What Will Happen to the Independent ?
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rrHE only paper strictly applicable to 1 passenger transport was read by Mr. Raymond W. Birch, A.M.I.Mech.E., A.M.I.A.E., A.M.Inst.T., assistant managing director, Birch Bros., Ltd. Its title was " Some Problems of the Public Service Vehicle Operator."
The various Acts and Regulations now affecting p.s.v. operators undoubtedly need drastic amendment before all classes of operator can be said to be getting a fair legislative and administrative deal, says the author, but, as that subject is now in the hands of a special committee, he does not enter into it, with the exception of incidental references.
The paper is divided into three main sections under the headings: "What Am I? ", "How Shall I Live? ", and "What Is Going to Happen to Me?
Answering the first, p.s.v. services to-day are, broadly speaking, provided by three classes of operator, each with peculiar problems. They are municipal, rombine and independent.
Municipal Activity.
Municipal activity is practically confined to high-frequency, short-distance services in populous urban districts. Nearly all its road service licences are, therefore, for stage carriages, with a high proportion of its p.s.v. licences for double-deckers.
London Transport, although not controlled by a municipality, is, nevertheless, similar in many respects to a civic undertaking. Owing to its large area, a few express licences are held, but it is unable to run farther than a short distance outside its area, even on private hire. It is quite logical to class the Board as a municiparundertaking, although its establishment is a dangerous precedent, the following of which in other parts of the country must be strongly resisted.
The average size of the municipal fleet is 76 vehicles. There are 95 of these, totalling about 7,200 units. London Transport alone operates 6,300.
The combine class consists of a comparatively small number of large companies, all ultimately related financially either to the British Electric Traction Co., Ltd., or to Thomas Tilling, Ltd., and, in many cases, to both of them. They run, generally, within boundaries limited by agreement, one with the n20 other, instituted to prevent internecine warfare. The average size of fleet is 260 vehicles; there are 68 of these, with a total of about 17,700 vehicles.
Their road service licences are Mostly for stage carriages, with a small proportion of p.s.v. licences for doubledeckers, but they have important interests in express-carriage operation, and in contract business.
Rail Conflict.
They conflict with railway interests tar more than. the municipal operator, but most of them have railway officials on their boards, due to extensive shareholding by the railways. They mostly have working agreements for their short stage services, but often have open clashes with the railways on matters of long-distance operation.
The independent class might be given the cricket title of "the Rest," if it be remembered that "the Rest " is by no means an inferior side, It includes individual operators of every size of fleet from one to 300 vehicles, with a large number of stage-carriage licences, and even more express licences.
These operators conflict with the railways to a far greater degree, and, as the latter have no financial interest in them, they continually suffer the full blast of railway wrath. Although independent financially, they cannot be entirely independent of the other two classes, or of each other, as the whole industry is in theory co-ordinated by Government control, and there are many individual working agreements between all three classes.
The only class having competition between certain of its own members is this. The independents number over 4,800, operate 16,300 vehicles (a total for the industry of about • 47,500), carrying over 6,000,000,000 passengers a year-3+ times the total transported by all the railways.
Answering the second question. "How Shall I Live? "the author says that this problem is that of every other business man, viz., how to make a profit, and to increase it, if possible. In this connection, the small man must take a leaf out of his big competitors' books. It is possible to become rabid over statistics, but the author is sure that the average small bus or coach owner pays far too little attention to them.
Our Tables Honoured.
Whilst The Commercial Motor Tables of Operating Costs are, Mr. Birch declares, most useful in pointing the way, they can, at best, be only near the. truth for the individual operator, and the only wholly reliable figures are those produced from actual results. Then follows a classification of costs, which is too important to deal with in a precis like this, and we are putting it befote S.T.R., our costs expert.
The author then goes on to say that the value of adequate statistics is greatly enhanced in the second and subsequent years, permitting valuable comparisons. It is possible with the full statistics referred to in the system (including those of revenue) to forecast lon,g before the end of the year what the profit or loss is likely to be.
No records can be kept unless the ticket and waybill, or charting system, is designed to give the maximum information on the origin and nature of the traffic carried.
The system employed by Mr. Birch's company is based on the use of double tickets of universal value, folded and punched together in sections indicating the extent of the journey and fare paid; half is handed to the passenger and the other half returned to the office. In conjunction with sectionalized waybills,
this method gives a permanent record of the number of passengers travelling between all points. These tickets cost about as. per 1,000, against 8d. for the ordinary type, but the difference pays for itself.
Ticket-issuing machines would not give this company all the information it requires, but would enable many a small operator to obtain vital statistics.
Regular advertisements in local papers and regular billposting campaigns have brought little additional business. The company now prints many thousands of inexpensive time and fare table folders in. attractive colours, which will withstand pocket use: these are distributed from house to house by the company's employees_ During the past 12 months, 200,000 leaflets, at an all-in cost of. 25s. per 1,000, and sometimes interleaved with single sheets announcing special facilities, have thus been delivered, with gratifying results.
In answer to the third question, "What is Going to Happen to Me? " independent operators are large in number, have comparatively small fleets individually, are scattered throughout the country, are a particular prey to the railways and to other classes of p.s.v. operator, and are sometimes even in conflict with each other.
Strong Associations Needed.
Without strong trade organizations as rallying posts, they must gradually suffer the fate of all unorganized majorities. The only solution that the author can see is the building up of bigger and better associations. More co-operative bodies are wanted to deal with the trading problems of groups of operators in particular parts of the country, such as Welsh Motor Factors, Ltd., in South Wales, and P.S.V. Operators, Ltd., in London. The latter handles over £250,000 worth of booking business annually for 94 indepen
dent coach operators running services to and from London.
A more extensive system for assist_ ance in traffic-court applications is also necessary. There ought to be closer co-operation in each area between the independent operators in it, to impress upon local opinion the importance of the existence of independent services.
The most important problem of the independent operator is to co-operate in publicity and propaganda throughout the country, to make the Government and public realize the importance of independent public service vehicles.
All local p.s.v. organizations (apart from those engaging in trade) should, says Mr. Birch, be constituent members of one national body, logically, the C.M.U.A. passenger section. By this means, the area pressure for recognition can be directed into one channel to weld Parliamentary influence and steer the course of legislation and administration.