Extended Tours Need Wider Catchment Area—Mr. W. P. James
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IF extended coach tours were to survive, in the face of competition from • '• Continental coach tours, they must be allowed a much wider catchment area than that sufficient for day tours, said the chairman of the West Midland Traffic Commissioners, Mr. W. P. James, at Birmingham, on Tuesday.
After a hearing occupying two full days, the Commissioners, deferred
• their decision on an application by Shropshire Omnibus Association, on behalf of five members, for a licence to run extended tours to English, -Welsh and Scottish holiday areas during the summer.
Mr. James said that the Commissionets first wished to hear an application by Salopia Saloon Coaches, Ltd., who were objecting to the present application, for permission to run feeder services to their own extended tours. Other objectors were G. H. Austin and Sons and Jones Coachways.
Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., and Worthington Motor Tours, Ltd., withdrew their objections after Mr. K. Mynett, for the applicants, had substituted an area of four miles radius from Oakengates, Shropshire, for the original eight miles, as the proposed catchment area. — • Local residents gave evidence that there were no public transport facilities' to connect with the' Salopia tours 'leaving Shrewsbury and Whitchureh early On Sunday mornings. •
Mr. E. T. Davies, a director of Salopia,said that his company drew.traffic from' the proposed catchment area. '
"We rely exclusively on the remuneration from holiday tours and extended tours to provide a subsidy for the many rural services which we operate at 'fares well below the cost of the service. .Eveiy time a vehicle turns out from' our depot on these services it is like throwing aWay 5d. for every mile it runs;" said Mr. Davies. People came from centres as far away as Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester to join his company's extended tours.
Mr. J. H. Poppett, tours manager for G. H. Austin and Sons, said they operated Continental tours from Cannock, about 20 miles from Oakengates. These were in competition with English extended tours and would be affected by them. • Mr. James said Mr. Mynett had described as " little drops of rainfall " the amount of traffic which Salopia coaches drew from the applicants' suggested catchment area. " But 1 believe it is true that the last £5,000 or £10,000 of gross profit makes all the difference between profit and loss," he continued. "We appreciate that Salopia Coaches have a very great interest in this area."
149 MORE BANTAMS' ORDERED 1—I A N order for 149 Karrier Bantam 2-3-ton oil-engined chassis with cabs to carry soft drinks from factories and distribution depots throughout the country has been placed by the Co-operative Wholesale Society, Manchester. A hundred Bantams were purchased by the Society last year.