Automation can speed buses
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Ashley Taylor reports on Newcastle University symposium
• How modern scientific equipment can aid the bus to overcome difficulties arising from urban congestion was a main topic at last week's Newcastle University symposium on "Tomorrow's Bus World". The conference was attended by representatives of all sections of the industry as well as by visitors from eight European countries.
If operators were prepared to spend another £500-£800 per vehicle they could obtain buses that were infinitely more reliable operationally, said Mr Norman Morton, senior research fellow in the University's Highway and Traffic Engineering Division. By being over cautious financially the industry might not only come to a standstill but run backwards. He felt that the Ministry of Transport should find the money for large-scale trials of automatic control and service monitoring systems.
Details of the cost of equipping 250 vehicles with a passive beacon control scheme were requested by Mr A. H. Wright (Sunderland Corporation Transport). Mr David Stone (The Marconi Co Ltd), who presented the paper on this subject, said that at the present time, when manufacture was on a small scale, the installation of such a system would cost perhaps £200,000 for the vehicle-mounted equipment, plus £150,000 /£200,000 for the control room and street fittings. The makers guaranteed to maintain the control centre equipment for 10 years; vehicle fittings had a similar designed life but five to 10 years might be taken as realistic.
Central control
The concept of automatic bus control was quite new and its cost/benefit factor had yet to be assessed, commented Mr K. H. Wellman (Bristol Omnibus Co Ltd). If an organization had mobile units that could be accurately located from a central point this would improve efficiency. With such knowledge disrupted services could be brought into step, for instance by turning buses short; fewer inspectors would be required. When men and vehicles were saved considerable economies were being effected.
Mr C. Brewin (Sheffield Corporation Transport) contended that many gaps in services arose from operators insisting on running at fixed intervals instead of adjusting to the passenger demand.
Control tactics, said Mr A. D. Ochojna (Plessey Co Ltd), should be related to passenger satisfaction; his company set itself the target of not removing a bus even if only one passenger was involved. In most cities peak periods were short and were best dealt with by bus lanes, green-wave and similar processes.
Rescheduling could only be fully effective when linked with a central control, commented Mr R. L. Lewis (Partners in Management Ltd). An angle that had to be studied was the amount of information necessary and the amount with which it was possible for the controller to deal. Herr A. Mies (Hamburg Passenger Transport Authority) described how his organization had equipped about 150 buses with a system similar to, although somewhat less sophisticated than, that delineated by the speaker. Substantial improvements had been made in various operational aspects and the spirit of the staff was better since they no longer had the feeling of being watched.
Duty rosters
The bus industry had little room for complacency at the present time, observed Mr Morton, introducing his paper (prepared jointly with Mr Fred Crouch) on computerized duty rosters. Had the industry been quick enough to take advantage of modern techniques that were being adopted by other businesses? The symposium, he said, was aimed at helping the bus industry to help itself.
Mr R. Mackenzie (Scottish Bus Group) asked whether the pre-computer duties at Brussels, on which the paper was based, were as efficient as man could make them. Work had been done in this connection but bus undertakings had been slow to accept computer techniques. In considering the latter's value the normal commercial yardsticks had to be applied. The Brussels computered rosters had been introduced as a result of complaints from the staff regarding earlier methods, said Mr Morton; the system was quicker and money had been saved, although saving had not been the primary object.
Rosters and schedules were among the greatest factors to which stoppages could be attributed, said Mr J. V. Joyce (Transport and General Workers' Union). Working conditions fed into a computer were not likely to be as good as those laid down by the manual method: the man doing this job had the human element in mind all the way. Mr Brewin thought that members of the industry were asking the computer to do things without themselves being quite sure what they wanted done.
Computers were only very rapid calculating machines, commented Mr R. B. Medley (MIRA); they could take much drudgery out of the schedules office but it must not be imagined that they could operate without the skills of the schedules clerk.
Mr B. Dankbaar (Amsterdam Municipal Transport) expressed astonishment at the picture of human relations shown in the paper by Mr E. R. L. Fitzpayne; as he saw it the outlook was that of the 1940s and 1950s. The talents of the staff had to be integrated into an undertaking's work. With one-man operation drivers were taking a much greater personal interest in their jobs—this was the view of Mr A. Stone (Leeds Corporation Transport). He would like to know how many undertakings had active suggestion schemes, how many encouraged further education, how many praided sports clubs, house magazines or
good canteen facilities. How many had 'personnel officers actively engaged in welfare as well as in recruitment? The answers would show how far bus operators lagged behind other sections of industry.
Mr D. G. Rawlinson (United Automobile Services Ltd) regarded apathy as one of the major troubles on the staff side; union meetings of importance were attended by 20 or 30 out of a garage of 200-300. Endeavours should be made to involve the staff in the organization. Management could, for instance, supply the accommodation, equipment and accounting for the canteen but leave the running to the workers. The men should have their representatives on the welfare committee. Involvement meant better communication between the two sides. A recent analysis of reasons for bus workers leaving jobs had shown the take-home pay as the cause in only 10 per cent of cases.
Although both the Glasgow and London schemes for computer control of urban traffic had brought a great deal of benefit. said Mr D. Reed (LTE), what must be pushed forward above all else was bus priorities.
One of the main reasons PTAs had been set up was that local transport ought to be a local responsibility, pointed out Mr N. Tebay (Public Transport "A" Division, Ministry. of Transport); the Ministry had little power over them. Certain local authorities had objected to helping pay for the PTAs on the score that they received no direct benefit from them. However, this situation was accepted in connection with rates where a citizen who was childless contributed to the cost of education for others who might have families of ten.
Rural problem
Operationally the aim must be for more co-ordination and integration, this being a statutory duty for the PTE and the NBC! Breaking even was going to be no light task for the NBC. Rural bus services could not be made to pay whatever fares were charged. What the urban services were doing at the moment was just to keep the rural routes in being.
Dr Tony Ridley (director-general, Tyneside PTE), who presented the paper on the role of PTEs in the bus world of tomorrow, said he would think that rural bus services in the future would be treated as the railways and subsidized, but not necessarily out of fares elsewhere. They had to plan for both short-term and long-term, using the former measures to obtain a breathing space while attacking the fundamental problems.
Professor P. Brenikov (professor of Town and Country Planning, Newcastle upon Tyne University) reminded those present that the issues of passenger transport were linked with whether or not Britain's cities would survive. The planning of transportation and the planning of land use would in the future be inseparable.