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Yorks Towns Well• Served by "Outsiders"

15th June 1956, Page 42
15th June 1956
Page 42
Page 43
Page 44
Page 42, 15th June 1956 — Yorks Towns Well• Served by "Outsiders"
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

U.A.S. and West Yorkshire Serve Scarborough and York Joint Company at Keighley

On May 25, in the first of three articles on local with who hare placed the management of their bus interests in the hands of company operators, the author described the arrangement that Worcester Corporation have with the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd.. Scarborough, Reighley and York Corporations, and United Automobile Services, Ltd., and West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd., are discussed this week.

ASMALL company-owned tramway system of 41-route miles was opened in Scarborough in 1904 and gave good service to the town for many rears. It is doubtful if the motorbuses of the early days could have coped with the severe gradients which characterize the borough to the extent of working to a regular time-table. The old-established firm of Robinson's , Motors. Ltd., dating from the horse era, did carry out experiments and. after the first World War, expanded considerably.

United Automobile Services,. Ltd., n8 opened a branch in the town in 1923, and in 1926 bought some stage services which Robinsons had started. The tram routes were nowhere more than mile from the station in the town centre, and even then there were big gaps between the routes.

The borough, now populated by 44,130, stretches westwards and southwards about two miles, and buses running in from districts along the Pickering. Seamer and Filey roads, and traversing the tram routes to do so, made such inroads into the tramway revenue that by about 1930 it became evident that they could not continue indefinitely. Yet their services were of importance during the summer season, and Scarborough Corporation were anxious not to lose the facilities which they provided.

The corporation decided, therefore, to buy the system and to substitute either motorbuses or trolleybuses. U.A.S. offered to take on the management, and the corporation felt that this would be better than setting up a transport department. The last tram ran on

August 31, 1931, and U.A.S. buses replaced thein next day. The corporation paid £20,000 (plus £200 stamp duty) for the trams and, having removed the overhead wires and reinstated the carriageway, its liability was at an end.

The major point in the agreement with the company is the complete segregation of town and country serviCes. Passengers on the latter may not be both picked up and set down in the borough, and no part of the revenue from these routes is credited to the corporation.

Recently, the opening of a new estate at Eastfield produced a problem as, although the estate is in the borough, the buses serving it necessarily go outside the boundary before doubling back to Eastfield. The matter was referred to arbitration, and the award put the service on the country list.

The original agreement contains clauses which are no longer applicable, viz.: those dealing with conditions when working expenses are under 10d. per mile. The arrangement effective at present provides for the following steps

to be taken in allocating the revenue from the town services: (i) the company take 9d. per car-mile; (ii) the corporation take Id. per mile; (iii) the company take the difference between their actual working expenses and the 9d. already taken; (iv) the company take 2d. per mile; (v) anything left is divided equally between the two parties.

In this agreement, the term " working expenses" means the actual direct running costs of the vehicles, plus an agreed proportion of the company's overheads, plus 20 per cent, for depreciation. In effect, the agreement means that at present the company receive their working expenses, plus at least 4d. a car-mile, whilst the corporation are certain of at least Id. per mile. In practice, the municipality have done much better than this. The loan raised by the council to buy the trams was extinguished in 1948.

The development of the services is illustrated by the fact that in 1932. 68.8m. passengers were carried and 25.8m. miles were run; last year, the number of passengers was 201.5m. and the mileage 46.6m.

The fleet allocated to the Scarborough town services numbers 39, of which 23 are single-deckers, including some with underfloor engines. The remaining 16 include a number of Lodekkas. In the summer months, it is normal to draft seven double-deckers in to assist with the holiday crowds.

Joint Company Serve Keighley Routes

V EIGHLEY, with a present-day 1Ns population of 55,860, has had a varied experience of passenger transport. The small horse-tramway system was electrified in 1904 and, as early as 1909, some of the suburbs were served by motorbusesSome of the motorbus routes were abandoned at an early date, and the others converted to tralleybus working. but these were unsuccessful

and, after the first world war, they were withdrawn and motorbuses reintroduced.

