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THE CHALLENGE TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT

IT IS NOT SURPRISING that types of equipment and methods of operation are well established in the transport industry, since it has been in existence for a great many years. And although the last 15 years have been a time of major social and industrial revolution, these traditional methods remain virtually unchanged.

What has really happened to the p.s.v. world in this period is only too well known, with declining traffic due to increased competition from private transport, and rising costs leading to increased fares, which became steadily less favourably comparable with the cost of family motoring.

A small car, costing about 7d a mile to run, was an economical proposition with all the family aboard and was not a great price to pay for a comfortable, direct journey to work. In addition very little improvement was made to passenger amenities, particularly rolling stock.

With increasing competition the next step was to reduce mileage, particularly in "leisure" hours, thereby making public transport even less attractive. No thorough attempt was made to increase operational efficiency, consequently the fares increases and cuts in services became even more drastic, and private transport developed even more rapidly. If falling traffic had been countered immediately, by improving efficiency, with little reduction in frequencies and more moderate fares increases, the industry would undoubtedly be in a healthier state today.

1 am fully aware of restrictions imposed by the unions, princi The public service vehicle industry is facing the conditions of 1967 with a well tried, but outdated, formula, claims D. N. DEAN. While admitting that there are exceptions Mr. Dean states that he is concerned with the great majority of operators, of all sizes and under all kinds of ownership, company and municipal, statecontrolled or independent. In this series of four articles he takes a critical look at the industry in general and several aspects in particular, starting this week with one-man operation of vehicles and the need for more thought in designing vehicle layouts.

pally in regard to one-man-operation, but an enlightened approach to a carefully and jointly planned revolution would undoubtedly receive full union co-operation.

The greatest and most overdue measure of improving efficiency is that of introducing o.m.o., not only on quiet rural routes, but also on intensive urban services. Throughout the country there are literally hundreds of double-manned routes which should have been converted to o.m.o. 10 years ago. There is a common belief among crews and operators that "one man couldn't cope with our (passenger) traffic".

They invariably visualize an o.m.o. outfit as an under-floor engined saloon, with one narrow entrance/exit, complete with three or four steep steps, a ticket and change machine that are perhaps conversions of equipment designed for different employment (necessitating the driver to make awkward finger movements and to crane his neck) and there is usually a complicated fare table. Thus loading and unloading is very slow indeed, the driver sitting unproductively while passengers alight.

With a low-floor, rear-engined vehicle with twin doors there is the advantage of simultaneous loading and unloading. Both doors may be used by alighting passengers when there is none boarding, the driver having public-address equipment, with the addition, perhaps, of a radio link to the garage.

High-framed underfloor-engined vehicles and also high-framed forward-entrance double-deckers are obviously unsuitable for bus work, resulting in decreased efficiency, but they continue to be placed in service.

Wasting time A carefully designed one-man vehicle and associated equipment is, on most routes, capable of maintaining the same overall running times as a traditional rear open-platform double-decker. In fact, with an "average" crew on the double-decker and a good o.m.o. driver the latter usually is the faster.

I have the opportunity of watching loading speeds with various types of vehicles, contrasting crews and passengers, on widely varying routes and in all weathers. It is obvious how the traditional double-manned double-decker wastes time—the driver being dependent on a bell signal given by a "roving" conductor.

The driver of a one-man vehicle is always in a position to control boarding passengers so that too many people are not allowed on, therefore no time is lost in sorting out which of the passengers should return to the pavement. Thus in several ways an o.m.o. bus does not waste time at stops, other than the time needed for the collection of fares.

These two points usually balance fairly evenly (given efficient o.m.o. equipment) and the one-man operated vehicle compares favourably in overall speed; simultaneous loading and unloading is obviously of great importance on urban routes, but I consider that provision for a two-way flow of passengers through a single front entrance/exit on rural buses is also essential.

Single step doorways must result in the fastest passenger movement, so enabling faster journey times, meaning perhaps fewer vehicles required, with all the accrued savings.

The exit door must be very carefully designed to ensure safety yet not to hinder speed. I have not yet seen a design that I consider to be ,completely satisfactory; the door must be positioned as far forward as possible, yet not so close to the front entrance door as to provoke conflict.

