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Educate the Public

26th May 1931, Page 35
26th May 1931
Page 35
Page 36
Page 35, 26th May 1931 — Educate the Public
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

THIRTEEN year's ago the cessation of hostilities marked the commencement of a period of transition, in a way no less drastic than the four years of turmoil which preceded it. In those 13 years in dustry after industry has passed through its Geth semane to emerge changed, temporarily enfeebled and poor but with the seeds of modernization sown. As in a case of physical sickness the oldest suffer most, so, the Industries most imbued with age-old customs have taken longest to recover their virility in their new spheres.

At the present time the .transport industry, of this .country is being handlcapped in many directions, largely due to the fact that those who have held• the .virtual monopoly in the past are still labouring Under the .delusion that, because they have always commanded the vast bulk of the business, they are entitled to it to-day and henceforth. They are regardless of the fact that the ultimate arbiter----:the general public—must have its say in the matter. Legislation . to force traffic into certain channels will, and can, have hut a transitory effect upon the tide of events.

Already the community realizes that door-to-door transport is an economy in more ways than one ; in the years to come it will wonder why it ever brooked anything else. If to-day's panic legislation cheats the public ..of what. it wants it will be but similar to administering oxygen to a centenarian—the end may be postponed but time creeps on remorselessly and the old must give place to the new. While everything is in a state of flux let us save future cost and dislocation by realizing the need and making provision for its prompt satisfaction. The industrialist requires goods transported from door to door ; how they get there is of little moment to him so long as the cost is reason • able and the time taken is short—time to-day is almost Invariably synonymous with money.

While the present state of • affairs continues the general ". public. standS. idly by, not realizing that the passing of legislation now will for " years affect its well-being. . If the existing ,Powers-thathe grant favours to those whose JOudest claim is that of 'a' "right !' to ' transport business, both personal traveland goods transport will cost,. more and convenience will suffer. If the man .1.1.1 the ' street once grasps this .fact he will • realize that transport media are vital factors in his daily life and will appreciate that, if he wishes to go from A to D, it is not economic to go from A to B, B to C and C to D, merely because old established interests must be served.

• The public must be served first ; its claim is unassailable and must ultimately be honestly recognized. Delay is costly to all and delay enforced by law is worse still. The time is ripe for educating the public ; it must be shown that its interests will suffer if road transport be thrust aside, as it is being at present. Obv!.ously those really experienced in road-transport development could do much good by co-operative propaganda. A joint and sustained effort by sound and established motoring and motormanufacturing organizations and other bodies concerned would bring home to the men, women and even to the children of Great Britain, the fact that a temporary revivification of the railbound system—at the expense of the present generation be it noted—will merely add to the burdens of their descendants. The railway has, at the moment, a place in the general scheme, but its inherent defects must decide for what sphere of utility it is best suited in a country which calls, in the vast majority of cases,_ for comparatively short-distance transit.

The Cult of the Luxury Coach.

!THERE is a tendency abroad to make more -Iand more of the possibilities of the coach as a luxurious mode of travel. Generally, the provision of extra comfort involves reduction in seating capacity, so that armchairs and more ample legroom may be provided. A coach chassis designed for 26 seats is in this way equipped with a body designed to hold 20 passengers, or even fewer, and almost invariably those who have ventured thus to risk the loss consequent on the reduction of the carrying capacity of their vehicles have found the result to be, more profitable.

The .reason i4 not far to seek. Coach users do appreciate comfort. Even more do they appreciate that extra comfort which goes by the name of luxury. They are, moreover, usually willing to pay for what they receive, but even if they do not they will, fares being equal, choose, and wait for, the luxury coach in preference to the other. Therein lies the certainty of revenue for the luxury-coach owner, for a 26-seater coach with only 20 seats, all occupied, is more profitable than a 26-seater coach with 26 seats of which only 19 are filled. One incire point. It is not necessarily the well-to-do clientele who should be considered in_this regard. Actually the poorer classes of customer are even more exigent in their demands for comfort and it is a curious fact that it is in the poorer-class neighbourhoods that the luxury-type coach is most popular.

London's Evening Passenger Traffic.

T.ONDON'S motor-coach services have, we -1 hope, come to stay, and one of the most useful purposes. which they fulfil is in cater ing for what •we may call "evening-in-town traffic." This is developing and . operators should provide facilities for it so that it will become a proportionately big source of revenue. Months ago attention was drawn in these columns to the possibilities of the theatre coach, and gradually the public has awakened to them.

From the traffie manager's point of view the business is welcome because it provides a volume of traffic into town between 5.30 p.m.

and 7.0 p.m.—just when outward services must be frequent to cater for homeward-bound business people. People come into town at this time to meet their friends. Thanks to the cleanliness, comfort a rd speed of the modern coach they are able to do so in evening dress without the least inconvenience. .

The London coach services have become so extensive that a great many residents in the outlying suburbs and towns find that routes pass within a couple of hundred yards of their homes.

When the theatre or dancing is over the coach is picked up at a central and accessible spot—a spot that is withina shilling taxi fare of almost any place of amusement—and the journey home is made as quickly by coach as it could be in one's own car. One is relieved of having to drive, and the coach fare is probably no more than it would cost to garage one's car—not to mention the trouble of garaging, which invariably ruffles the temper.

The movement to which we draw attention Is, without doubt, sufficiently important to have a definitely beneficial effect upon the prosperity of London theatres, cinemas and other places of amusement. .

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Locations: London

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