PASSENGER TRAVEL NEWS.
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The Latest Doings and Developments in the Bus and Coach World.
BALANCING UP.
Plenty of Traffic, but Poor Fares, Outstanding Features of the Season's Coaching Trade.
THE MOTOR coach season which is now on the eve of completion has not • been a very prosperous one for Liverpool motor coach owners, who, having worked the seasen•through at a rate which never exceeded 1.d. per passenger per mile for single-seat bookings (sometimes it was less), are slow experiencing tbe chagrin of having transported a huge number of passengers at a very trifling net return. Indeed, it is disclosing no secret to say that, in a few instances, the coach owner has been out of pocket.
This simple statement of fact shows the utter lolly of abandoning a rigid standard of economic values in the zest for successful competitive endeavour. It requires na argument to show that when, for single-seat bookings, owners are prepared to accept id. to 1d. per passenger per mile, they are doing not only themselves a disservice, but also their competitors, who may be big fleet owners and have heavy establishment charges to meet. Furthermore, by the emphasis which they place on minimum fares, they make it difficult for themselves, after they have had the opportunity of taking stock of their position, to restore a fair and equitable basic rate. Some little time ago, when the writer -was in the . north country, he interviewed vehicle owners operating principally small coaches, who declared that they were Unable to make motor coaching pay unless they were assured of at least-2d. per passenger per mile for full-day outings. Go to Liverpool and Blackpool, and the rates quoted by some individual owners • appear to 'be in scornful repudiation of such a claim,.
Traffic this year has been much more readily obtainable than in previous years, and, that being the case, one has to determine to what extent cheap fares have induced this result, If the charges were on a slightly higher scale, would the public have held off hooking so freely? If SO, should the coach owner run his vehicles at rock-bottom prices simply to keep them in commission as long as he can, or take the obviously sounder ,view and say, "No; it costs me
so much to run a load a passengers from, say, Liverpool to Morecambe, and, if the game is worth the candle, my return must be at least so much, otherwise I decline the business!'
One ventures to suggest that, so far as Liverpool is concerted, the rates have been reduced to a figure lower than the public would reasonably expect were they aware of the coach owners' difficulties and experiences on such matters, for instance, as licensing, the short season, establishment casts, maintenance, vehicle replacement costs, and so on.
One coach owner confided to the writer that this season he had refused business amounting to £1,500 in the aggregate, representing bookings in-excess of those with which he was able to cope. They were passed over to other and competing coach owners, who, according to the exigencies of their trade, offered other business in return; but the majority of it—as a matter af fact, all except £50 worth—had to be refused, owing to the limitations of the seating capacity of his vehicles. This particular owner had a small fleet which he well advertised, and he was particularly successful in commanding big bookings for certain specific runs.. Is it not reasonable to suppose that, were his rate increased, in fact, the rates throughout the district increased,. there would still be the same amount of traffic for his order book ? As conditions were, however, other companies were competing for the traffic which, by bold enterprise, he was successful in attracting. Therefore, as he pointed out, in order to retain the strong position he had built up, he was compelled to, work at minimum rates, actually id. per mile, the same as. his competitors.
Maybe, by the time the next coaching season comes round, the results in terms of g. s. d.• of this season's trading will have been subject to closer analysis. Probably they will suggest dime
tie-11s in which improvements might be made. Coach owners in the Merseyside district have this season conducted their business without any mutual working arrangement. When they had an association to regularize and adjust rates round a friendly board moderate success was achieved in straightening out difficulties, but questions were constantly arising involving such points as the subversion of the set rates by (a) competition from outside owners, (b) the giving of free seats, (c) the giving of commissions on orders, etc. s These points were extremely difficult of solution, and it can be readily imagined that when a big private party Inquiry was going the rounds, despite the agreed rates, owners were "all out" to do the business. It was on the rates question that the association failed to function successfully, and many owners are now very sceptical as to the value of such an organization in dealing with such matters.
Nevertheless, the need for an association has never been more pressing, but, whilst getting business at almost any price is one of the first considerations of a very small proportion of owners, it is difficult to see how the present peculiar position can be effectively rectified.
AN ALL-WEATHER PASSENGER-VEHICLE ROOF.
