CHAR-A-BANCS NEWS AND COMMENTS.
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Matters of Topical Interest to Proprietors of Motor Coaches.
The Sightseers' Paradise.
More About the Services of the Switzerland of England.
ONE of the delights of ,char-a-banes of in Derbyshireis the sublime air of romanticism which surrounds the
. tourist at every turn. Wherever one goes there are concealed beauties, unexpected mountains of grandeur, defiant gradients—a sort of bulwark' to some obscure gem of scenery nestling under a transparent cloud of romance. No wonder, then, that the Peak District holds such a charm over the tourist. Every week ..huncheds, or rather thousands, of char-a-bancs tourists pass throtigh Derbyshire, whilst hundreds of other pleasure seekers entrain to Buiton. or Matlock, centres from which they peregrinate by motor coach to all parts of the county.
On the occasion of the visit Of a representative of The Commercial Motor to these towns, the weather for some time had not been too promising, and on this particular day there was a persistent deluge—the only day since Whitsuntide. that ehars-a-bancs had been unable to run their usual daily tours from Matlock. At Buxton it was learned that nearly 200 .-coaches visit the town every week when the weather is fine.
A feature of the Derbyshire tours is the acce:si.:.ility of one town to another ; roads radiate in every direction, and although many of them are dangerously steep and winding, capable and experienced drives's are able to tackle them without much difficulty. Almost every route daring the summer time we were told, becomes a gushing s-treateof traffic,' necessitating very cautious handling, if accidents are to be avoided.
From Matlock the principal two services are run by Mr. W. H. Furniss and Mr. William Hands, whose companies, by the way, will in the future be known as Hands Garages„, Ltd. MT. Hands's fleet consists of seven vehicles from 14 to 30 seaters—Dennis, A.E.C., _ Napiess, Commers, Fiat, ad, by now, a Daimler. " Comparing Matlock with other parts of the county, what is the most distinguishing feature of the char-a-banes tours fromthis district?" we asked Mr. Hands.
"I should say," he replied, "that our drivers cover more hilly ground than anywhere else for many miles around. We climb hills, and steep ones at that, on every tour in order to get the best views, and our petrol consumption over a period with different machines has varied between 6 and 14 Miles to the gallon, according to the country we have travelled through.. In aciditiork to the big consumption of petrol, we have to make a generous il.11owanee for depreciation."
"On What bads do you calculate fares? "
"These we do not reckon out on a uniform basis, but they work out on the, average, I should say, of about_2d. per mile, that is allowing for waiting time, too, because we cannot rush through these trips, and must. allow passengers opportunity of seeing the sights. We get. a big number of visitors . to Matlock, especially on Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays; on other days there is not. the same briskness.'' Mr. Hands told us that touring cars are also in brisk demand, and that of their 16 drivers 14 are local ex-Service men thoroughly .familiar with the country. He provides garaging accommodation for about al vehicles.
The next owner we met was Mr. Furniss' wins seemed to be very proud of the facts—of wide.; he may well he—that Matlock was the chief centre for all the
Peak District at d the Dukeries. He described to us a number of the tours from Matlock to many of the favourite resorts with no little enthusiasm.
Asked whether any winter touring was done from Matlock, Mr. Furniss saia bright, crispy, winter days it was a frequent occurrence to take parties from neighbouring hydropathic establishments to places not too far away. He agreed that the fares worked out about 2d. per passenger per mile, and incidentally added that own-era at Chesterfield were doing tours for so low as 11d.
