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NOW ONE MAN, ONE BUS FOR

16th September 1966
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Page 98, 16th September 1966 — NOW ONE MAN, ONE BUS FOR
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LO N DO N 'Salvage' campaign for Ulsterbus

3tandee and large-capacity single-deckers will replace fouble-deckers under drastic four-point plan: More emphasis

m localization By DEREK MOSES kBOLD four-point plan to combat the two most severe problems acing London's bus servicesraffic congestion and staff shortage —was announced in a special report mblished by London Transport on Nednesday. The report is called 'Reshaping London's Bus Services", ind is on sale, price is.

Under the new proposals the replacement if double-deckers by one-man-operated ,ingle-deckers figures prominently, and the raditional pattern of very long trunk ser/ices will disappear. Indeed the new plans night be summed up as "localization". )articularly with regard to the suburbs.

Furthermore the Board's plans for terninating the surviving trunk routes in central _ondon and operating special services within his area employing vehicles designed for the ob are in line with proposals published in his journal on July 16 1965.

The Proposals The four-point plan can be summed up AS follows:

1. A big extension of one-man operation. with single-deck buses replacing a large -lumber of double-deckers at present in use.

2. Shorter routes, with greater use of coinin-the-slot Red Arrow-type buses in the heart of London and flat-fare single-deckers over short "satellite" routes in the suburbs.

3. Introduction of vehicles with more standing room on new, short, heavily-used routes where a flat fare or automatic fare collection is used.

4. New methods of fare collection, including the development of automated elec

tronic equipment capable of collecting graduated fares on routes which cannot be run economically on a fiat-fare basis.

Introducing the plan at a Press conference on Wednesday, Mr. Maurice Holmes, chairman of the Board, described the twin problems of staff shortage and road congestion which hampered the undertaking's operations. The only way to effectively mitigate these problems was to re-plan the whole pattern of London Transport bus operation.

Mr. Holmes emphasized that the changes would be long-term in their effect and for many years to come London Transport would continue to need large numbers of conductors. Nevertheless the aim was eventually to operate every bus with only one man, and it was the Board's intention to introduce more Red Arrows in the heart of London next year, and also to introduce the first suburban "satellite" scheme.

A four-tier system of bus operation will be introduced in the inner and outer suburban areas. These will consist of trunk routes to and from the West End or City; principal suburban routes; other suburban routes; and the new "satellite" routes.

The trunk routes will continue to be operated by large double-deck buses "for the time being" (presumably 72-seat RMLs) and the principal suburban routes will also be operated with double-deckers for the present, although one-man singledeckers will eventually take over the latter services.

The report is vague about the future type of bus for trunk route operation; but I learn that it will be an entirely new doubledecker with dual entrances. It is clear about the fact that these buses will eventually be one-man operated, with an automatic fares system, and the automatic system of fares collection will also be employed eventually on the principal suburban services.

Localization Great play is made in the report about the introduction of "satellite" routes. What, in fact, is envisaged, is virtually -neighbourhood units" in the suburbs, each unit based on a main business and shopping centre. The satellite routes will link the residential parts of the unit with the business centre and feed to trunk routes and tube or surburban railheads. On the satellite routes a flat fare will be charged.

The "other surburban" routes are journeys which cannot be satisfactorily covered by satellite flat-fare buses. Satellite routes will be much shorter than most suburban routes today; where it is found necessary to operate longer routes a graduated fares structure will be employed. The buses will still be one-manoperated single-deckers.

Little change in the present pattern of operation of the country (green) bus routes is planned, although one-man operation will be much extended in this area.

What is of particular interest, however, is that the Green Line service will be continued, to provide an express service, probably developed with new cross-connections. In recent years a rather pessimistic attitude has prevailed around No. 55 Broadway about the future of the Green Line services. This was mainly due to traffic strangulation virtually destroying the "express– nature of these services.

The report, in fact, emphasizes that the new proposals can only succeed if stricter measures are taken to resolve the problem of increasing traffic congestion.

A possible development of the automation of fares collection is the introduction at some future date of a "stored fare" ticket which can be repeatedly used up to a given number of miles both on the buses and on the Underground railways.

Wood Green experiment

During a discussion following the Press conference, Mr. Holmes stated that Wood Green had been chosen as the area for the first pilot scheme with "satellite" bus services. Starting next year, normal bus replacement would be undertaken with new single-deckers; this would be at the rate of 350 buses a year. Next year, however, only 175 single-deckers were expected, of which 25 would be to Red Arrow design. In addition, eight existing single-deckers would be converted to this type of layout. Production of 72-seat Routemasters would continue until next spring.

Some indication of the type of bus eventually to be used on the trunk routes and principal suburban services was also given at the conference. This would be a completely new design of double-decker with central entrance and front exit Automatic fare collection would be employed on these buses, and passengers would still pay (or cancel tickets, as appropriate) on the bus while it was in motion, despite the onemanning of the vehicles. Introduction of the new type would require modification of the existing p.s.v. regulations.

Over 15 years

Mr. Holmes stated that if the complete changeover were phased with normal vehicle replacement, it would take about 15 years. As the worst affected areas would be dealt with first, maximum benefit from the new scheme would be felt in the earlier years. It might be found prudent, however, to eliminate some of the existing types of bus before the end of their normal life.

A ready market could usually be found for buses withdrawn in this way.

Coaches for Manchester: Manchester Corporation Transport Committee has accepted a £34,837 tender by Shaw and Kilburn Ltd., London. for six Plaxton Panorama 1 coaches on Bedford VAL chassis. Three used airport vehicles are being taken in part exchange. MR. WERNER HEUBECK, managing director of Ulsterbus Ltd., which is to take over the Ulster Transport Authority road passenger services, told mass meetings of bus crews in Belfast and Londonderry that the Authority could be salvaged from the mess it was now in, but to ensure success the workers would have to give a response to leadership almost above and beyond the call of duty.

Mr. Heubeck told the men that about 70 per cent of the 3,100 employed by the Authority would get jobs in the new company. He added: "Once the company is in a sound financial position, it may well be able to offer reduced private hire and longdistance fares."

Mr. Hugh Minnis, an official of the National Union of General and Municipal Workers, said: "Mr. Heubeck has instilled confidence into the staff. He has painted a reasonably factual picture, but the fine outcome has got to be the agreemen reached between the company and th unions."

Meanwhile Mr. Heubeck has sought th approval of the UTA board for the spendin: of £320,000 on 70 new buses. But even i the board approves the request the las word will be with the Northern Irelam Government, which will have to provide th money.

If Mr. Heubeck is given the all-clear o: this deal it will bring the total spending oi vehicles for the new company to £500,000 Already Ulsterbus has placed an orde for six new luxury coaches and sevei express buses, and 48 second-hand buse: have also been bought from Edinburg] Corporation in an effort to provide a moden fleet of buses for the new company.


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