Southampton Fares Up: Gosport Road Traffic Act Co. Introduces Weekly Ticket Becomes a Farce?
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QTATING that his council had been
the exception of a proposal to W abolish all return fares, Southampton Corporation was successful in its application for higher fares, heard by the South Eastern Licensing Authority last week. The new rates, which come . into effect on November 4, include the addition of Id. to all single fares up to 4d., the abolition of the 4d. and 5d. return tickets and an increase of the 7d. return fare. Higher charges were last introduced by the corporation on January 1. The Licensing Authority, Lieut.-Col. F Gordon. Tucker, expressed -his surprise at the " critical financial position" of the undertaking, and his regret at the need for higher fares. The town clerk stated that the higher fares; as granted, would force the corporation to apply for new revisions next year. There would be a deficit of £13,073 for the year 1952-1953 unless the
r c.t urn fares were abolished. They were a concession provided for out of profits which were insufficient to reduce single fares, he said.
On the following day, the same Authority authorized a new scale of increases proposed by the Gosport and Farcham Omnibus Co. Higher charges had been last introduced by the concern in November, 1950, since when certain economies had been made. A surplus of £30,000 had -been budgeted for, but rising costs had reduced this to £20,000 before allowance. was made for depreciation. The new charges included additions of Id. on shorter journeys and 2d. on the longest, and the replacement of certain workmen's tickets by a weekly one.
Application Reasonable
Granting the application, the Licensing Authority said . he welcomed the arrangements made for concession rates. and considered the application a reasonable one in the prevailing circumstances. An additional £17,699 would be produced by the new rates, although the new wage award would cost another £6,000 a year.
A new applicationconcerning over 220 services has been tabled by the We Riding Automobile Co., Ltd., Wakefield.This calls for the elimination of all special single and return fares on -miners' and workmen's services, and the increasing of fares on these services to bring them into line with the normal rates.
Children's concession fares are unaffeted, but apprentice rates are included in the application, which also seeks to establish the return rate at la times the single. An additional 18 services operated jointly with other concerns are included in the proposals.
a30 A general increase is also proposed by Stockton-on-Tees Transport Department. The basis of the epplication is an addition of id. to all single fares up to 41d., and of Id. to those above ad. Return tickets will be raised by Id. if the application succeeds. Some hi. single tickets will be retained on certain stages and services, Children's Id, Fare Proposals of Southport Corporation to advance single tickets above 2/d. by id, have now been published.. It is also proposed to limit the workmen's concession fare to journeys costing more than 3d. and to reduce the range of children's fares. The special id.
ticket for children requiring to travel on two buses on one journey is not affected. The application covers altogether 12 routes.
Revised 'fares -schedules are being a repared by Lincoln Transport Department. Economy measures arc being considered.
Extensive modifications to the existing schedules, including the introduction of a 2d. minimum, have been proposed by Huddersfield Corporation. Additions of 111.-2d. on single rates up to 6d. are suggested, with similar variations for workmen's return tickets, except that in sonic cases a 3d. increase is proposed.
EXPRESS FARES UNDER REVIEW AGAIN?
PRELIMINARY discussions concerning the agreed fares on express services to and from London have recently taken place. Meetings of the regional fares sub-committees have been held and it is believed that more will occur shortly.
Fares on services radiating from and converging on Londpn were established last year on the basis of 25 per cent. above the pre-war rates, as a result of an increase of 7 1/7 per cent. granted by the Licensing Authorities to groups of operators. Fares had been increased by 16 20 per cent. in 1946. after the resumption of long-distance coach services after the war. QTATING that his council had been
"fooled," the deputy town clerk of Crosby Corporation, appealing against a decision of the North-Western Licensing Authority to grant higher fares to Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., declared that the concern was making a farce of the Road Traffic Act. The hearing of the appeal before Mr. W. Tudor Davies was adjourned for the Ribble representative to study the claims made by the deputy town clerk.
The corporation, supported by Bootie Corporation, contended that no opportunity had been given it to object to proposed fares increases. When objections had been made, they had fallen en deaf ears.
On three occasions in the past year, Ribble had been granted increases to bring fares into line with those of Liverpool Corporation on certain routes. The company contended that the proper time to object to these increases was when Liverpool Corporalion's application' for higher fares was heard.
If this was so, it precluded Crosby Corporation from exercising its legal rights under the Road Traffic Act. It brought the Act into disrepute and made an utter farce of the proceedings. The corporation called for the Authority's decisions to be reversed and the old fares to be reinstated on the routes in question.
MANCHESTER PARCELS RATES UP
DECAUSE of increased operating
costs, Manchester Corporation is to adopt, as soon as practicable, an. increased scale of charges for be carriage of parcels. The proposed rates do not exceed those charged by the Road Haulage Executive.
Parcels rates in the inner area of Manchester go up by Id. or 2d. for weights between 7 lb. and 28 lb., and parcels from 1 cwt. 1 qr. to 3 cwt. by 7d.; in the outer area the increases range from Id. to 9d. The tonnage rate in the inner area goes up from 25s. 3d. to 31s. 2d. and in the outer area from 34s. 6d. to 38s. 10d.