SOUTH WALES FARES NACRE applications by Welsh bus corn1'1 panics
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for higher fares were heard at Swansea last week, when the South Wales Traffic Commissioners reserved their decisions.
For the South Wales Transport Co. Ltd., Mr. John Main said that the proposed increases would yield £88,000 a year. All fares would be increased by a small amount to spread the cost because of the large sum required. As a result of increased costs the company had a "net worsening" of £121,000, said Mr. Main, and stage carriage revenue was 1570,000 below what was anticipated last year on present fares. Product of the present application would give the company a yield of 6-23 per cent in a full year compared with 8-15 per cent last year.
Cross-examined by Mr. John Morris, representing 50 local authorities, Mr. B. P. Drew, secretary of S.W.T., denied that fares applications were based on the needs of the weakest companies, with the strongest benefiting.
Mr. B. Rees, for the Swansea Corporation, said that S.W.T. had dropped £14,500 in anticipated income last year in spite of higher fares. That, he said, was because of passenger resistance. He asked that if increases were granted, they should not operate until higher up the fare scale than was proposed because it had been the short-distance traveller who had borne the burden of fare increases in recent years.
United Welsh Services Ltd. applied for blanket increases on the same lines as S.W.T. Mr. T. D. Corpe, for the company, said that increased operating c:mts totalled £40,000 a year. Total net worsening was £43,510, against which they were asking £42,750.
Higher fares were also sought by Silcox Motor Coach Co. Ltd., Pembroke, for whom Mr. W. L. Silcox said the increases asked for would provide a profit of £3,000 a year. On the present fares there would be a loss of £2,000, There was no opposition to this application.
24-hour Clock System THE current edition of the East Midland "Notices and Proceedings" contains what is probably the first application relating to a regular daily express service in which all the timings are given in accordance with the 24-hour clock system.
The timetable concerned is that for the Northampton-London service of United Counties Omnibus Co. Ltd., which in , company with other major operators in the Tilling, B.E.T. and Scottish groups, will be introducing the 24-hour clock on express services with the 1964-5 winter timetable and on stage carriage services early in 1965.