THE LATEST NEWS OF IMPORTANT EVENTS
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STEADY PROGRESS WITH NATIONAL PUBLICITY DRIVE.
THE organization of the National Road Passenger Transport Week, to be held from May 6-19 next, is being rapidly pushed forward by the Motor Hirers and Coach Services Association. A known operator or association in every county in England, Scotland and Wales is being asked to undertake the organization of the project in a particular area. The county organizers would set up main and district committees, so that every detail could be dealt with.
YORKSHIRE MERGER PROPOSAL.
ON Monday, Messrs. Stephenson and Fotherby, of Skipton, applied to the Yorkshiie Commissioners for permission to take over a Skipton-Bolton Abbey service run by Messrs Laycock's, of Skipton. Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., submitted that the service could not pay. The Commissioners reserved their decision.
MR. PICK ADDRESSES AUTHORS.
AN address on London passengertransport problems was given by Mr. Frank Pick, vice-chairman of the London Passenger Transport Board, to members of the Authors Club, cll. Monday. Mr. Pick mentioned that buses in the central area last year carried 1,910,000,000 passengers, the country buses carried 121,000,000 persons and the coaches 22,000,000.
CRUSHING THE SMALL MAN.
AT the third annual dinner of the :North Western Area United Bus Owners Association Mr. Aled Roberts, M.P., said he sometimes wondered whether the efforts now being /made to restore order out of the chaos in the transport irtdustry would be effected without crushing out of the trade a number of operators who had so far conducted themselves well. Those left outside the Ass.)ciation would stand a poor chance indeed.
On leaving to take charge of the Glasgow depot of Mi. Alexander and Sons, Ltd., a presentation was made to Mr. R. A. MacFarlane, superintendent of the Arbroath depot. GLASGOW TO BUILD TROLLEYBUSES? INQUIRY NEXT WEEK, THE Glasgow Provisional Order in quiry is expected to open on March 20, when the court will probably sit for three or four days. Principal interest will be centred on the analication for powers to build and operate trolleybuses. Objections to the proposals have been lodged by bus manufacturers and others.
..It is understood that the corporation does not propose, meantime, to operate trolleybuses, but that the transport manager wishes merely to experiment with such vehicles.
FARES INQUIRY TO CONTINUE.
ON Monday next the Metropolitan and South Eastern Traffic Commissioners will resume the fares inquiry held by them on October 25 last. Variations in fares on express services and excursions from the Metronolis to points in the area of No. 3 Regional Committee will be considered at Caxton House, Tothill Street, Lyndon, S.W.1.
ANOTHER NORTHERN MERGER.
FURTHER to the announcement in last week's issue, the ScotbyWetheral bus service of Mr. A. J. Fidler has, it is reported, now been transferred to United Automobile Services, Ltd. Mr. Fidler is the last independent operator in the district.
STOCKPORT REJECTS JOINT BOARD SCHEME.
STOCKFORT Town Council last week ratified the tramways committee's recommendation to reject the proposal to merge the municipal undertaking into the projected joint municipal transport board in the Manchester area. A comprehensive, illustrated article on the proposed board appeared in our Special Municipal Number, last week.
At the meeting of the council it was stated that, if there was to he any development in the municipal transport system, the tramways committee preferred it to be in directions other than northerly. Moreover, there was a debt of over £4,000,000 on the other eight undertakings which had been requested to participate in the hoard, 70 per cent, of this figure being in respect of Manchester Corporation's undertaking. On the other hand, Stockport Corporation h a d n o capital debt, On the same day Manchester City Council agreed to authorize the preparation of a scheme for the formation of a board. A supporter of the movement commented that, unless the municipal authorities in south east Lancashire took the initiative in such a movement, a hoard for the area might be formed by the Government, It was understood that the Government contemplated such a scheme. It is expected, that a joint conference of the interested bodies will be held soon.
LONDON INDEPENDENTS' GARAGE CLAIMS CONTINUE.
THE London Passenger Transport Arbitration Tribunal continued, last neek, its hearing of claims by independent London bus operators for compensation from the London Passenger Transport Board. All the cases raised the question of whether the Board is liable to take over the companies' garages as well as their bus businesses. The claims of Robert Ilawkins and Co., Ltd., and the Reliance Omnibus Co. were heard.
On Monday last the Tribunal heard evidence on behalf of the Victory Omnibus Co., the Sphere Omnibus Co., and the Ambassador Omnibus Co.
DUBLIN CO.'s GOOD YEAR.
,THE Dublin United Tramway's Co' 1 (1896), Ltd., has increasedits bus fleet from 88 to .105 vehicles and more are under construction This fact was reported by Mr. William Hewat, chairman, at the annual general meeting of the company. He also explained that the company had, during the year, purchased. the businesses of several other operators and had been in negotiation
with further concerns, but the prices asked were Considered to be excessive.
The balance to the credit of the bus revenue account was £6,884, contrasted with a deficit of £352 a year earlier. The net surplus on the whole undertaking was £77,040, against £75,252 a year earlier. With a sum carried forward the amount available totalled £91,224.
RESTRICTING SIZE OF VEHICLES IN SCOTLAND.
