Cash-in on the Travel Habit
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By A. R. F. Carling,
Chairman, Public Transport Association TTHE HE coach and bus industry faces a New Yearin which the availability—and the use—of personal transport is certain to be wider than ever before. At the same time, total passenger movement is likely to go on growing fast. Whilst people's minds
are being directed almost daily towards the possibilities of travel soon in outer space, it is natural that no earthly distance should seem an impassable barrier to their travel now in inner space. Their taste for travel (and I do not mean recreational travel only) is developing quite as quickly as is their means of indulging it, and the availability of better facilities, public as well as private, may increase the share of incomes so spent.
It is important that public road transport should secure its share of this growing market, or at least not see its total carryings diminish, as has been the case in places in some recent years. It is important because experience shows that the public still wants its transport services to be available, even when it is inclined to use them less. This applies everywhere, but it is probable that people in tke rural areas give personal transport a higher priority than town-dwellers when they decide how to lay out their resources; certainly it is in country areas that the problem has become most acute, Prof. Jack's committee have undertaken to consider just this problem. No doubt they will find there is a strong demand for seat-miles on country routes, however inadequately they are justified by passenger-miles. From the consumer's point of view, it is like wanting water behind the tap and electricity behind the switch—however little either is used. Alas to the operator an unused seat-mile is lost for ever. Water and electricity will not be wasted if no one touches tap or switch.
, The irony of the situation is that many of these hopelessly unremunerative services could be maintained if they were regarded by the Chancellor of the Exchequer as a social amenity and not as a super-luxury to be penalized by a 200 per cent, tax on the diesel fuel which is necessary to keep them going.
It is, moreover, the buses and coaches which in towns are most economical in their demands per passenger on scarce road space. They have a far better load factor than private vehicles during peak hours and their utility function can fairly be claimed to justify a special remission of tax on derv. Here, surely, is a fitting objective for one of the Chancellor's New Year resolutions—one which would be constructive and popular at the same time.
In other respects, too, we must hope that 1960 may see realistic action by the Government. The only fault the operator associations found with Mr. Harold Watkinson's proposal to raise the public service vehicle speed limit from 30 m.p.h: to 40 m.p.h. was that it was too halfhearted. The fullest and safest use of our roads will be attained when all traffic is moving well, and at the same speed. The less overtaking, the greater the safety.
To make buses and coaches subject to the same speed limits as other motor traffic, and to those limits alone, would be no more than sensible. There can be no reason to think that it would result in irresponsibility or excess. If, indeed, there were to be irresponsibility among tested, professional drivers, a selective limit' would not help. This is a matter in which we can confidently look for wholehearted action by Mr. Marples and thus see the missed opportunity of 1959 made good.
Whatever one may think of his speed-limit indecision, there was nothing chicken-hearted about Mr. Watkinson's approach to the question of modern highways, and he may well be remembered as the Minister of Transport who had M I built and many other major road schemes begun. As with MI, so with its successors, our industry must learn to make good use of its new opportunities.
Already; Britain's secondary road system compares favourably with that of most of Europe. Now that the trunk road system is being brought up to a European standard—and I feel sure the present Minister would claim no less—it is time for our industry's other restrictions to be relaxed in line with those prevailing in the rest of modern Europe. The industry will certainly expect an increase in box dimensions to the extent found generally acceptable in the E.C.E. discussions in Geneva.
For my own part, I would also like to see progress during 1960 in quite another field, in a modification of licensing practice which would allow to operators some flexibility in fixing their fares. Many believe that this could be accomplished without fresh legislation and without the loss of safeguards for each legitimate interest. I am hopeful that this objective may attract wide support.
There are other worthy objectives, large and small. 1 select one, concerning all service operators, with which to conclude. It would need only 'a little courage, and a single, combined, once-for-all effort by those affected—road and rail alike—and we could have the improved efficiency and convenience of the 24-hour clock in all British timetables. So many of the public are used to this already, through acquaintance with it in the Services, or on Continental holidays, that I do not myself believe the change-over would cause great difficulty.
Fresh type-setting would be an expense, of course; but it would provide opportunities for other improvements. That, however, is another and a delicate subject, on which I would prefer not to dilate in a New Year message.
As a final wish, what about another summer in 1960 to match the summer of 1959? We can all agree on that, and as we know it is possible to have two bad summers consecutively, we may be sure that our wish is not beyond fulfilment.