Aldershot Fare Application Succeeds : Other Grants
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A LTHOUGFI opposed by two county and eight local councils, an " application for higher fares by Aldershot and District Traction Co., Ltd., was granted on Monday by the Metropolitan and South Eastern Traffic Commissioners.
Increases have also been authorized to the Yorkshire Traction Co., Ltd., Lincolnshire Road Car Co., Ltd., Barton Transport, Ltd., and Walsall and Lincoln Transport Departments. ' • "
The Aldershot and District application was occasioned by permanent rises in costs amounting to £42,650 in a full year, Mr. F. -A. Stockdale told the Commissioners.The proposals were designed to yield about £45,000 a year. Referring to the surcharge -arising out of the fuel crisis, Mr. Stockdalc said that if it became reasonable to vary it they would do so.
For Hampshire County Council, Mr. P. J. Hainan submitted that the application should be dismissed. The figures given by the company were unfealishc. he said.
Delay Sought Mr. G. Sandys-Winsch. for Surrey County Council and the local authorities, submitted that the increases should be spread over the whole range of fares and granted, if at all, only after fuel rationing had ended.
In granting increases to Yorkshire Traction, the Yorkshire Traffic Cornmissioners refused their application to raise the price of all contract tickets by 20 per cent. Instead, 5d.-11d. rates are to be raised only by the amount of the ordinary single fare increase, fares of Is. and over being advanced by 10 per cent.
A scale for contracts applying to only a few services is to be withdrawn and a uniform scale for all routes introduced.
The 5d.-11d. ordinary single fares, and ordinary and special returns, are raised by Id. Workers' returns are abolished. Hearing of the application was reported in The Commercial Motor on February 1.
Lincolnshire Fares Up
The Lincolnshire Road Car Co. are to introduce the higher fares on Sunday. At the hearing of the application before the East Midland Traffic Commissioners, it was stated that the company's costs for the current financial year had risen by an estimated £49,500.
The chairman of the East Midland Commissioners, Mr. A. G. Curtis, said they thought the Barton Transport increases were "very modest" and they had no hesitation in granting them. The main proposals were increases of 4d.-1-1d. on ordinary and workers' single fares, Id.-2d. on ordinary returns, 2d.-341.on workers' returns, and the abolition of workers' returns up to 9d.. inclusive. Loughborough Corporation opposed the withdrawal of workers' returns.
Mr. F. Bloomfield, secretary of the company, said that 58 per cent. of their services were run at a loss. In an
attempt to cutcosts,. the company had introduced one-man operated &uses on 12 routes, and it was intended to place more in .service.
The Walsall application. (The Commercial Motor, February 1) was granted by way of a dispensation. The case. would probably be reviewed at the end of the fuel-rationing period, Mr. W. P. James, chairman of the West Midland Traffic Commissioners, said on Monday.
Many workers' returns will be withdrawn when the increases take effect on February 25. The higher rates are expected to yield an extra £52,600.
Higher fares came into operation on Monday on all routes operated by Lincoln Transport Department. The increases, which were authorized by the East Midland Commissioners last week, are expected to yield an extra £26,000. In spite of the new rates, the under-. taking faces an estimated accumulated deficit of £40,000 at the end of March.
Four Companies Apply Decision was reserved last week on applications for higher fares by four bus companies. At a joint sitting of the YorkShire and East Midland Traffic Commissioners at Chesterfield, the Trent Motor Traction Co., Ltd., East Midland Motor Services, Ltd., Midland General Omnibus Co., Ltd., and Mansfield District Traction Co. sought permission to raise single fares by between 4d. and ahd return fares by Id. or 2d.
United Automobile Services, Ltd., have submitted to the Yorkshire Commissioners a fare system based on mileage FARES ONLY 60 PER CENT. UP
EVEN with the "Suez surcharge," the I—, company's fares in the lower ranges had not been raised by more than an average of 60 per cent. since before the war. The increase was much less in the higher ranges.
This was stated by Mr. R. J. Ellery, chairman of Trent Motor Traction Co., Ltd., when he presented long-service awards to employees. Twenty-five years ago, he said, buses were running at a cost of 8i-d. a mile. The cost today was nearly 2s. 2d. a mile.
£83,000 LOSS EXPECTED
AN estimated loss of £83,000 in the current year is expected by Nottingham Transport Department. This was stated at the last meeting of the city council by Mr: S. Hill, chairman of the transport comThittee.