THE LATEST NEWS OF IMPORTANT EVENTS
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ALDERSHOT VEHICLES FOR L.P.T.B.
TEE _Aldershot and District Traction Co., Ltd., is, we understand, to sell to the London Passenger Transport Board six buses and a freehold garage, with equipment, at Ewhurst, Surrey. The buses work from Guildford to llrlerrow (one double-decker), Guildford to Dorking (four single-deckers), and Guildford to Ewhiirst (a one-man bus).
The transfer was expected to take place on duly 12, but has been deferred
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to meet the wishes of the Metropolitan Traffic Commissioner.
BRIGHTON MERGER INQUIRY.
ON Wednesday last, an inquiry com menced at Brighton into the proposal to amalgamate the municipal transport system with the undertaking of Thomas Tilling, Ltd. The matter was again considered in the afternoon of that day, at a meeting of 'the town council. It is suggested that a poll on the subject should be taken on July 28. ELLIOTT BROS. ACQUIRES OLYMPIC SERVICES.
WE are able to announce that Elliott Bros. (Bournemouth), Ltd., has taken over Olympic Motor Services, Ltd., 78, Clarendon Road, Southsen, operating a twice-daily service from Portsmouth to Bristol, via Southampton and Salisbury. Application has been made by the Elliott concern to the Traffic Commissioners for the transfer of the licence. The Olympic concern was registered in April, 1930. MACSITANES LOSES LICENCES: • MINISTER'S FINAL ORDER.
THE Minister of Transport has now formally made Orders on the North-Western Traffic Commissioners requiring them to revoke certain licences of MacShanes Motors, Ltd., in respect of Liverpool-Bootle-LitherIand services, and to grant additional licences to Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., to enable that company to operate services previously. run by-the Merseyside Touring Co., Ltd.
This decision is announced as a result of the appeals of Liverpool Corporation and the Ribble concern against the granting of the licences to MacShanes. The Minister proposed to take this action last year, but a great public outcry arose and, later, MacSheila.; Motors, Ltd., obtained a rule nisi against the Minister. This was, how ever, discharged by the High Court in May last.
In certain cases, protection is provided for Liverpool Corporation's tramways, but this authority ie to pay half the costs of the inquiry. In a letter addressed from the Ministry to the North-Western Traffic Commissioners, it is stated that the interests associated with MaeShanes (Red and White Services, Ltd.) should have little difficulty in absorbing the Bootle area fleet, which Cost some £40,000.
"EASTERN COUNTIES" SEERS "WESTMINSTER" LICENCES.
THE Eastern Counties Omnibus Co., Ltd., has applied to the Traffic Commissioners for tho transfer of , the licences held by Westminster Coaching Services, Ltd., in respect of routes from London to Yarmouth, Norwich, Cambridge, Wisbech, Ely and Bury St. Edmunds.
BUSES CARRY HALF LONDON'S TRAFFIC.
LONDON County Council has secured statistics of passenger traffic in the Greater London area for 1932, and the two precediug years. The total number of passenger journeys in 1932 was 3,890 millions, giving an average (on the basis of 366 days) of over 10i niillion journeys daily. The number of journeys in the year equals 469 per head, or 1.3 a head per day.
1932, the buses carried 1,905,022,086 passengers (49 per cent. of total), trams 1,038,280,000 persons (26.7 per cent.) and railways 947,141,991 (24.3 per cent.), all these figures representing decreases over the previous year's results.
SUMMER FARES EXPIRATION.
A MEETING of the Central Fares Committee was held last Tuesday, when it was agreed to recommend that
the summer fares schedules should expire on the last Saturday in August. A further meeting is to be held towards the end of August to agree to a revision of the existing fares.
As from July 24, Manchester C07poration and the North Western Road Car Co., Ltd., will jointly operate the service of Messrs. Organ and Wachter.
EIGHT APPEALS AGAINST YORK• SHIRE SPECIAL CONDITIONS.