A Brief Description of the Strachan and Brown Patent Design Which Incorporates Practical Features.
READERS of this journal, who have closely followed the developments which have been recorded in the' passenger-transport industry will be familiar with that type of motor coach or bus which incorporates in its design a special type of roof composed of a number of sections, each of which is separately covered by a blind formed of a number of interlocking laths. This design, as will be generally known, is the product of Mr. J. M. Strachan, of Messrs. Strachan and Brown, the established eoachbuilders, -and it has been referred to in our columns on many occasions. Our only reason for once again devoting space to a brief description of its general construction, which can be clearly seen in the accompanying illustration, is that. tha patent specification descriptive of the roof has just been published.
Mr. Strachan has adapted the roller'blind or shutter principle to his purpose, applying it in a manner ' befitting the special circumstances of use, which involve certain conditions of weatherand wear-proofness.
As designed, this form a roof is s.pplicable most readily to that type of coach which is already provided ' with permanent uprights for the reception of sliding windows or their equivalents. These uprights terminate, as a rule, in a cant rail, which serves to support the roof of the bus:. Where the present construction is applied there will be, of course, no permanent roof, but there will be the cross-ribs, which would, in the ordinary way, be provided to support that roof.
In this case, the cross-ribs would ha grooved and equipped each with a comparatively wide cover plates The shut
ters are of familiar construction, consisting of parallel laths of a suitable section and size, and designed so that they will roll up compactly, and interlock when extended. The surface of the laths is exposed on the underside, and may be painted, stained and varnished, or otherwise decorated as may be desired. On top of the laths is a flexible cover, which is secured to them by means of an ordinary adhesive and is rendered waterproof. On the outside of this again there ie another flexible cover, but this is only secured to the laths, or, more strictly speaking, to the other cover, at the ends, and possibly at one or two intermediate points. There is a pair of blinds or shutters for each length of bus reef between the cross ribs, and; when rolled up, these blinds are contained in a casing which runs the full length of the centre of the bus roof. Ln order to reduce wear, the ends of tits laths, where they engage with the grooves in the cross-ribs, are metal bound. Each shutter, is provided, on its underside, with a handle, for convenience when opening or closing it. The rollers upon which the shutters am rolled are spring wound, tending, to keep the shutters tightly trolled when they are stowed away, and also maintaining a proper tension on them when they are extended and in use.
TROLLEY-BUS VERSUS PETROL-DRIVEN BUS.
Why Some Municipalities Already Running Railless Vehicles are Considering the Use of Ordinary Buses.
IN VIEW of the widening interest which is being taken in rail-less traction, it is somewhat remarkable that some of those authorities which run vehicles of this description are now considering the possiblitv of &depth! g ordinary motorbuses.
The authorities at Leeds, for example, already run ordinary buses over three routes, as well as using tramcars and trolley-buses. Eight buses of the ordinary type are in use, two of these being 30-seaters and the others 1.6-.seater Guys of a type which is described elsewhere in " Passenger Travel News." The tramway services in Leeds work out very largely from the centre of the city along the principal outlets to the surrounding towns and suburbs.
It has been found, however, that there is a certain amount of passenger traffis which is inter-urban, and that, travellers who require to make an inter-urban journey very often have to come into the city and leave it again to reach a point perhaps not very far distant from their actual starting place. From the passeuger's point of view this has many objections, including the distance which has to be travelled and the expenses involved in snaking what should be oily a short journey, and the matter. of providing cross-routes torun from point to point equi-distant from the centre of the city is now under the consideration
of the authorities. It is believed that there is a number of routes of this character which are worthy of development by 'the ordinary type-of motorbus: In Bradford, which was the pioneer town so far. as the use of railless.vehicles is concerned, some of the radial routes have been linked, up in this way with trolley-buses, and, following the manner in which Bradford has adhered to the trolley-bus and sought to perfect it, it is remarkable that the authorities are now seeking powers to run motorbuses.
The plea is put forward that the initial cost in connection with the installation of a service of ordinary flexible motorbuses is lower than that involved in the adoption of a railless system, and, moreover, it is contended that on a route which does not prove to be remunerative the motorbuses can be withdrawn and diverted to another route without undue loss being occasioned.