In 1924, the 32 miles of tramway were converted to a more efficient system of trolleybus operation. About the same time there was a considerable expansion of motorbus working, several routes being introduced well outside the borough boundary, but the municipal undertaking was subjected to severe competition from private concerns, and this became intensified when the principal of these, Premier Transport Co., was bought by the West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd., in 1926, The trams ..:.cvcr paid, nor did the first trackless experiment, whilst over the years the second lot fared little better. Profits on the motorbuses were more than absorbed by the losses on electric traction. In the five years ending March, 1933, the trolleybuses lost a total of £18,765, against the motorbus profit of £11,822,

in these circumstances, it is not surprising that favourable consideration was given to the suggestion of combining with the West Yorkshire company in forming a joint undertaking. The corporation agreed to abandon the trolleybuses (which it did on August 31, 1932), and to transfer on October I, 1932, the replacing buses, the depot and all the equipment of the undertaking to a new company, Keighley-West Yorkshire Services, Ltd.

West Yorkshire agreed at the same time to transfer to the new company all their services within about eight miles of the town centre, except towards Bradford, the boundary line passing roughly through Skipton, Ilkley, Bingley, Denholme, Oxenhope and Colne. The assets of each party were valued, and art adjustment made to obtain parity of value. The original agreement was for 15 years; it has been renewed for another 15.

Management of the joint undertaking is delegated to West Yorkshire, and the chairman is a nominee of the company. There are six other directors, three from each party.

West yorkshire

Two views of Bristol buses operated by United Automobile Services, Ltd:, near the railway station in Westborough Street, Scarborough. The town services are normally operated by 23 singledeckers and 16 double-deckers, including a number. of Lodekka design, but this number is augmented to deal with

holiday crowds. agreed to credit to tho joint company a portion of the receipts from services passing outside the joint undertaking's boundary. A consolidated sum is now paid annually, based on periodical censuses. The corporation arc entitled to half the profits of the joint undertaking after depreciation has been deducted, and 5 per cent, of the profits has been paid to the company for management.

Originally, depreciation was calculated on a vehicle life of five years, machinery, 10 years and buildings 40 years, but in the light of experience the period of vehicle fife has been extended

to 10 years. The changed situation brought about by the agreement is reflected in the financial results. At the date of the transfer, the corporation undertaking had a debt of £10.574; this has been paid off.

The minimum profit received by the corporation has been about /6.000, and over the 24 years they have received about £200,000 net after paying income tax. In the year ending September, 1955, they received £7,079 after the joint undertaking had set aside £12_242 a9 for depreciation, had paid loan interests of £5,010 and £14,625 in taxation and had put £10,000 to reserve.

Caine has been mentioned as one of the boundary points. This comes about through the institution, in 1927, of a joint service between CoInc and Keighley by Caine Corporation and Messrs. E. Laycock and Sons. The service is now run by the successors of these concerns, the Burnley, CoInc and Nelson Joint Committee and Keighley —West Yorkshire Services.

On this route, mileage is balanced as nearly as possible by schedule adjustment, and receipts are shared in proportion to the mileage run. Keighley —West Yorkshire are also interested in the rather infrequent service between Keighley and Hebden Bridge, which is mainly worked by the Todmorden Joint Omnibus Committee. Both parties keep their own receipts on this service, except for an arrangement for dividing the receipts from scholars' contracts.

Most of the joint undertaking's routes terminate in the centre of Keighley, but there are also adequate cross-town services, north to south and east to west. The set-up is very convenient both for local passengers and for those changing to and from longdistance buses, as all services work into the central bus station or the adjoining North Street or Cavendish Street.

