New look in Year Book
Page 21
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• Keeping up with developments in the road passenger transport industry is very difficult for publishers of standard reference books. For example, the 1969 edition of The Little Red Book contained no reference to the proposed Passenger Transport Authorities although it did, admittedly, group the National Bus Company subsidiaries together.
However, the 1969 edition of the above publication's "big brother", the Passenger Transport Year Rook, does make an attempt to be as up-to-date as possible. This volume, which should be on the desk of every executive connected with the industry, contains an introduction entitled "New look in road passenger transport" which outlines the aims of the 1968 Transport Act, and is illustrated with a map showing the grouping of the NBC companies.
In addition, the New Bus Grants scheme is described, with drawings and dimensions of the new Ministry bus standards. The introduction is completed with maps of the first four PTAs, and while it is too soon to list actual members by name, the representation of the local councils on the Authorities is listed.
The usual contents of the Year Book are included, with a Trade Directory of vehicle chassis, bodywork and component manufacturers (with BLMC truck and bus division manufacturers listed together), followed by the municipal bus operators, NBC operators, and independent operators, the latter listed county by county. Trade and professional organizations are also listed,
together with a section on the Ministry of Transport, and some Commonwealth and European bus operators are also listed.
The publisher of the Year Book is The Modern Transport Publishing Co., Ltd., Terminal House, Shepperton, Middlesex, and the volume costs £3 10s. F.K.M.
Improving driving standards
• A scheme to improve the driving standards of p.s.v. drivers—claimed to be the first of its kind in the country–may be introduced in South Humberside, Grimsby and Cleethorpes Transport is expected to be the backbone of a group driver-training programme involving large and small bus and coach operators over a wide area, including Scunthorpe.
Meanwhile in Sheffield, heavy lorry drivers could be involved shortly in a driver-training scheme being studied by haulage firms and the local Road Haulage Association. This is of added significance now that Government legislation, to be introduced in February, will put stricter controls on heavy lorry driving. Mr Brian Elliott of the RHA said they would be studying a group driver-training scheme in Bradford which involves 10 firms and some 600 drivers.
There is a larger scheme at Huff where 12 firms and 700 employees are involved. Many hauliers believe that proper training of drivers can have the effect of lengthening the life of vehicles.