Belfast took a beating
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Passengers carried —millions
• Despite continued disruption of services and loss of, or serious damage to, buses caused by civil riots, together with a delay of four months in the implementation of a 50 per cent increase in fares, Belfast Corporation Transport incurred a net loss of only £446,241 in the financial year ended on March 31. This is revealed by the department's annual report for 1970/71, which adds that the total loss of revenue attributed to rioting over the past few years has now exceeded the ilm mark.
The report states that the deficit could have been much greater, and claims that the scale and rigour of a major economy programme applied in the second half of the year contributed to the lower figure. Part of this programme was a switch to o-m-o, and the speed of the changeover-70 per cent of the peak-hour fleet is now one-man operated—stemmed from the success of the token operated ticket issuing equipment.
Another factor was the introduction of ultra-high-frequency radio-communication equipment during the year. This proved of immeasurable value in controlling bus Year
services, during outbreaks of rioting. Fifty Daimler Fleetline o-m-o double-deckers with two-doorway bodies were introduced during the year and 20 similar chassis are on order.