Gastonia picks up but ICL put down
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COMMUTER coach pioneers Gastonia Coaches of Cranleigh, Surrey, is cautiously optimistic about the future of its Cranleigh and Guildford to Central London service.
The service started a month ago in the wake of the Transport Act with only one regular passenger, but there are now between nine and ten, one of whom read about the service in CM. Gastonia also reports the occasional day passengers connecting with British Coachways services. The company needs 28 regular passengers to break even and has given itself to Christmas to reach this target, and to assist in doing this Gastonia is also looking for work during the day in Central London.
The company is also offering rail season ticket holders a free day's travel to try the service and is confident that passenger levels will increase as season tickets expire and when rail fares leap up later this month.
Gastonia has direct competition from London Country's Green Line network, but it considers its terminal at the north end of the Aldwych, which is exactly the 30 miles required by law from the pick-up point, more suitable for most commuters.
London-based International Coach Lines are disappointed in the response to its Southend London commuter service. Despite free travel offers, local advertising and specially signwritten coaches, only "a handful" of passengers are being carried but there are no plans to suspend the service yet.
A much more encouraging picture is reported by Olsen Bros of Strood in Kent who claim to have 15 coaches a day operating into the City of London and the West End from Kent towns. High passenger loadings have allowed Olsens to lower fares and it now plans to extend services to further Kent towns.