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Rumania Needs Road Transport
Page 92
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A Market for Vehicles of Up to 3 Tons Capacity and of Low Price
RJMANIA is thirsting for road )transport and there is wide scope for an extension of the present system, particularly in respect of passenger services. Chassis manufacturers must, however, be prepared to give 12-18 months' credit and must offer suitable products at low prices.
The price factor is all-important in Rumania, a market which is at present held largely by America, whilst appearance is another matter that must receive close attention, because operators in that country are more attracted by a smart exterior than they are by sound engineering.
The relationship between Great Britain and Rumania is of a friendly nature and the import duties in the latter country are not high, being, in the case of commercial vehicles, based on weight at the rate of seven leis per kilog. On Recount of the present condition of the roads and bridges, the demand is for light vehicles, the maximum capacity being about three tons, but considerable improvements and extensions are being made to the highways and bridges, so that there may ultimately be a market for the heavier types of commercial motor.
For a radius of some 60 kiloms. from Bucharest, the capital of Rumania, the land is, for the most part, flat, but in the direction of that portion of the country known as Transylvania, the territory rises sharply and is rugged. Rumania has a population of 18,000,000, about 90 per cent, of which is concerned with agriculture. It should be noted by motor manufacturers that the climatic conditions are subject to great variation, in winter the temperature falling to 30 degrees below zero (centigrade) and in summer rising to as much as 50-55 degrees.
c46 Generally speaking, the roads are in a poor state and are extremely dusty, but a Swedish concern has acquired a six-years' concession for the construction of main roads having asphalt surfaces, and a highway from Bucharest to Sinala, a distance of 130 kiloms., is practically completed, likewise sections of road around Cluj, the capital of Transylvania. Bridge improvements and road-straightening and widening schemes are going forward, -so that, in the near future, there should be accommodation for a large increase of traffic.
In Bucharest, there are at present 15 bus services employing some 700 vehicles and 2,000 persons. All the machines are individually owned by small operators and mostly consist of "19seaters, the chassis of which would, in Britain, be used for carrying 14-seater bodywork. Many more than 19 passengers are, however, carried.
Each service is controlled by a committee composed of the operators or their representatives, elected by those persons, with the exception of route No. 1, which serves the main street, Calea Vietorie. The concession for this service belongs to an organization known as the Taxico, which owns about 19 Reit' long-wheelbase buses and some Brockway six-cylinder vehicles, together with a few Chevrolets. In towns, the concessions for the services are granted by the municipalities, and, in respect of No. 1 route in Bucharest, the concession has recently been suspended, whilst most of the other operators are working under a temporary permit subject to 18 months' notice. We understand that, at present, it will, however, be difficult to enforce the suspension of these concessions.
Meanwhile, the Reo buses formerly operated on No. 1 route are engaged on long-distance service, with an hourly headway, from Bucharest to Ploesti (a distance of GO kiloms.), and to Campine (90 kiloms.).
Outside the towns, routes are granted by the Minister of Communications on a four-years' concession on the tender system, with a guarantee of about 10 per cent, of the expected income for a year. The Rumanian Railway Co. reserves the right to take over any road service running parallel with its main lines.
So far as existing road transport is concerned, this is mainly for passengers, but goods are carried on the roofs of the buses. The most important daily goods service is from Bucharest to Galatz (the principal port of the Danube), about 200 kiloms.
At present, Morris-Commercial is the only British make of commercial motor to be found in Rumania, the American makes . including Chevrolet, Ford, Stewart, Reo, Rugby, Diamond and White.
Mr. W. M. Clement Brookes, who has had long experience of the motor trade, is at present paying a visit to thiscountry and will be returning to Rumania within a mouth or so. He went out to that country about three years ago. He is willing to assist any British manufacturer in exporting vehicles to Rumania, and may be communicated with at the Authors Club, 2, Whitehall Court, Loudon, S.W.1.