PASSENGER TRAVEL NEWS.
Page 27
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The Latest Doings and Developments in the Bus and Coach World.
LOCALIZED CONTROL FOR BUS SERVICES.
The Policy of a Prominent Company who 'are Establishing a Number of New Depots from which Local Services are Controlled.
IN a recent issue of The Commercial Motor we referred briefly to the measures being taken by the Northern General Transport Co., Ltd., of Chesterle-Street, to develop their activities in the North-west Durham neighbourhood by the erection of a fine new garage and administration depot, this being intended to act as the hub of existing services and others under contemplation in that important area. We are now able to publish illustrations showing the constructional features of the depot and its general lay-out. This is the fifth depot of its kind opened during the past two or three years for the purpose of effecting localized control, and another is at present in course of erection at Murton; this is to serve the East Durham area.
The Northern General Transport Co., Ltd., have made truly remarkable strides during the past 10 or 11 years and, at the present time, they maintain about 20 different services, covering 200 route miles, several hundred towns and villages in the Tyneside, Wearside and North Durham countryside being well served. To meet the transport requirements of the vast population of these districts, numbering considerably over one-and-ahalf million people, the company have on regular service a large fleet of singledecker saloon buses, numbering about 200 vehicles.
The new garage at Consett has been
erected in accordance with the latest constructional principles. It conforms with up-to-date garage practice, and is built to accommodate 26 buses, provision being made for cleaning down nightly, and for the carrying out of small repairs. The company's vehicles are returned to the central repair depot at Benshana, Gateshead, for periodical overhauls and large repair jobs.
The new garage has a frontage of about 70 ft. and extends back about
180 ft. An inquiry bureau and a book lug office for motor-coach tours are included, together with office accommodation.
The services at present maintained from the new premises are those to (1) Stanley ; (2) Letulgate and Annfield Plane; (3) Medomsley and High Westwood; (4) Ca..stleside; (5) South Moor Craghead, and Chester-lc-Street; 03; Newcastle. At the majority of these distant termini connections are made with other Northern routes, thereby providing a convenient mode of passenger transport over a neighbourhood where cross-country communication was by no means good prior to the establishment of the services of the Northern General Transport Co., Ltd.