They Enjoy Being Taken For a Ride
Page 40
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IN an attempt to improve their excursion facilities, Wallace Arnold Tours, Ltd„ applied at 'Leeds on Monday for several new destinations to be added to their licence. Mr. I. Steel, a representative of the company, said that many of their patrons had travelled, at one time or another, on all the available excursions and now wished to go to new places. To provide this amenity they now wanted to operate from Leeds and Bradford to Hadrian's Wall via Gretna Green, the North Yorkshire coast resorts, the North Wales resorts, Oxford and Cambridge and the Vale of Evesham.
In addition, they were planning to run to Folkestone, so that passengers would have the opportunity of crossing the Channel to visit Boulogne. They would stay in France only a short time and then return to the coach bringing them back to Leeds. In certain cases excursions would last about 15 hours, passengers travelling for 13 hours in the coach. They were catering for people who enjoyed riding around and did not wish to stay in one place.
Replying to Mr. J. Muscrop, appearing for Rogers Motor Coaches, who opposed the application, Mr. Steel said that they did not wish to abstract traffic. In April, Rogers had been licensed to operate several excursions from Leeds, said Mr. Muscrop, and now they wanted protection. Mr. Steel agreed that Wallace Arnold's proposed fares were lower than those of Rogers, but they could be amended if the Traffic Commissioners so desired.
Mr. G. Timmins, objecting for British Railways, said it was quite easy for people to travel by train from Leeds to Folkestone. They had instigated the short cross-Channel trip to France, where no passport was needed, and passengers came to the British ports from all over the country.
Evidence was given by eight passengers who had all exhausted Wallace Arnold's existing excursions, and now wanted to go to the new places. Some of them claimed to have been travelling for over 20 years, going on one excursion every week. They did not seem to consider it a strain to spend about 13 hours in a coach.
Mr. I. C. Rogers, proprietor of Rogers Motor Coaches, stated that at present no other operator ran from Leeds to Gretna Green, but themselves. It was a popular and successful excursion and they were quite able to satisfy the demands.
The case is to be continued,