Two-way stretch at Lowestoft
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I Lowestoft Corporation's new transport )(lard, faced with the task of finding E10,000 to break even this year, was ;eemingly left stranded this week when :aught in crossfire between busmen who .efused to operate new schedules and the ".:orporation's finance committee who efused further aid from the rates.
The board. created three months ago to peed and improve the handling of the bus ndertaking consists of seven councillors .nd three oficers each with a voting right. t was seen as a much-streamlined mnagement unit and commended as a attern which other towns might well care ) adopt.
Trouble started in Lowestoft last week then the busmen refused to operate the new :hedules. designed to save about £4500, on the grounds that. the 40-hour week also to be introduced would cost them an average of £3 a week in lost overtime. They claimed that the national joint industrial agreement for a 40-hour week was not a valid proposition in a small undertaking.
Now the town's finance committee. which has overall control of' the transport board. says "better operational viability" must be shown and there can be no further rate aid. Further. the committee has said that it is to investigate the viability of the bus undertaking. In the light of this the transport board has deferred its decision on the operation of the new schedules along with a proposal to increase fares by lp.
In Lowestoft on Monday a spokesman said that the options open to them were now extremely limited. lithe money to be saved from the operation of new schedules was not forthcoming and no further subsidy was available from the rate fund (the corporation already contributes £14,000 towards cheap fares for the elderly), then the only option seemed to be a fares increase which would have to be agreed to by the finance committee and the full council. —The council will simply have to make up its mind whether Lowestoft buses are to be a social amenity or a commercial undertaking; they cannot be both."
Profitability of the Corporation undertaking has see-sawed in recent years from a £14,000 loss in 1970 to a £600 profit last year. The new Board, it was hoped. would be able to stabilize the situation in the face of rising costs.