The handsome central station has been built by the joint undertaking, who also own both the present garage and the former tram depot, the latter being now let out. The undertaking's fleet numbers 54, of which 11 are single-deckers, In 1932, there were 56 vehicles, only 13 of which were double-deckers, the others being singledeckers with from 20 to 31 seats. A traffic superintendent and depot engineer are in charge locally.

The agreement between Keighley and West Yorkshire has been consistently satisfactory to the municipality, and has provided local travellers with an integrated and efficient service in a way that would not otherwise have been possible. This has resulted in the volume of traffic almost doubling itself.

Against urn, passengers carried in the first year of the joint undertaking, 21m. were carried in 1955.

York Also Served By West Yorkshire

FOR some years after York Corporalion took over, electrified and extended the local trams they were financially successful, but after the first world war the undertaking began to lose ground. In two of the early years the trams relieved the rates, but they did not do so after 1914.

In addition to the statutory liability for road maintenance, they contributed over £26,000 towards the cost of street improvements in their hey-day. When the City Council were presented with

the accounts for the year ending March 31, 1933, an alarming situation was revealed. "

The undertaking was then running 45 trams, three trolleybuses and 21 motorbuses. The deficit on the year's working was £6,571, and this was the fifth successive year that a loss had been sustained. In 1931-2, £4,420 had been raised through the rates to enable the undertaking to meet its obligations, including debt charges, and in 1932-3 the demand was for £11,624 from the rates. The outstanding capital debt was £165.500. and it was obviou.s that the undertaking had little hope of reducing this without further recourse to the ratepayers. whilst, at the same time, no renewals fund was being built up.

The tram track was nearly worn out and the cars obsolete. Moreover, the attempt to cater for an expanding population with three forms of transport was unsatisfactory. The corporation were faced with three choices: (i) to modernize the trains and to re-lay and extend the track; (ii) to convert the tramway system to trollcybus running and to introduce extensions; (iii) to serve the whole city exclusively by motorbuses. The adoption of any of these plans would have involved a capital outlay running into six figures.

The West Yorkshire Road Car Co. were already running into the city, and talks on co-ordination had begun in March. 1932. In the light of the serious financial situation, the corporation decided to take advantage of Section 105 of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, to enter into a partnership agreement with the company. A joint committee was set up, consisting of three representatives of each undertaking, the chairman being nominated by each side alternately for three sears. The town

clerk and city treasurer were to officiate also for the joint committee, but management was vested in the company. To the assets of the joint committee, the corporation contributed all their passenger vehicles and such buildings as were necessary for the conduct of the business, while West Yorkshire contributed 30 buses, a new garage and £39,486 in cash, so that each side had an equal share.

The agreement was for 22 years from April 1, 1934, in the first instance, and thereafter until terminated by either side on two years' notice. Generally speaking, the agreement covers all the passengers picked up and set down within a radius of about six miles, although certain old-established West Yorkshire routes are excluded and, on these, fare protection is given to the joint undertaking.

The joint committee conduct their affairs as an ordinary commercial undertaking and, in this respect, have a distinct advantage over a municipal department insofar as a depreciation fund has been established which i systematically built up before the net revenue is ascertained.

Net profit after taxation is divided in equal proportions between the two parties, and any additional capital required is also raised in eqtial amounts.

Out of their share of the profits, the corporation have had, of course, to pay off the capital debt at the time of the merger and also some additional capital which has had to be raised since. Nevertheless, the outstanding debt has been reduced to £15,609 and yet, for nine years running, there has been a net surplus accruing to the corporation after servicing the debt.

On the traffic side, both parties have gained tremendously by being able to lend or borrow vehicles to or from the West Yorkshire company_ The last tram ran on November 16, 1935, and from then it was possible to integrate the former tram routes to provide a properly organized service throughout the area. The joint committee's fleet is only 65 vehicles as compared with 69 taken over from the corporation and 30 from the company, yet in the year ending March 31, 1955, it carried 31f million passengers as compared with 121 million in its first year of operation. The population of the city is 106,800.


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