Express Fares Increased in the West Country: Boost for Sunday Travel
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XPRESS fares charged by some of the 1—imain operating companies in the West Country are to go up by one penny in the shilling on October 16. Applications for an increase by Associated Motorways. Cheltenham, and six other cornpanies were granted by the Western Traffic Commissioners, at Bristol, last week.
The operators applied for an increase of 81 per cent. on basic fares and a similar increase for Friday night and Saturday fares between Whitsun and the end of September. • These are now 22-i per cent. above the basic charge.
The companies, however, want to boost Sunday and Bank Holiday travel during that period. To do this they propose to abolish the present 121 per cent, differential and revert to the basic fare level.
"We have not been attracting the volume of Sunday traffic which we had hoped for," said Mr. W. Coombes, secretary of Associated Motorways. "We have now realized that any additional fare on Sunday doeS not appear to be successful," he added.
Separate applications 'were also made ley the Bristol Omnibus Co., Ltd., Western National and Southern National Omnibus Co.. Ltd.; George Ewer and Co., Ltd.; A. Timpson and Son, Ltd.: Valliant Direct COacheS, Ltd., and Maidstone and District Motor Services, Ltd.
Traffic Commissioners in the .South Eastern and Metropolitan areas will be hearing comparable applications next month: Higher Operating Costs Mr. T. D. Corpe, who appeared for the companies at Bristol, told the Commissioners that the last application for a fare increase on express services was made in 1957. Since then operating costs, principally in relation to wages, had risen. Mr. Coombes said that the new fares would represent only a 50 per cent. increase over the pre-war fares.
The operators asked that the increases in fares from Bristol to south coast resorts be approved but not implemented until discussions had taken place with other companies in the city.
The recent successful fares applications of Nottingham and West Bridgford Transport Departments will be referred to when higher fares are sought by Barton Transport, Ltd., and the Midland General Omnibus Co., Ltd., at the next sitting of the East Midland Traffic CommissionCTS.
Barton's want increases ori 35 routes, whilst M.G.O. plan to .charge more on 16 services. The aim is to co-ordinate schedules with those operated by the
municipal undertakings. •
The successful fares application of Rochdale Transport Department, reported in last week's issue of The Commercial Airotor, was granted by the North Western
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Traffic Commissioners on the basis that an extra £53,000 a year was needed by
the undertaking. • •
The changes which came into operation last Sunday were: Id. on 21(1., 3Id; and some 3d. tickets. Fares above 3id.• which had an Odd Id. raised by Id. and those of even figures were increased by ld. The early morning concession on single fares up to 8d. was abolished. The minimum fare remained at 2d.
REGISTRATIONS UP 2,474
REGISTRATIONS of new commercial vehicles in May were 2,474 greater than in the preceding month, and brought the total for the first five months of the year only 2,821 short of the figure for the first half of 1959.
It would appear that the effect of the removal of purchase tax from goodsvehicle chassis is still stimulating the
sales of these types. In the "Other Goods" category, 2,276 more vehicles were newly registered in May this year than in the same month of last.
Details are given in the table.
MR. HAY AT CONFERENCE A N address on "The Planning of the 1.• National Road System" will be given by Mr. John Hay, Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport. at a conference to be held at Church House, Great Smith Street, London, S.W.1, on October 18, under the auspices of the Town and Country Planning Association.
On the same day, Mr, C. D. Buchanan, Ministry of Transport, will speak on "Transport: the crux of city planning." The title of the conference is "Planning and the motor vehicle." It will continue on October 19.
YORK TRAFFIC SURVEY
ATOTAL of 17 survey points is to be set up in and around York as part of an "origin and destination" survey of the city's traffic. The object will be to find the best place to build a bridge or bridges over the River Ouse, to ease the traffic problems.