There are afters's:en; morning, evening, and full day taws from Matlock— some 25 in all—the fares being for not less than 10 passengers. Seats are only reserved at an extra charge of 6d. per passenger. T.he following are the principal tours 1 from Matlock :—Morning runs 1, Chatsworth, Bakewell, and Haddon Hall, 4s. 6d.; Chatsworth, Bake:well, and Haddon Hall (time to visit), 5s. 6d-; 2. 'Via Gellia and Haddon Hall, 4s. 6d.; 3, Via Gellia, Haddon Hall, Chatsworth, via Bakewell, 6s. : via Ceiba, Haddon Hall, Chatsworth, via Bakewell (time to visit), 6s. 6L; 4, Whatetandwell. Wigwell, Via Gellia, 5&; 5, Whatstandwell, Wigwell, Via Gallia, Haddon Hall, 6s. ; 6, Haddon Hall, Bake Molisal Dale, Chatsworth (39 miles), 6s. 6d.; 7, via. Ceiba., Wirksworth, and Duffield, 7s. 6d.; 7a, Wingfield. Manor, via Tansley (30 mileS), 6s. 6d. Afternoon tours: 8, Buxton, through Via Gellia and Newhaven, return. Paddington, Ashfordin-the-Water, Bakewell, and Haddon Hall (50 miles), 9s. 1 9, Baslow, Middleton -Dale. Tideswell (Cathedral of the Peak), Miller's Dale, Taddington Dale, Ashford-in-the-Water, and Bakewell (53 miles), 9s. ; 10, Hardwick Hall, via Tansley Moor, Wessington, Sbirland, Pilsley, 92..; 11, Via Gellia, .kshbourne, Derby, return saia Belper (for tea), 10s ; 12, Surprise View, Chatsworth, Paaslow, Froggatt Edge, Fox Rouse, Surprise View, Ilathersage, Bakewell, etc., 8s. 6c1. ; 13, Castleton, via Chatsworth, Basloav, Hathersage, Hope, return Bradwell,' i'vlonsal Dale. and Bakewell (56 miles), 10s. ; 13a, Same as 13, extended route via Surprise View, lls. ; 14, Via_ Gellia, Fenny Bentley, ' Tissington, Peveril Hotel, car proceeding to New Ines, where pa-..sengers will be met after
walking through Dale (Alsop-en-Ie-Dale), Newhaven, )roulgse.aye, Alport, Rowley, home home (50 miles), 8s. 6d.; 15, Tansfey Moor, Stubbin Edge, Topton, Chesterfield, Baslow Moor, BasIow, Chatsworth, 83.; 16, Chatsworth, 13asloi,v, Middleton Vale, Monsal Dale, Ashford-in-theWater, takewell (36 miles), 8s. ; 17, Chatsworth, %slow, Moorland Read to Owler Bar, on to Fox House, Surprise View, Hathersage, Hassop, Bakewe 10s.; 18, same as 16, extending mu' through Eyam, 95. Daytours: 19, Dukeries routs, via Sherwood Forest, de. (96 miles), 16s. fid. ; 20, Rudyard Lake route, Buxton, Cat and Fiddle Inn, Leek, 1_6s. 6d. -'21, Via Gallia, New.
haven, Buxton, 'Castleton, Bra,dwelt, Monsal Dale, 14s.; 22, Hardwick, via
Tansley Moor, return Bedcover Castle, Chesterfield, Watchell Moor, Saslow, Chatsworth, 12s. &t; 22a, Buxton, as per No. 8 (50 miles), 10s. ; 23, Dovedale, as per No. 14, Ms. ;l24, Castleton route, as per No. 13, 12s.; 25, Castleton route, as per No. 13a, 13s. Other drives can be arranged as per requirements.
The Surprise tour is a wonderful sightseeing excursion, the vehicles ascending to a height of nearly 1,000 ft. abovei sea level.
Messrs. E. Williamson and Co., of Matlock, run a 20-minute motorbus service to.Cromford, 2g miles away.
Buxton Services.
The Activities of Proprietors in the Hilly Districts of Derbyshire.
rIIHE town of Buxton is the. highest in the United Kingdom, being 1,000 ft. above the sea level, and is surrounded by hills which rise, to altitudes of 1,500 to 2,000 ft. Here the char-asbancs owners pride 'themselves upeu having machines better than those in most places. We notice from the. official guide issued by the Buxton Bureau of Information that in the descriptive accounts of the places worth visiting, the char•a-bancs merits quite a considerable amount of attention.
We had quite a pleasant, if hurried, chat with a member of W. R. Sanders (1920), Ltd., who have six Daimlers and Vulcans, 15 and 24 seaters-and more to come. In winter time they do a large amount of hau'age work. They have four establishments in Buxton, including the largest covered garage in Derbyshire, repair and paint shops, motor body building shop, and a Ford service depot.
Messrs. Sanders have published a descriptive booklet lof one of their favourite toms--to Haddon Hall and Chatsworth, reading which one almost experiences a sensation Wm to the rhapsodic delight of visualizing with the naked eye places so lovely as "Dovedale, immortalized IV authors and poets, Eyam, the plague village of Derbyshire, where lived the brave men cif Eyam,' perched, as it is, right among the hills, this county well deserves to be called the Switzerland of England." Coaches do not rim unless at. least eight seats are booked, and a point is made of stopping at the best and most pieturesone spats for lunch and tea. From Buxton there ace about 25 regular tours, day tours starting generally about 10.15 a.m., half-day tours at 2.,15 p.m., and evening tours at 6.30 p.m.