INVERNESS Council decided, last Friday, to recommend that vehicles larger than 14-3eaters should be prohibited from using the Inverness Dores-Whitebridge road. Moreover, the width of the vehicles should not exceed that of 14-seaters already operating in the county.
It is expected that there will be a considerable amount of coach traffic over this road during the summer on account of the public interest in the Loch Ness "monster."
SOUTHPORT £33,000 BUS PLAN.
SOUTIIPORTTown Couneil has now definitely decided to substitute buses for trams on all services, and the Minister of Transport is to be asked to sanction a loan of £33,000 for the purchase of buses,
"SINGLES" AND "PERIODS": TWO APPEALS HEARD.
(IN Monday last the appeals of the V./United Service Transport Co., Ltd., and Messrs. Valliant Direct Coaches against the refusal of the South Eastern Traffic Commissioners to permit the issue of single and periodreturn tickets on certain seasonal services from the coast to London were heard. The appeal of the Royal , Arsenal Co-operative Society on the same question was to have been heard on that day, but was adjourned.
For the United concern it was submitted that operators of services all the year round should not be subsidized and protected at the expense of those working the seasonal services. Every case should be dealt with on its merits, and the public should be allowed to enjOy the facilities afforded it in the past. The South Eastern Commissioners had, it was argued, been unnecessarily severe in this matter, particularly in view of the large percentage of period-return passengers on these services.
On behalf of the Valliant undertaking, the proposal was made that if the Minister would not agree to the original applications he should consider permitting single tickets to be issued in London for passengers from the coast. This booking procedure would involve the posting of tickets from London to thu passengers.
FIVE APPLICATIONS AND TWO APPEALS OVER ONE SERVICE.
FIVE unsuccessful applications and two appeals (one of which failed) have been made by R. Barr (Leeds), Ltd., in respect of a journey from Leeds to Blackpool at 1.30 p.m. on Saturdays, from July to September. The second appeal was heard a few days ago, against the refusal of the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners to license tins trip. It was stated that the company had been running express carriages from Leeds to Blackpool since 1918. The service commencing at 9.30 a.m. was still in operation.
Another appeal by the company was against the Commissioners' refusal to license a Leeds-Morecambe service, which was inaugurated in 1929 and had continued until 1932, when the Com.snissioners refused to re-license it.
STOCKTON'S TRAFFIC IMPROVED.
ALTHOUGI-1 at the beginning of the current municipal year it was estimated that Stockton Corporation's bus system would incur a loss of £3,600 up to March 31 next, the revised estimates show a loss of only £1,590. Lately the traffic has been increasing considrrably and six buses are to be purchased.
" EASTERN COUNTIES" AND " ANYWHERE" TICKETS.
THE vexed question of the issue of unlimited travel tickets in East Anglia was again raised, a few days ago, when the Eastern Counties Omnibus Co., Ltd., appealed against the refusal of the Eastern Traffic Commissioners to authorize daily " anywhere " tickets at a cost of 3s. 6d. each, for issue in each of four zones. The matter has excited considerable public comment and has been referred to on numerous occasions in The Commercial Motor.
There was much opposition at the appeal hearing. It was announced, on behalf of certain local authorities, that, if the appeal succeeded, the Eastern Counties concern was willing -to accept conditions that had been imposed upon the issue of season tickets.
For the company it was explained that the class of passenger taking advantage of such a facility was different from that using express services. The unlimited-travel tickets were intended to benefit residents in remote villages, far removed from the railways. The railways had introduced in East Anglia a form of ticket somewhat similar to that proposed by the Eastern Counties concern, two exceptions being that the railway ticket was much cheaper and that it was available for a week.
Counsel for the appellant said, that, whilst he did not wish to make an invidious criticism, it was obvious from the beginning of the hearing of the application by the Eastern Commissioners that they were opposed to it, almost to the extent of bringing a biased mind to it.
The railway representative, in objecting, claimed that the proposals would unfavourably affect the day-return traffic on the railways for journeys of 10-20 miles. Moreover, the railway zone tickets were issued only from May to October and only in holiday districts. Excursion operators argued that the new facility would harm their services, because the fare of 3s. 6d. was lower than many of their charges, but the "Eastern Counties" denied this allegation.
The appellant's representative later asked Sir Henry Wynne, the inspector who heard the appeal, to consider, if the present case failed, some modification of the scheme. • CELEBRATING GROWTH OF LONDON COASTAL COACHES.
THE second anniversary of the open' ing of the palatial Victoria Coach Station of London Coastal Coaches, Ltd., was celebrated on March 8. A large number of agents and others visited the station and was conducted around the building.
It is interesting to reflect that the widespread business of London Coastal Coaches, Ltd., has been built up since 1920, when an organization, known as Messrs. London and Coastal Motor Services, was founded. The forerunner of the latter enterprise was a LondonBrighton service operated by one vehicle in 1919. In 1925 it was decided to form London Coastal Coaches, Ltd., and the business increased until, in 1932, it was necessary to open the large station in Buckingham Palace Road.
On a busy day, seine 55,000 passengers pass through the premises, and over 2,000 coaches are handled ; 40 important concerns use the station, the amenities of which include a restaurant and a ballroom. Incidentally, above the station itself are three floors of offices, known as Coastal Chambers.