Factors Which May Influence Motor Coach Prosperity in 1929.
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AATInTsuN is generally regarded as the period of the year when the curtain is raised on the season's motor-coaching activities. That being so, the 1929 programmes of coach owners in all parts of the country will, within the next few days, be set in motion, gradually expanding to a crescendo point in the midholiday season and then tailing off as the winter months approach.
The evolution of the motor coach, from the open type familiar in the early days of the travel-by-road movement to the all-enclosed saloon which is so popular to-day; has clone much to override the seasons, and winter travel by road has received a marked fillip as a result of the more general use of vehicles having fixed or all-weather heads.
Obviously, however, the summer months are those from which most operators expect the best financial results. It would, therefore, seem particularly appropriate that at the opening of the present season we should review the coaching situation and lay stress upon those factors which must receive the utmost attention if the movement is to continue further to prosper.
At the moment the recent regrettable disaster in the neighbourhood of Reading is fresh in the minds of the public and coach owner alike, but such an occurrence, which is, happily, an extreme rarity, should not be used as a means for distorting or underrating the mechanical soundness of the modern passenger-carrying vehicle. Let it rather serve the purpose of directing attention to features that can be improved, as well as of emphasizing the need for the strictest supervision of all vehicles used for passenger carrying. Then the lesson to he learnt from the accident will not be lost.
Much has been accomplished during recent years in the design, construction and equipment of coaches and buses to ensure comfortable travel, and with the advent of low-loading chassis having flexible engines, servo-assisted four-wheel brakes; improved suspension and larger-section pneumatic tyres it can certainly be said that the passenger vehicle of to-day possesses features making for reliable and economical running. Has sufficient thought been given, however, to the factor of safety, not only as it affects other users of the road but as it concerns the traveller in the individual vehicle? That is the important question upon which greater attention must be focused. It is with the idea of offering some incentive in this direction that we have instituted a prize scheme through which it is hoped to bring to light valuable suggestions for promoting safety, and already ideas have been put forward which show decided promise and are worthy of mature consideration. Conditions of operation in the passenger-transport industry are continually hi a state of flux, and it is impossible to accept as final any form of design, however advanced it may appear to be. The requirements of to-day are not necessarily the needs of to-morrow.
Taking the motor-coaching industry as a whole, there certainly appears to be a better feeling prevailing amongst operators. The thorny problem of rates still gives rise in some quarters to difficulties, but the average owner is now much less likely to indulge In the suicidal policy of rate-cutting. Our Tables of Operating Costs have taught many of these men that there is a big difference between running costs and operating costs, and that in failing to take account of such items as depreciation they merely saddle themselves with a big financial liability which should be spread over a period. The public as a whole is still as keenly alive to the pleasures and privileges that the motor coach affords and, dismissing fare charges from consideration, it will continue to patronize the travel-by-road movement so long as it feels that the type of vehicle in general use offers a degree of safety and comfort which is comparable with that provided by competitive forms of transport.
If the points we have outlined receive their meed of attention the year 1929 should mark a definite milestone in the history and development of the motor-coaching industry.
The Public and the Taxi Driver.
THERE is every sign of what may be termed a rejuvenation of the taxicab trade in this country, and particularly in the Metropolis. The number of ancient and decrepit vehicles is steadily being reduced and new cabs, greatly improved in comfort, speed and braking power, are being brought into service in their stead. It is apparent from remarks which have been made recently that the taxicab owners feel that they have not been treated quite fairly by the general Press, but there is never smoke without fire, and it cannot be gainsaid that the public has had some reason to complain about the facilities provided, and, unfortunately, in many cases, as regards the civility of the drivers.
We know quite well that the situation has been a difficult one for the owners, and hitherto the cost of ww vehicles has been somewhat high, the trouble in this respect being greatly due to the fact that the taxicab chassis is a speciali7ed one for which there is not a large demand, and any vehicle nowadays which cannot be put on to what really amounts to a mass-production basis must necessarily cost more to build.
Many cabs are run by owner-drivers and it is usually noted that these men are not only more careful with their vehicles but adopt a much nicer manner when dealing with their clients. It must not be thought that we condemn the behaviour of the journeyman driver as such ; it may be that we personally have encountered some of the few black sheep of the fold. The trouble, so far as the cab owners are concerned, is that once a vehicle leaves their premises they have practically no control over it or over the driver, and suitable qualified men are not too easy to obtain, as each man has to pass stringent police tests on the knowledge of London, apart from showing his ability to control the vehicle.
It is often the case that a man takes on something of the character of his vehicle, and with an influx of smart, efficient cabs it may be that the general conduct of drivers, both as regards personal and road courtesies, will improve and as a result their status in public opinion. There is no doubt that these alterations would have a beneficial effect from the financial aspect, both in the number of fares • obtained and in the gratuities received. We have done a considerable amount in the past in the endeavour to alleviate the lot of the taxicab driver and we hope that before long the authorities will respond to our urgent plea for a more satisfactory measure of protection than that afforded by the half upper windscreen now permitted.