EIGHT important bus ceenpanies have lodged appeals against the excursion and tour licence modifications granted by the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners to members of Yorkshire Motor Coach Owners, Ltd., and to new standard conditions laid down by the Commissioners.
The opposition will centre chiefly on the action of the Commissioners in setting up a special licence schedule for pre-booked uiladvertised parties, which may be picked up at any one point within three miles of the licensed starting point.
The appellant bus companies are Yorkshire Traction Co., Ltd. ; Yorkshire (Woollen District) Electric Tramways, Ltd.; East Yorkshire Motor Services, Ltd.; Hebble Motor Services, Ltd. ; West RidingAutomobile Co., Ltd.; East Midlands Motor Services, Ltd. ; United Automobile Services, Ltd.; and West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd.
• The issue is being contested on nil' appeal against the licence granted to Messrs. S. and H. Croft, Yeadon, near Leeds, and Yorkshire Motor Coach Owners, Ltd., is raising special funds to defend the case.
Some of the grounds for the appeals are as follow :—That the granting of the licence in the form proposed is ultra vires. That the new conditions are inadequate and unworkable. That such difficulties in the operation ef excursion work as were disclosed and dealt with in the evidence before the Commissioners are matters which, if proved, properly fall to be dealt with by the Minister by regulations or by amendment of the Road Traffic Act. If the questions raised be matters which affect operators throughout the country, the Commissioners of n partierdar area should not impose conditions which can apply only to that area.
It is believed that the appeal may be heard to-day, along with those against the granting by the Southern Commissioners of a licence for pre-bookedparty work to Elliott Bros. (Bournemouth), Ltd.
THE GLOSTER-GARDNER COACH IN SERVICE.
IN our issue dated June 30, we pub lished a full account of the new Gloster-Gardner oil-engined coach chassis, produced by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Co., Ltd., Gloucester. The new vehicle, of which both chassis and 30-seater body have been designed nod built by the Gloucester company, is new in service, and was examined by us after its maiden trip from South Wales to London last Tuesday.
Certain of the Gloucester company's engineers and others were taken for a short drive through the north of London, in the course of which Haverstoek Hill was climbed and other tests of manceuvrability and general driving comfort were made.
The five-speed gearbox gives a pleasantly low engine speed on the level, so that there is an impression of travelling more slowly than actually is the case, whilst, apart from this, the outstanding characteristic is probably the
ealidity of construction. The wheelbase is 17 ft, 6 ins.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION TO PROTECT TRAVFILJNG PUBLIC.
THE National Road and Rail Users'
Association with offices at 8, Fernden Way, Romford, Essex, has been constituted to protect the interests of the travelling public. The decision to take this step was reached as a result of a meeting of the Road Travellers Protection Society, which, as we reported on February 17 last, was formed following the announcement of the Minister of Transport's intention to revoke the road-service licences of Upminster Services, Ltd.
The new body is not opposed to unified control, as instanced by the London Passenger Transport Board, but will endeavour to secure fair play for the public and for those who have served the public well. The committee of the association will be prepared to deal with cases in which readers of The Commercial Motor have complaints against the activities of Traffic Commissioners or Government departments, and where the public interest is affected. The secretary is Mr. A. E. Fruitnight.
G.W.R. ROAD SERVICE " BETWEEN ANY TWO POINTS."
THE Great Western Railway Co. has
applied to the Western Traffic Commissioners for the renewal of its road service licences, with a modification to operate a service "between any two points," as distinguished from the original application to run a stagecarriage service "between any two stations or section between any two stations." Plymouth Corporation is objecting to the application.
NO. 6 COMMITTEE ON FARES.
SPECIAL attention was given to fares
at a meeting of the No. 6 (East) Regional Committee, at Ipswich Town Hall, last Wednesday. Fares on express services were considered, whilst general prineiples governing fares were dealt with at length.
