Operating Aspects of
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PASSENGER TRANSPORT
LONDON TRANSPORT TO INCREASE FARES ?
FOR some time past there has been a prospect of the London Transport Board raising its fares, but it would seem to be unlikely that any such step will be taken
The Board is being attacked by C stockholders, as it, so far, has failed to pay the statutory rate of interest on
these holdings. The Board is empowered, by the Act which brought it into existence, to raise its fares in order to meet such a condition.
The suggested increase, proposed by the moderates amongst the stockholders, is at the rate of Gcl. in the £.
WAGE INCREASE FOR 3,000 BUSMEN.
AS the result of the acceptance of an offer made by the Crosville Motor Services, Ltd., some 3,000 drivers and conductors in North Wales and Wirral are to receive a wage increase.
In grades 2 and 1A depots the increase is d. in hour, whilst in the grade I depots the offer is id_ an hour. Thus the men employed in districts in North Wales will receive the id. increase, and those in the Wirral district d.
DARLINGTON PROPOSES TO SPEND 197,500.
-THE following expenditure during 1 the next five years in connection with its trolleybuses is propoted by Darlington Corporation:—£7,000 for depot extensions; £3,000 for alterations to offices; £1,500 for machinery and plant; £75,000 for replacements and additions to rolling stock; and £10,000 for electrical equipment for route extensions. Consideration is being given to the immediate extension cf the trolleybus route to the junction of Yarm Road and Lingfield Road.
The corporation has accepted the tender of Leyland Motors, Ltd., for the supply of eight trolleybus chassis, and the tender of the Brush Electrical Co.. Ltd., for the bodies.
GLASGOW'S UNDERGROUND TRANSPORT PROPOSAL.
THE formation of an underground transport system was contained in a notice of motion put forward by Mr. Joseph Taylor, at a meeting of Glasgow Corporation, last week. His motion is to the effect that the corporation should •appoint a special committee to obtain a geological report on the city and surrounding areas, and, thereafter, to consider the question of
establishing an underground transport service to augment the present system.
Mr. Taylor, in an interview, stated that it was obvious that, within the next few years. Glasgow will have seriously to consider some new mode of transport, apart from trolleybuses, or trams.
He admitted that such a scheme would involve the spending of millions of pounds, but it could be utilized in a time of emergency in the interests of public safety.
SALFORD TO ADD 20 BUSES TO ITS FLEET.
AT a total cost of £35,745, Salford Corporation is to purchase 20 buses. These will be used to take the place of trams running from Eccles, and to replace vehicles which, after eight years' service, have become uneconomical to operate. The new fleet will comprise 15 double-deckers and five singledeckers.
PORTSMOUTH EXTENSION RUNNING AT A LOSS.
IT was revealed by Portsmouth City Council, last week, that an extension of a bus service had resulted in a loss. The transport committee recommended
that the service be discontinued. A lengthy discussion followed, during which it was revealed that, since July 30, the buses had made 3.323 journeys, carrying 1,379 passengers, and that a loss of £94 had resulted. An amendment was moved, and carried, that the service be continued for another three months.
WEST HARTLEPOOL'S NEW TROLLEYBUSES.
DELIVERY of eight new trolleyL./buses, to be used on the West Hartlepool-Hartlepool route, has just been made to West Hartlepool Corporation.
TRAMS FASTER THAN TROLLEYBUSES
ACCORDING to Mr.. R. F. Smith, transport manager of Glasgow Corporation, the sum of £1,000,000, which it is recommended should be spent on bringing the present tramways system up to date, would purchase 125 new vehicles and meet the cost of refitting 500 existing -cars with new bodies andtrucks.
In his condemnation of a system of trolleybuses, Mr. Smith says that such vehicles would raise annual costs by £300,000 and he claims that, in any case. Glasgow's trams are faster than trolleybuses.
The average speed for trams in Glasgow. including standing time, is 9.80 m.p.h. This compares with trolleybus speeds in Birmingham of 9.39 m.p.h., Bournemouth 8.87 m.p.h. Huddersfield 8.753 m.p.h. and Nottingham 8.87 m.p.h. Glasgow is to add 50 new machines to its bus fleet and tenders are to be invited at the next meeting of the corporation. More than 600 buses are at present operating, of which 100 were acquired to cope with Empire Exhibition traffic. These will be used to serve the housing estates, the new Vehicles replacing some of the older machines.
MIDDLESBROUGH AGREEMENT ON FARES.
A PROVISIONAL agreement has 1-1, been reached between Middlesbrough Corporation and United Automobile Services, Ltd., regarding the proposed revision of -Middlesbrough Corporation bus fares. The agreement provides for protection for certain corporation services, and the continuance of the restriction regarding contract tickets.
Among other things, it has been agreed that there shall be no encroachment upon the cheap fares given by the corporation. Several new fares are to be introduced.
ROCHDALE SPENDING 118,000 ON NEW BUSES.
THE recent decision of Rochdale HE to reserve approximately £18,000, of the past financial year's surplus of £22,849, towards the acquisition of new buses, has resulted in the placing of an order with Leyland Motors, Ltd., for five double-deck and eight single-deck chassis, all powered by oil engines of Leyland make. The specifications of the double-deckers are practically the same as those of the 12 Leyland buses of this type supplied to the corporation earlier in the year.
NOMINEES SLIGHTED BY COMMISSIONERS
BY unanimous agreement, Hamilton Town Council has decided not to nominate a member for the panel from which Traffic Commissioners, for the area are drawn. This step has been taken because not once has its nominee been called to sittings of the Traffic Commissioners. For the past eight or nine years, the council has nominated Sir Henry Keith to the panel. but he has never, on one occasion, been called to a sitting.
Bailie Shinwell, moving that the council makes no nomination this year, stated that the Commissioners seemed to comprise the same members on every occasion, and it appeared to be a waste of time to nominate anyone. 'He suggested that the council should send a letter to the Ministry of Transport, explaining its reasons, and this was agreed upon.
SCOTTISH DOUBLE-DECKER APPLICATION.
APPLICATION has been made by the Western Scottish Motor Traction Co., Ltd., of Kilmarnock, to the Southern Scotland Traffic Commissioners, for permission to run doubledeck buses from its depot at Fullarton Street, Ayr, and from Ayr Railway Station to Dunure,
IMPRISONMENT FOR FALSE DECLARATION
FOR snaking a false declaration to obtain a p.s.v. licence as a conductor, a man was sentenced at Hastings last week to six months' imprisonment, with hard labour. He pleaded guilty, and Mr. W. Meiron Williams, who prosecuted, said that the man had declared that he bad had no previous convictions against him, whereas, in actual fact, he had. Defendant, also, gave a certificate signed by two persons, and inquiries had proved that these signatures bad been forged. One of the signators was dead; the other did not exist.