In my opinion the exit door should ideally be two standardwidth bays (one in the case of large, fixed windows) behind the front entrance. No standing passengers should be allowed forward of the exit door, so that the driver's view of the exit is not obstructed.

Some operators consider that if the exit door is provided with a photo-electric cell the driver does not need to have a clear view of the door. Strictly speaking this is correct, but it results in lost time: a ban on standing passengers forward of this door makes the driver's task easier and he is more able to check overriding passengers. Reducing the vehicle capacity by some 10 standing passengers is the disadvantage.

Of perhaps greatest value is a combination of a photo-electric cell and sensitized door edges, together with a mirror over the exit. The mirror must be placed as close to the ceiling as possible, because boarding passengers making their way past the driver into the saloon obscure the driver's vision. Handbrake or transmission interlocks are invariably time-wasting and annoying, with perhaps an actual reduction in safety, since the driver can become irritated.

The front entrance should be single or double width, according to whether a coin-operated machine is used or not. An excellent article on the subject of entrance/exits appeared in COMMERCIAL Micircirt on November 4 1966, the importance of this subject being well illustrated.

Gearbox A semi-automatic or fully automatic gearbox is in my opinion essential for a number of reasons. A one-man driver is tempted to ride the clutch at bus stops in order to save time, since he is then concerned with fare collection.

A conveniently located, short travel handbrake, which does not involve leaning or stretching forward, backwards, sideways, downwards, or a combination of all four, is essential on alt types of p.s.v. Spring brakes would appear to be a possible solution.

The ticket machine must be carefully chosen to suit the fare structure and the fare structure must suit the route: the introduction of decimal coinage should help. Token and coin-operated machines are other aids that can save time, although simplicity is an important factor in public goodwill. The siting of such machines and of all hand rails inside the vehicle must be precisely planned to ensure a smooth passenger flow. Provision of seats with double top rails is the neatest way to achieve this and the coachlike atmosphere can be retained.

Heater outlets directed at the driver's feet are essential. So is a driving seat that is quickly and fully adjustable. The driving mirrors should also be easily adjustable and, where applicable, of the type which spring back into position after passing through a mechanical vehicle-washing plant.

Windscreen wipers that scratch the corners of wrap-around screens, creating a blind spot, are an irritation at present. On double-decker o.m.o. vehicles the driver must have sufficient vision into the upper saloon, via a periscope, to prevent vandalism.

Comfort Greater passenger comfort is a necessity, both in the street and on the vehicle. It is true of virtually all undertakings that nobody in authority takes any real interest in the day-to-day comfort given to passengers; new vehicle types may be casually inspected by the traffic manager, but once a vehicle is in service this factor is virtually forgotten.

Traffic managers should, in my view, regularly sample all types of vehicle in their fleet, unheralded, and on service journeys at varying times of the day and year.

Someone must draw the engineers' attention to the importance of passenger comfort. The fact that the executive staff are so isolated from the services they are providing is often so miserably obvious; if they were all compelled to use their own and each others' services, and not their staff cars, the industry would benefit considerably.

It is alarming how frequencies are drastically reduced, with no real concern as to the long-term result, and without regard to more efficient methods of operation. The people who make these decisions are usually those who have their own, or a company, car and long ago ceased to depend on public transport.

Executives dislike wasting time in travelling from one place to another, but fail to recognize that their bus passengers share their views on speed and convenience. Their memories of a 25 minute wait in gusty rain are far from the surface.

Standing passengers are dissatisfied customers; the presence of standing passengers outside the rush hour is normally a sign of inadequate frequency, imprecise scheduling or faulty operation. The object should be to eradicate them completely; standing passengers on a two-man bus usually means some uncollected fares.

Seats should be really adequately pitched—designers or operators (or both) seem to require a little travelling experience.

Most vehicles are now built to the maximum legal width, yet most operators continue to specify seats of about the same width as were used on 7ft 6in. wide buses. This is to increase the gangway width to provide room for standees and to improve accessibility, but the result is that two adults cannot sit in comfort on a double seat. This, to my mind, is a case of ill-judged priorities, since standing passengers are, and should be, a minority occurrence.

