented the borough's biggest budget last week.
He said that the transport undertaking surplus of £30,000 was nearly £20,000 less than for the previous year. Traffic receipts from trams and buses 'rose from £512,000 to £521,000, or
2 per cent., but this was offset by increases in running charges, 1344 WMr. J. L. Gunn, M.Inst.T., trans
E regret to announce the death of port manager of Nottingham Corporation Passenger Transport Department. Previous to going to Nottingham Mr. Gunn was manager of Aberdeen Transport Department. He introduced double-deck buses into Aberdeen and experimented with oil-engined machines.
ALEXANDER'S ACQUIRE NEW BUSINESS
THE bus business of Mr. W. Hamilton, Bridge Street, St. Andrews, has been acquired by W. Alexander and Sons. Ltd., of Falkirk. .Mr. Hamilton is to continue the motor garage and blacksmith departments.
A site for a bus garage has been purchased by Bolton Corporation in Manchester Road.