Increased Fares for Three Bus All Operators to Operators : New Mileage Basis Seek Higher Fares ?
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ONDITIONAL fare increases were last week granted to Glasgow Transport Department after the Scottish Licensing Authority had been told that the estimated deficit on the undertaking for 1955-56 was £594,000.
The conditions were that the corporation consider extending weekly tickets to cover certain workers' services, and that a conference be arranged with other bus operators to discuss the co-ordination of fares on certain routes.
Mr. E. R. L. Fitzpaync, Glasgow's general manager, said there was a deficit of 174,563 on last year's working, and the estimated loss for 1955-56 was £594,000. If the current application for higher wages were granted in full, it would cost another £540,000 a year.
The proposed new rates, together with new fares recently introduced on trolleybus and tram services, would bring in about an extra £285,600.
Ten tenants' associations, two trade unions and the Communist. Party objected. The Communist spokesman urged that a deputation to the Secretary of State for Scotland should suggest a reduction of 2 per cent, in interest charges and the abolition of the tax on fuel used by local authorities.
Extra £16,600 for Lincoln Fare increases estimated to bring in an extra £16,600 a year were last week granted to Lincoln Transport Department by the East Midland Licensing Authority.
The Authority approved the abolition of workers' weekly tickets (which is expected to produce an extra £9,187), the increase of lid. in the LA. ordinary minimum fare (£5,745), a revision of ordinary fares (£1,161), and a higher rate for football specials (£509).
Mr. H. B-. Hodgson, for the corporation, said that on the existing rates the department faced a deficit of £17,932 at the end of the current financial year, Running costs were 28.52d. a mile.
He said that the application was not connected with the current pay claim by bus workers. If their demands were granted in full they would cost the department £21,000 a year.
Thames Valley Return Twenty local authorities objected to an application for higher fares by the Thames Valley Traction Co., Ltd., last week. The increases were granted.
Mr. Maurice Holmes, for Thames Valley, said that the application merely conformed with a request made by the Licensing Authority last March. On that occasion, the Authority had indicated that fares should be calculated on a rational basis and had rejected the company's proposals with regard to season-ticket 'rates.
New fares would be introduced on a single-fare mileage basis. A total of 15,491 fares was involved. Of these, 4,579 would be increased and 3,543 would be decreased. Charges for season tickets would in future be based on multiples of single fares instead of, as • at present, on returns.
"When the company were before you on the last occasion," Mr. Holmes went on. " they were asking for approval of an additional revenue of £86,900. They set out to persuade you that they were right in estimating a • sales resistance' figure of £25,000. The Authority did not agree with that sum. You were proved to be partly right."
Since the last increases, the company had averaged an extra £1,515 a week. That, related to the increase for a full year, would give a figure of £78,780.
The increases now proposed would produce an additional £10,941 in a full year. If the Authority approved the application, the company would be £2,500 better off than they were proposing in March.
Mr. Holmes added that because season tickets were untouched in March, a "very, considerable" number of people switched over from ordinary daily tickets to period tickets. From April to August inclusive there was an overall increase of 36.47 per cent. in the sales of period tickets.
Announcing the Authority's decision, the chairman, Mr. H. J. Thom, said: "We have no doubt the proposals will result in fares which will certainly not be unreasonable. The revenue to be derived from the changes is necessary to make up the deficit on agreed estimates put forward at the last sitting. The deficit is the result of the very natural swing by the public towards season-ticket rates, which were not increased. The means by which the additional revenue is to be obtained is not unreasonable."
OILERS 12.2 PER CENT OF TOTAL
LAST year, 12.2 per cent of the commercial vehicles in this country had oil engines, compared with 10.7 per cent in 1953 and 9.7 per cent in 1952. The figure for 1934 was 1.3.
There are more vehicles to the mile in Britain than in any other country, and the number of goods vehicles, which stood at 1.032.868 in 1954, has doubled since the end of the war.
The number of trams in this country has dwindled from the peak figure of 14,413 in 1927 to 2,624 last year.
These facts are contained in "Basic Road Statistics. 1955," published by the British Road Federation, 4a Bloomsbury Square, London, W.C.1, at ls.
LEYLAND ENGINES IN HOLLAND IT is understood that Van Doome's Automobielfabriek. N.V., Eindhoven, Holland, are to produce Leyland 0350 engines under licence. An earlier report (The Commercial Motor, September 23) was that complete vehicles were to be made. THE current wage claims by bus workers, together with the continued rise in the cost of materials, " make it generally recognized that all transport operators are likely to 'have to make further applications for increased fares,says Mr. R. E. Cox, general manager of Walsall Transport Department, in his annual report.
In the past financial year, the department showed a loss of £22,601, compared with a profit of £26,803 in 1953-54.
During the year, income increased by £18,831 to £905,421. The number of passengers carried rose from 82,513,02: in 1953-4 to 85,112,131. Trolleybuses lost more than id. a mile and the motorbuses nearly id. a mile.
On the instructions of the generalpurposes committee, the transport committee were preparing a Parliamentary Bill for free travel for old people. The concession would be charged to the rates and, subject to the necessary financial arrangement, would apply also to old people living outside the town hut served by the department.
TIPPER DANGER PLATES
" DANGER: do not reach under the raised body unless it is propped." White enamelled plates, with these words in red letters at least / in. high, are to be obtained by the vehicles committee of the National Road Transport Federation for sale to members of the three constituent associations.
Drivers and others working on or near tipping vehicles have been trapped by the descending bodies and killed.
The committee have also agreed to discourage members from using "a certain reflecting material now being sold and suggested for use on vehicles for advertising and other purposes." • The Ministry of Transport had been consulted and expressed the view that such materials could distract the attention of road users, and thus constitute some danger.
EKCO TV FOR VEHICLES
A TELEVISION set suitable for ..e—k installation in vehicles has been produced by E. K. Cole, Ltd., Southendon-Sea. It can be seen at the Motor Show in a Rolls-Royce limousine. As it works on a 12v. circuit it could, with slight adaptation, be used in coaches
with 24v. systems. •
The set measures 101 in. wide by 1 ft. 1 in. high and 1 ft. 3 in, deep, and has a 9-in. tube. It uses an ordinary radio aerial to pick up both B.B.C. and commercial-television transmissions, as well as V.H.F./F.M. sound radio programmes.
Unless the vehicle is in an unfavourable location, the receiver can be used up to about 30 miles from the transmitter. The makers claim that it will operate successfully while the vehicle is moving or stationary.