COMMERCI . AL
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MOTOR
The Safety of Coaches at Compara
' tively High Speeds.
rilHERE has lately developed an agitation -1against the high speed of motor coaches. Those who are responsible appear, so far as the majority of them is concerned, to have overlooked the fact that speeds are relative, that one which 'may have been dangerous yesterday is safe to-day, that the dangerous speed of to-day is the safe speed of to-morrow. They inveigh against the high speed of the motor coach mainly because of its size and weight. Here again they overlook the main point, i.e. that speed in the case of a heavy vehicle is no more dangerous than it is in a light one, provided that the brakes on the former be just as effective, weight for weight, as those on the latter. Indeed, • it is actually a physical fact that weight, per se, is of no consequence in this matter, because the heavier the vehicle the more effectiv6 is its available braking effort, so long as the brakes themselves, on both light and heavy vehicles, be equally • efficient.
' Carrying this perfectly logical argument a little farther, it is easy to prove that, as a general thing, high speeds on the part of motor coaches are safer than equal speeds on the majority of private cars, for the simple reason that, as a rule, more care is taken of the brakes on a public-service vehicle than of those on a motorcar in the hands of the non-technical owner-driver.
In drawing attention to the importance of taking adequate care of brake mechanism WO approach the crux of the whole matter. Brake design, fortunately for the motor industry in general, and for the motor-coach section of that industry in particular, /has advanced step by step With the design of the chassis as a whole. As speeds and the capacity for acceleration have advanced, so have brakes and the ability to decelerate. Proof, if proof be desired, 1.3 afforded in the rarity of accidents which may be traced, as to their cause, to inadequate braking. Especially does the truth of our statement become manifest if the records of motor-coach performances in this respect be compared with those of private cars. This is not to say, however, that motor-coach brakes are better in their design or construction than those of touringcars. It is a further indicationi of:the existence of a condition to which we‘glave, already referred that they are, as a whole, kept in better trim: The managements and engineering staffs of coach-operating concerns, both great and small, are alive to their responsibilities in this matter and act accordingly.
Night Travel by Saloon-type Motor Coach.
rr HERE are definite signs that regular night • -1services by saloon-type motor coaches. are on the increase, and the immediate future would appear to hold good prospects of further expansion in this direction. For the moment such services are, in the main, being run to link up important centres, such as Liverpool, Newcastle and Cardiff, with London, but, Possibly, the time is not far distant when night facilities for cross-country travel by coach will be available on a comprehensive scale. We are dismissing from consideration the sleeper coach, which is a specialized type, and concerning ourselves with the class of vehicle which is the same as, or a modified form of, the saloon coach used for day-time service.
It is not altogether easy to make profitable comparisons between day and night travel, because operating conditions are so different, but there are certain factors which, undoubtedly, are common to both forms of service. The psychological element remains the same, and, accordingly, the attention given to passengers' needs during the day must have its counterpart at night.
If it be found necessary to make two or more halts for meals on a day journey of, say, 200 miles, it is surely equally important to make similar provision at night, except, perhaps, in those few cases where arrangements are made on board the vehicle for providing light refreshments. Even in those instances It is desirable to call a halt occasionally to enable passengers to stretch their limbs and thus prevent the possibility of fatigue, which, to the business man, is a matter of much Importance.
It would certainly seem that the time is ripe for the operators of night services to give more attention to this subject, and where several of them are running coaches over the same route it should be possible for some scheme of coL operation to be devised under which a cafe or hotel could be induced to remain open all night, provided the proprietor can be assured a fair return for his initiative. Then, again, might it not be feasible for the coach operators themselves to establish refreshment and rest rooms at selected places, and to include the cost of a meal in the charge for the through journey?
We think such ideas are worthy of mature consideration, especially as they would inevitably enhance the attraction of night travel and bring added goodwill to the coach owners concerned.
How to Achieve and Maintain Running Economy.
THE subject of running commercial vehicles economically is one of vital importance to transport managers, fleet owners and users of commercial motors generally. They are all anxious to obtain the maximum mileage at the minimum cost, and, in their search for that economy, they are, in our view and according to our observation, apt to take the wrong line. They seem only•to have in view certain obvious factors, which are all of the kind which may briefly and collectively be referred to as corning under the heading of direct expenditure. Matters which are really quite as important, but which do not, as it were, jump to the eye with the same facility, are overlooked.
The average owner visualizes cuts in the expenditure on essential supplies—cuts achieved by buying in the cheapest market—as the only means whereby operating costs can be reduced, whereas careful selection of those supplies, and the more efficient maintenance of the chassis itself, are more likely to achieve the end in view.
Buy the best, and take care of it, is a maxim which is particularly apt in its relation to commercial vehicles. We have from time to•time demonstrated its value in these columns, more especially in regard to the acquisition a the vehicle itself. What we would like to emphasize now is that it is just as true in regard to the purchase of supplies.