EDINBURGH'S SERIN'
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RIALS IN DETAIL By Derek Moses
What passengers think of new bus types
I AST week we made a passing -1–+ reference to service trials by Edinburgh Corporation Transport of three demonstrator double-deck buses to test the suitability of these types compared with the standard bus at present employed in that city. Many similar trials have been conducted by other undertakings, but not always have the public and bus crews alike been invited to comment on the comfort, convenience and performance of the buses to such an extent as in the case of Edinburgh, and rarely has the response to this request been so successful. .1-1 A FULL report was prepared by the
transport department and circulated amongst members of the city council, with copies to the manufacturers of the demonstration buses, and the report makes a very interesting and fruitful study. Thanks to the co-operation of the transport department we are able to publish here a full and unexpurgated analysis of the results.
Four buses were involved in the test— the three demonstrators and one of the latest batch of Edinburgh Corporation PD3s as a control vehicle. The demonstrators were numbered Experimental Bus 1, 2 and 3, and were a Daimler Fleetline with Gardner 6LX engine and Alexander 7 8 -seat body, a Leyland Atlantean PDR1/ 1 with 74-seat Park Royal body and an AEC Renown with synchromesh gearbox
and 71-seat Park Royal body, respectively. The control bus was a Leyland PD3 with forward-entrance 70-seat Alexander body. All four buses were fitted with Michelin " X" tyres. Both the Fleetline and the Renown were buses which had seen some years' service as demonstrators (a road test of the Flectline was published in this journal on July 24, 1964, and the Renown on July 10, 1964). However, the Atlantean was a brand new vehicle, which would obviously go in its favour to a certain extent, although it must be said that due to the extensive use of plastics in the other two buses they were still of quite fresh internal appearance. The Atlantean was painted in cream and dark blue, the body design being of " Sheffield" style; the Renown was painted pale blue and cream and the Fleetline, whilst basically of standard Glasgow layout inside, was in a livery not unlike Edinburgh's own, though employing a lighter shade of red as experimented with by the undertaking in recent years.
Trials on Three Routes Three routes were chosen for the tests, which were conducted from Monday, January 25, to Saturday. February 6, inclusive, but excluding Sundays when the buses were used for training drivers; the appropriate drivers were also given
advance tuition, on the unfamiliar Fleetline and Atlantean. The routes were service 23 (Trinity to Morningside), 7/37 (Newhaven to Kaimes) and 26 (Eastfield to Clermiston), the buses spending four days on ekh route. A group ' of four route numbers (or running numbers) was chosen on . each service to give the highest possible inileage per day, and also to ensure that the vehicles hit the morning and evening peak. A pattern was evolved so that each bus would switch each day to the next route number. .
Service 23 climbs steeply from sea level to the city centre; then, after a short down grade, it climbs again to Morningside. The round trip mileage is 9-94. Service 7/37 is also undulating in character. rising fairly gently from sea level to the city centre, and, after a .relatively level section, climbs again with one incline of one in twelve to its southern terminus. About half a mile from each terminus the route divides to form a circle. The round trip mileage is 14.13. Finally, service 26 also starts at sea level on the eastern side of the city, but travels on level ground for most of the way. It runs along Princes Street and out along the main Glasgow Road almost to the western boundary of the city before veering up steep Clermiston Hill to its terminus in the middle of a busy postwar housing scheme. The round trip mileage is 1992.
A comparative table is reproduced showing the miles .run and, fuel consumption of the four buses on the respective routes, together with the total miles and overall average consumption. In fact.. mileage was lost with all four buses, not one of them giving completely troublefree service. not to mention some shortturning or loss of mileage due to ice and snow and resultant traffic obstruction.
Trouble with Control Bus The control bus was involved in a fairly serious accident on icy roads on the first day and had to be replaced. Both the first and second replacement PD3s. developed speedometer trouble and were in turn replaced so that „four different control buses were employed, and no comparison could be made with the test buses on service 23. The Renown consumed I gallons Of engine oil, equal to 1,250 m.p.g.
Each passenger travelling on the test buses was handed a form asking for his or her comments on nine specific points of the bus, and for general comments. Inspectors travelled on the buses all the time, to help passengers with the forms, and also to record verbal comments, not to mention their own. A total of 1,500 passengers completed the forms, the standard of comment being very high indeed, and one or two very good points were made. Probably because the Atlantean lost the least amount of mileage, the total of comments forms received was highest for this vehicle A surprisingly large number of people commented on all three vehicles. Undoubtedly the more marked difference of appearance of the two rear-engined buses impressed passengers, and the Renown, which was of very similar layout to Edinburgh's latest buses (apart from .the single-step entrance) was less favourably received: The nine specific points passengers were asked to comment upon, and a summary of their replies, are tabulated on this page.
Next week I shall deal with some of the general points raised and the very illuminating comments of drivers and conductors.