CONVERSIONS GALORE!
Page 48
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4,000 buses in giant changeover
MOST COSTLY item in Sweden's £41m September 3 changeover to right-hand traffic (see page
49) has been the conversion of about 4,000 buses.
This conversion, in most cases, meant putting in new doors on the right-hand side. Where passengers alighted ahead of the front aide, the driver's seat had also to be moved to the left.
For more than two years, buses built for right-hand traffic but with an extra door on the left side have been in use in Sweden.
In remote areas buses intended only for use in right-hand traffic are already in service. Passengers alight in the middle of the highway. But to safeguard them, these buses have flashing red lights front and rear, and it is compulsory for all other traffic to halt when these bus passengers alight.
Such buses are not confined to the country areas: 50 are in operation in busy Goteborg, but special "refuges" give protection to alighting passengers.
Under left-hand traffic conditions Sweden has five towns which have tramcars. With the changeover these will disappear in Malmo and Halsingborg, and only one line will remain in Stockholm. In GOteborg and Norrkaping, however, the tramway systems are being enlarged, entailing vast rebuilding of tramcars and relaying of tracks.
It was estimated that Sweden would need 7,500 buses by the time of the big switch. A year ago half of them were already fitted for use in right-hand traffic. Over 2,000 more are on order for delivery before the transition.
The remaining 1,800 will be built for use only in right-hand traffic as conversion of some types was so expensive it was considered wiser to replace them with new vehicles, although earlier than really necessary. So Sweden is getting its first doubledecker buses, supplied by Bussing.
Scania-Vabis, the company allocated the task of manufacturing 2,500 of the new
SUBS UPPED IN 'FREEZE LIVERPOOL COMPLAINS
LIVERPOOL Corporation's transport committee IS concerned about increases in the annual subscriptions of the Municipal Passenger Transport Association and the Federation of Municipal Passenger Transport Employers. The committee says they occurred during the period of severe economic. restraint, and in successive years had amounted to a 53 per cent MPTA increase and a 39 per cent FMPTE increase, so far as the Liverpool undertaking was concerned.
The general manager has been instructed to obtain details of the subscriptions for 1968 /69 in time for these to be considered before April 1, 1968. The Liverpool subscription to MPTA for the current year is £883 and to FMPTE £1,336.
buses, has enlarged its factories, and its production of the integrally built CR76 bus has trebled. A new bus leaves the assembly line every four hours.
HIGH-SPEED COACH LINK FOR WEST RIDING
YORKSHIRE Woollen District Transport Co. has announced that it plans high-speed coach services between principal West Riding towns when the Sheffield-Leeds section of M1 opens next autumn.
The four services planned are Sheffield
Barnsley,Leeds; Sheffield-Dewsbury-Halifax; Sheffield Barnsley Dewsbury Bradford; and Mexborough-Rotherham-Barnsley-Leeds. Operators will be West Riding Automobile Co., Wakefield. Hebble Motor Services Ltd., Halifax; Yorkshire Woollen District Transport Co., Dewsbury; Yorkshire Traction Co., Barnsley; Mexborough and Swinton Traction Co., Rawmarsh; and Rotherham Corporation and Sheffield Joint Omnibus Committee on behalf of British Railways.
More LTB Buses for Ceylon : The Ceylon Transport Board will soon get 150 more London Transport double-deck buses which it is obtaining on credit terms, carrying no interest. The buses will cost £850 each and the first consignment of 30
is expected in Ceylon within a month.
NOW IT'S VOICE OF KENT, TOO
KENT bus and coach operators have joined the fight against further nationalization by forming VOICE action committees at Canterbury and Maidstone.
The members are: Canterbury: R. G. James, East Kent Road Car Co. Ltd., Canterbury; P. W. Dodge, East Kent Road Car Co. Ltd., (secretary); C. W. Ayers, Ayers' Luxury Coaches, Dover; C. A. Pemberton, Wraycliffe Coaches, Folkestone; C. F. Camel, C. F. Camell (Ash) Ltd., Ash; D. A. Swinard, Swinards of Kent, (Travel Services) Ltd., Ashford. Maidstone: A. J. White, Maidstone and District Motor Services Ltd., Maidstone; S. Smith, Maidstone and District Motor Services (secretary); G. G. Hirst, Hirst Travel Service, Hastings; B. Weeks, Valedene Coaches, Sutton Valence; D. Warren, Warren's Coaches (Kent and Sussex) Ltd., Ticehurst; E. Pilcher, Pilcher's Coaches, Chatham; C. G. Olsen, Pickwick Coaches Ltd., Stroud; J. H. Davis, Davis Coaches (Sevenoaks), Sevenoaks; R T. Hot-Lock, Horlock's Coaches, Northfleet.
Shorter Week: Western SMT bus crews at the Inchgreen garage at Greenock have accepted management proposals for a five-day week on a two-month trial basis.