As there seems to be uniform fares at Buxton the tours may be summarized thus :-Day tours, Redden, Matleck, Derby, 12s. 6d. ; Sonaport, £1; Dove. dale, 12s. 6d.; Chesterfield, 13s.; Chats worth and Via Geniis, 12s. 6d. • tho Dukeries, .£1; Chester, 185. 6d.; dastie. Castle ton, Mani Tor, etc., f4s. 6d. • Moreton
Old Hall, etc., 12s. Half-day tours: Rudyard Lake, 10s. Ed.; Monsal Dale, etc., 8s.; Ludehuroli, 5s. 6d. ;
Dale, ete., 5s.; Dane Valley (also evening), Se. ; Longnor, etc. (also evening), 5s. 6d.; Bakewell, -Alport, etc. (alio evening), 8s.; Lang Hill, Whaley, etc. (also evening), 5s.; Haddon Hall and Chatsworth, 10s. ; Taddington Dale, Eyam, 8s.
Messrs. Hodgkinson and Sons have three Lancia ears, 15 sealers, and two Karriers holding 28, all of which have given them pod service. This, perhaps, is the oldest char-a-banes concern in the town.
Messrs. Pill Bros., who are official repairers to the..M.U. and R.A.C., also make a feature of circular motor char-a...banes tours. In all there are about five motor passenger services using Buxton as a centre of operation. About 20 vehicles are employed ter these services.,
That Word " Char-a-bancs."
When the man in the street becomes embroiled in the controversy as to the correct pronunelation of the word spelt c ha-r-a-b-a-n-c-s, there may develop a certain hesitation in using the term, lest in "opening our mouth we put our foot
in it. ' What with " charabang," " char-abanc" (the first syllable sounded as in charwoman), " charrybang," the lady who called it a "charabong," and the dictionary which gives the pronunciation as "shar-ashan "-all evolutions of a scheme of more or less higher education, some of us are beginning to feel that in early youth • our scholarly equipment' must have ,been sadly neglected, or -else the term was never meant to be interpreted in English. In which case, why not an anglicized equivalent?
The A.A. have addressed a letter to all members of the industrial velicle section" of the Association anent the outcry against the motor char-asbancs. They point out that it is not the char-k-bancs so much as the in-inner in which it is handled that, is the cause of the trouble, and the Association suggests that owners should issue instructions to their driners to give other road users every...considerskion.
Class Custom.
Char-a-oancs Travellers are not Cheap Trippers.
NO ONE who takes the trouble to examine the methods of various char-i-bancs proprietors and the results obtained can fail I,o be impressed with the fact that financial success is tremendously dependent upon the class of custom secured, and, consequently, upon the measures taken to ensure appealing to custom of a good class. This is true, particularly of the services run at seaside and other holiday resorts. The holiday maker is often willing tospend money freely. It is not, therefore, so man a qaestion of offering him
something at a cheap rate as of iffering an occupation likely to b-e so enjoyable as to justify the coif.. The client of the type that is worth getting wants to know when he will start and when he will get home. He makes his arrangements in advance, and does not merely jiiin a trip on the spur of the moment.
UndoubtedlY, the business of many coach proprietors is spoiled by the old and obnoxious system of touting by
drivers and conductors. This process eliminates more custom than it secures. Moreover, it is almost always associated with the practice of letting the vehicle start only when it is nearly full. If chance custom is depended on one cannot. say when, if ever, all the seats will he occupied, therefore neither can one say when the trip will commence and when it will finish.
Undoubtedly, the way to do well out of motor coaches is to keep the vehicles smart and scrupulously clean, to see that the upkeep is so thorough that breakdowns are eliminated, to work strictly to time-table, and to conduct the business in a reasonably dignified manner which will not hurt the susceptibilties of holiday makers whodo not wish to bo classified as cheap trippers.
Liverpmil Char-a-bancs Rates.
The Liverpool District, Cheshire, and North Wales Motor Chas-a-bancs-Owners Association announce that they have fixed the following minimum rates for the hire of chars-k-bancs (full loads) :-Saturdays, Sundays, cud public holi.days, 24. per passenger per car mile; other days, 10. per passenger per ear mile.