BUS VERSUS TRAM STRUGGLE AT MANSFIELD
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Should Protection Be Given • to Buses Replacing Trams ? if ANY difficult questions concerning .111.1the principle of protection are engaging the Traffic Commissioners' attendon and one of the contentious cases is that of Mansfield in the East Midland area, where for some years obsolete tramways have aggravated the transport problem.
It is thought that details of the position at Mansfield will interest all operators who are troubled by this problem.
The tramways system in question has been operated, since the beginning of the century, by a private company. The routes radiate from the town in five directions and include one long route to Sutton-in-Ashfield and Huthwaite and one to the neighbouring town of 'Woodhouse.
Until 1923 this was the only system of road passenger transport in the district. Since that date, however, bits competition has eaten into the tramway receipts.
Some services have been -operated solely on tram routes, but a larger number has travelled beyond the ter mini. Under the .old licensing system, little or no protectionwas given to the • trams and the operation of the Road Traffic Act,'1930, has caused the whole situation to be reviewed.
Last year the Manafieldand District Tramways, Ltd., opposed strongly and the Commissioners decided in the case of the Ebor Bus Co., Ltd., which_ -operated five routes, that one to Woodhouse solely on • the tram route must cease, two extending beyond the termini must not carry passengers locally oil. the train lines and two others were in
no way restricted.
• All five decisions were taken to the Minister of Transport on appeal, and he endorsed the Commissioners' ruling, withdrawing the Woodhouse service and altering the conditions on all the other routes. He stated "that some protection should be given to" the tramways and laid down fares. These amounted to a rule that the bus company should charge a minimum fare equal to the tramcar maximum rate. The fares were adopted by the Commissioners' for the other companies operating in the district.
This, however, did 'not Settle' the question. On February 8th, the Ebor applications for next year were heard and the whole subject was brought up again. It was stated that the tramways" company is shortly substituting buses for trams on all routes and that it pas inereasing the fares to a fiat rate of ld. per mile.
Despite the Minister's ruling, it was submitted by the tramways -concern that, on any._stage, the fare for other company's buses should be 50 per cent. greater than that on its own vehicles.
It was submitted by. the Ebor Co. that the intention of the Minister was to protect the tramways for short distances, but to allow equal fares between termini.
The decision on this application is not expected to be published until after the tramways company's applications to substitute buSes have been fully dealt with and settled.