At the Commercial Motor Show last year I was pleased to see the new Accles and Pollock bucket-type bus seat, designated 515, with twin seat frame-holding cushions and squabs that have antiroll side panels. This is the type of seat that I have visualized for many years, and it certainly appears to be a good design, given adequate width and provision of a top hand rail.

Decor

Interior decor of buses is now receiving the attention it merits, and the use of moquette as an upholstery material is deservedly becoming increasingly popular, although the pattern is often of a dated appearance, as in buses recently delivered to the Scottish Bus Group.

When designing vehicle interiors insufficient attention is paid to ease of cleaning and elimination of dirt and dust-collecting crevices and surfaces. It is a pity that bodybuilders spoil otherwise excellent products in this way.

Sealed windows, with additional large three-way roof vents and efficient automatic heating, ventilation and demisting (the latter to driver's and passengers' windows) are now available at an economic price, although reliability is still not satisfactory. Particular attention must be paid to the heating of areas adjacent to entrance and exit doors and a strong heater outlet towards passengers' feet is essential to combat the intake of cold air. This is an almost universal failing of modern coaches and buses, many of which also suffer from severe draughts, especially at the rear of saloons in frontentrance buses. Bus crews receive many, many complaints about these problems.

Exterior cleaning could be much improved; the immaculate finish is usually soon dulled by a crude washing machine and many parts of both elderly and modern vehicles are left uncleaned by many installations, resulting in a very poor appearance. The wheels are often left uncleaned, a deposit of thick, oily dirt soon accumulating and detracting from the overall appearance.

An immaculate vehicle will encourage careful handling and money spent on the prompt and permanent repair of even the slightest fault or blemish is well spent. I cannot emphasize this point too strongly.

The one-man Atlantean and Fleetline double-deckers to be placed in service by Manchester City Transport, which intends to have a 100 per cent o.m.o. fleet in 10 years time, are an encouraging sign of progress. These 73/79 seaters will have a front entrance, central exit and a forward-of-central staircase. The position of the staircase has certain advantages. The front wheel arches are a handicap; these make the design of the entrance and stairs and the front seats an unsatisfactory Compromise. Perhaps there is a vast market for a double-decker, rear-engined twin-steer Chassis! The lower deck seating capacity of 28 could be increased considerably.

It is notable that various combinations of fare collection systems (including the use of turnstiles) are being tried. There is room on the platform for several people to stand while waiting to pass the ticket issuing equipment. This saves time at stops, but the driver's view to the nearside could be interrupted as the vehicle draws away from the kerb, and there is a likelihood of passengers being thrown, even with provision of well-planned hand rails. Consideration must be made for the elderly and heavily laden shoppers with children and pushchairs.

The near-central staircase should help to lessen congestion on a 33ft-long vehicle, since boarding passengers, having been delayed by fare collection, will be slow to mount the stairs to the upper saloon, where passengers intending to alight at the next stop will already be making their way along the upper deck towards the staircase.

A staircase positioned immediately behind the driver may cause unnecessary conflict in this respect. Double-deckers of 31ft-33ft in length have a surprisingly greater manoeuvrability than 16ft single-deckers and are consequently more suitable for use in congested areas.

I have mentioned features of the actual vehicles; now consider some of the advantages and disadvantages of o.m.o. working.

The operator gains tremendously in respect of wages paid to road staff; the additional payment to o.m.o. drivers is usually 15 per cent. This figure is reasonable in rural areas, but a 25 per cent loading is more realistic for intensive working. '

Because the wage rate is higher the staff position should improve in quantity and quality, with resultant closer adhesion to time schedules and perhaps a higher standard of courtesy and driving, which would affect public goodwill and maintenance and insurance costs.

Uncollected, unreceipted and undercharged fares should be virtually eliminated, given adequate provision of inspectors, since fares must be collected as passengers enter the vehicle. I would estimate that the combination of these factors would involve an increased overall revenue of between three and 10 per cent on urban routes.

Finally road staff need to work less overtime to maintain previous earnings, but a driver/conductor has the added inconvenience of being responsible for money.

[Next week I will discuss at length the subjects of scheduling and staff relations.]