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No precept for West Mids PTE bus services
Page 29
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)ESP1TE a mounting fetich, the West Midlands 3TE has not required a rates )recept for its bus operaions in the period January 14 1972 to March 31, 1974. [his is revealed in the PTE's 'ourth report, which is pubished this week. The report overs the 15-month period )efore the new West Vidlands Metropolitan -ounty Council took over responsibility for the PTE Dn April 1 this year.
The report shows a net aleficit of only £60,745 on a turnover of £21,595,407 for the whole of 1973 compared with a deficit of £794,311 on a turnover of £6,323.228 in the first three months of this year. On the brighter side, the report states that revenue in terms of pence per bus mile rose slightly in 1973 despite there being no increase in fares. The report concludes that this means an end to the annual three per cent decline in bus passengers which has been affecting the PTE and its predecessors for a number of years.
The West Midlands PTE was formed on October 1, 1969 and an analysis in the report shows significant staff savings. The position at March 31 this year (excluding the Midland Red operations taken over) showed a drop of 31 per cent in the numbers of traffic employees, 91/2 per cent in inspectors, 181/2 per cent in engineering staff and 8 per cent in administrative staff. Some of these economies were achieved by one-man operation which had risen to 82 per cent in the PTE's south division by the end of the period under review. This is claimed to be one of the largest figures in any comparable urban area.
Parts of the PTE's programme have been put at least a year behind schedule because of the late delivery of vehicles. Of an order for 400 buses — 200 Daimler Fleetlinei Park Royal and 200 Bristol VRT/ MetroCammell Weymann only 174 had been delivered by March 31. A programme of converting 635 existing vehicles to one-man operation had been completed but workshop procedure was still being disrupted by the need to recertify 22-year-old buses. As well as its order for three Ailsa double-deckers the PTE is to place in service 60 11.3 m Leyland Nationals, mostly on routes transferred from Midland Red on which single-deckers are essential.
Of the 2,154 buses owned by the PTE 170 were less than one-year old (at December 31, 1973), 602 were one to five years old, 1,025 were 6 to 10 years' old. 480 were 11 years or over and 123 unlicensed.