PASSENGER TRAVEL NEWS.
Page 24
Page 25
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
The Latest Doings and Developments in the Bus and Coach World.
A WELL-ORGANIZED BUS SERVICE IN SOUTH WALES.
A Detailed Description of Methods of Working which Have Ensured the success of the Fleet Run by the Sculh Wales Transport Co., Ltd.
THE LARGEST and best-known motor fleet for passenger carrying in South Wales is that operated, with Swansea as centre, by the South Wales Transport Co., Ltd., whoat.present run 55 busesafor public service, in addition to having available for parties and special, pleasure trips three wellappointed chars-§,-bancs. Emphasis ,is advisedly placed on the "at present," for the history of the company has been one of continued extension of fleet and service, in face of natural obstacles.
Mr. David James; the; mlnaging director of the company, detailing the story of the growth of the fleet,+o
presentative of The Commercial Motor.
eoncluded: And we shall not stand still • to stand still would .be to.' go back." The company s success has been achieved on lines ot fair cempetation, fair service to the publie„fair treatment. for staff, excellent departmental coordination, and high departmental efficiency. .
The company came into existenceein 1914, and for two or three months before the outbreak of war ran Swansea. and district bus services 'with 12 venicies, mostly Leyiands, When war came most of the buses were commandeered for Army use, and it. speaks well for the management of all departments that, with a depleted fleet, services were maintained throughout ,the war on all routes, so that in noyease was a. licence to run buses forfeited.
To supplement. the scant petrol sup. ply gas balloons were used.
In 1919 an augmented fleet of 20 buses, was, operating, and this had increased to 28 In1920, whilst in,the next 12 months new routes were opened-an& the vehicles bronght up to 40.. Continuing its policy of expansion, when justified, the cornpa'UST ran 46..buses in 1922, sothat the present --day fleet of 55 buses is an in...
dication of substantial progress in the past 12 months. The management and maintenance of the fleet the directorate, of which Mr. C. G. Tegetmeier is chairman, entrusts to the control of Mr. David James, the road supervision to Mr. S. C. Kenwood, traffic superintendent, and the engineer ing departments to Mr. F. L. Lewis, the manager.
The fleet. is comprised of 43 singledecked 26-seater and eight double-decked 54-seater A.E.C. buses—four ef the double-decked vehicles, the latest 5 type, having been added so recently as the -current mouth—and five Leyland 26seaters, single-deeked. In addition are two Leyland and one Mills-Daimler char-a-bancs, used for special outings. -A few of the vehicles-on Llanelly district services are housed at the Llanelly garage of the ComPany, §nd the acquisitionof a garage at. Neath for certain of the eastern service's vehicles is being -considered:
The buses rim on 13. mutes, within • approximately a 18-mile radius of the Swansea centre.
There are stage fares on all routes for intermediate stepping-places ranging, according to mileage, to 2s. 3d. on the complete Swansea-Morgan journey. The linked services of the company make possible road travel by their vehicles from Penebrey, the Carmarthensbire extreme to Morgan, the mid-Glamorgan extreme, or from either extreme, via Swansea, to the industrial valleys to the north. A. special scale for children between ages of three and twelve years is applied, half-rate being charged With a minimum of 2d. Further, a parcels carrying service has been instituted, by which parcels are carried on a poundagecharge basis without passengers travelling in charge, but delivery is not undertaken except to consignees who meet the freighted vehicle.
The services are maintained from early morning until late at night at frequent intervals best suited to the public demand. On Saturdays, when there is a tremendous carrying-trade demand, augmented services are run.
The buses are run from public stands allocated by the police, for bus stations for these services would be an impossibility owing to the variety of routes and frequency of service, it is necessary to use a " double shift" system for drivers and conductors to abide Thy the 48-hour week grante.d.
Excluding office staff and officials, 220 men are employed as drivers, conductors, and mechanics of various trades; At the Brunswick garage the bodybuilding for the company's vehicles is undertaken, in addition to repairs, overhauls, working, and• the garaging of 60 vehicles. Extension of the already large. workshop and garage accommodation is in progress, and the garage robin in the Frew building is to be for .120 vehicles.
The system adopted at the garage is that all buses are prepared for departhee by the indoor staff, so that dri.ver and conductor have no preparatory work to attend to. Nor ate they asked to undertake mechanical responsibilities should breakdown occur on the route. A telephone message to the garage brings along a breakdown van with mechanics. The vans are equipped with any parts likely to be required.
As every bus is brought in once in five weeks for inspection, decarbonization of engine, grinding of valves, etc., with additional periodical large-scale overhaul, which includes taking down the body, stripping the engine and all movable chassis parts and reassembling as a new vehicle, breakdowns on the road are rare.
The unfixed periodic overhaul is besed on mileage and general observation of the running of the vehicles.
The equipment of a garage that does its own engineering and body-building work is necessarily replete, but it could in no way be more so than here.
Every incidental to fitting, turning, smithy work, carpentry, bodybuilding, glazing, painting, etc., is present. All work, with the exception of certain welding, is carried out on the premises.
The spare parts and general store is extensive, and, as tanks for 10,000 gallons of petrol have been sunk from which supply is made through two Gilbert and Barker pumps, with all the conveniences of supply registration, no detail of storage has been omitted.
Experiments are contirmally being carried out at the garage for the better equipment of vehicles or for durability',
of material. .
• The system of costing and accounts is elaborate and effective. Returns of petrol, oil, vehicle mileage and revenue and working costs are minutely kept. and serviceable, always ready, vehicle history sheets are prepared. Satisfaction to the managementhas been obtained from the vehicles in service, both A.E.C. and Leyland. Some of the former have done mileages.of over 80,000 since 191B, and the latter, which have been run since 1914, have records of some 200,000 miles.
With regard to-hew bus bodies, these are built, with a few exceptions, at the Brunswick garage. The trash Engineering, Co., Loughboyough, have built some of the bodies,notably the double deckers.
The type of body builb by the company is a 26-seater designed . by the manager, Mr,' E.; L.Lewis, and the corn parry will in future concentrate on the
shigle-decker .bodies. .
The newest type of body is a beautiful piece of work, nearly 2 cwt. lighter than formerly. It is aluminium-pan.elled with ash uprights, and between the uprights has diagonal trusses for lessening the stress on the body caused by sodden tetarting, or stopping. The driver's seat is completely separated from the passengers by e screen, Above the seating height Om partiition enclosing the driver is of glass, so: that his view is '.iret restricted.
A dynamo supplies current for the electric lighting,' The roof is white
enamelled, thishaving been felted by experiment to better the, lighting a! the
saloon. • The standard colour scheme is bright red panelling and lower work and white
interior' mildew work and roof. Nothingoitld be better than the appearance of the vehicles, the .outsides smart, atten, 'Jon arsestmg, and the saloons bright arid Comfortable.
In the matter of tyres the company have now adopted the super-resilient variety as giving better service., and being an addition to.passengers' comfort over the none too good roads that have to hetraversed.
The priblie are advised of changes of service by Separate tithe-tables for each service, which detail the stage fares. The Wishes of the poblie are always con, sidered, and an instance of that Was found in'the -recent motion of the Llangnicke conneil. thanking the company for adopting the Sunday services to the better convenience of people of the neighbourhriod wishing to visit Swansea.
This is a_town in which narrow steeets, eevn 06 main traffic ways, arc the rule. The finding of sanctionable routes through this district was no easy work, but the company have triumphed. The South Wales Transport Co.'s undertaking might well _serve as a model for the successful running of a bus service enterprise.