The latter included the inter-availability of road-rail tickets, less-thansummation fares, the validity of return tickets on alternative road services, privilege tickets, the breaking of journeys, the basic rate of coach and bus fares; and inclusive charges, such as those covering road journeys and other forms of travel, or entrance fees, etc. The work of the central committee was also considered.
The secretary and convener of the No. 6 Committee is Mr. L. E. Richards.
U.A.S. LOSES ITS CASE AT MIDDLESBROUGH.
THE Minister has dismissed, with costs, the appeal of United Automobile Services, Ltd., against the refusal of the Northern Traffic Commissioners to grant a licence for a service from Middlesbrough Station (I,N.E.R.) to the Yorkshire Showground, at Marton, in the county borough of Middlesbrough. The hearing of the appeal was reported In our issue dated June 23.
The corporation was authorized to run a two-minute service to the ground, with a single fare of 4d., and, for this purpose, endeavoured to hire vehicles from the U.A.S., bat was unable, it stated, to obtain a reply in time. The company's application to work on the route at a single fare of 4d., which was said to have been made at the re
13.38 quest of the railway company, was refused. This action was held to constitute a repudiation of the policy of road-rail-co-ordination.
In dismissing the appeal, the Minister observed that the TJ.A.S. was "not candid" with the corporation in delaying answer to the request for the hire of vehicles, while it made its own application.
NEW LONDON COMMITTEE.
A NEW committee, representative of
the 13 trade unions concerned with transport in London, has been formed, .following the establishment of the London Passenger Transport Board.
'STEPS TO IMPROVE ACCRINGTON'S POSITION.
THE transport committee of Accring ton Corporation has inquired into the loss sustained by the transport department during the past year. Several recommendations have been made with a view to improving the financial position, these including a proposal to purchase an oil engine and another to appoint a qualified motor mechanic to the bus depot.
L.P.T.B. SEEKING TRANSFER OF LICENCES
THE London Passenger Transport
Board is applying to the Metropolitan Traffic Commissioner for the transfer of the stage-carriage licences previously granted to West Herts Motor Services, Ltd., in respect of services from Boxmoor to Dunstable and Apeley The Board is also seeking the transfer of the licence of the Amershara and District Motor Bus and Haulage ,Co., Ltd., for the Chesham-Aylesbury route.
OMNIBUS SOCIETY ACTIVITY.
FORTHCOMING visits by the Omnibus Society include one on Sunday, July 30, to Wolverhampton, where the trolley-bus undertaking will be in_ spected. The bon, secretary is Mr. Charles F. Klepper, 4, Wellington Road, London, E.3. TWO COMPANIES ABSOLVED FROM LICENCE APPLICATIONS.
THE Western Traffic Commissioners
have declared that certain services of the associated Bristol Tramways and Carriage Co., Ltd., and Greyhound Motors, Ltd., on which there is no other competition, in the Bristol and Westonsuper-Mare districts, can continue, without further licence applications, so long as no substantial variations are made. Duplication is allowed in the operators' discretion.
AIR SECTION IN ROADWAY TIMETABLE.
THE summer edition of the Roadway
time-table, published by Roadway Publications, Polebrook House, Golden Square, LOndon, W.1, has now been published. The titne-table is the 27th issue, and is claimed to be the only complete volume of its kind, either of coach or air services.
The edition contains the tables of 192 coach operators, comprising 624 services, and its 360 pages list regular 'coach services to over 2,350 places. Again, 296 of these points are subindexed for quick reference to crosscountry routes.
An interesting feature is the Mehlsion of an air-transport section, wherein will be found listed the services of 113 different companies. The price of the time-table is 6d.
ROTHERHAM AND L.M.S. JOINT EXCURSIONS.
ROTHERHAM Corporation's trans port manager has made a provisional arrangement with the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Co. to co-operate in a series of combined bus and railway excursions.
The L.M.S. will advertise -trips to various watering places from Rotherham and adjacent villages, and issue tickets which would entitle a person to be picked up by a special bus, conveyed to the railway station and brought back to the village from the railway station, after the normal service hours.