THE FUTURE OF MOTOR COACHING.
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By W. Frank Beesley ,(1Vanaging Director of the South Midland Touring and Transport
Co., Ltd., Oxford).
FOR some considerable time my observations of the motor coaching business have confirmed my belief of the urgent necessity for the formation of an Association of Motor Coach Proprietors. Seeing the above sentence before one, however, the thought immediately flashes into one's mind that already there exist several associations -which assist coach owners in various ways, but none of these fulfils the full purpose herein advocated, which has, as its chief object, the development of the motor coaching business.
The C.M.T.T.A. and the Commercial Vehicle Section of the A.A. are excellent institutions and as a member of both I have nothing but praise for them. To come at once to the objects of such an Association as I have in view, enumerating them in order of importance, they are as follow :— (1) To conduct a. combined publicity campaign throughout the country, continually urging the advantages of road travel.
, (2) To create a central live body to develop and further the interests of road passenger travel exclusively.
(3) To protect the interests of motoreoach proprietors against unfair legislation.
(4) To establish a central office in London to become B3B
the recognized headquarters of road passenger travelling. (5) The reconciliation of motor coach proprietors, and the creation among them of undivided enthusiasm for the purpose of the furtherance of the industry.
These objects by no means limit the sphere of activity of such an association as will be readily understood.
I believe it is generally recognized throughout the trade that business this year has been disappointing and not nearly so brisk as was the case last year. This is put down to the bad weather which has been experienced, but this is not by any means responsible entirely for the falling off of lousiness. The interest cre'ated among the public in road -travel last year should have counteracted the bad weather. The truth is that the public has been allowed to lose some of its interest and enthusiasm for road travel. Why?
It will be remembered that last year one or two coaching concerns in London regularly issued, at what must have been huge expense, large press notices in some of the prominent daily papers, setting forth their programmes of tours and urging the public to adopt road travel. These advertisements store not only read by the people most likely to patronize the services, but by everybody where the paper was circa
lated, with the result that arl became greatly interested in the rapid advance of road travel. This year such advertising activity has been greatly curtailed, arid I venture to suggest that this has had no small effect upon the motor coach trade in general. With such advertisements constantly before the public, interest was kept up to concert pitch, and the first aim of the proposed association should be that of an. energetic publicity campaign on the lines of last year, only more intense and similar to that conducted by the British Class-House Producers' Association.
With regard to the second object mentioned above, little elaboration is required as one's imagination readily sees the advantages of such a body. It should, however, be added that an association should firstly be representative of the trade. The third object will also be apparent, and with the advent of new legislation concerning the use of the roads the need for a strong resisting body is of paramount importance. It is almost certain that attempts will be made to eliminate certain types of vehicles, and herein lies disaster for some owners.
The central headquarters advocated in the fourth object have become most essential now that the motor coaching movement has become so extensive. Here records of the entire business should be kept and an inquiry office both for the use of the trade and the public should be established.
The fifth and last abject enumerated is perhaps not clearly apparent at first sight, At the present moment a certain "cut throat" spirit existing here and there between local proprietors is perhaps the most retarding and disastrous point in the whole business, and certainly has no benefit for the instigator beyond a temporary impetus in bookings, while the adverse result to the business as a whole is great. While friendly rivalry is to be welcomed, the, methods of competition adopted by some owners are despicable and unworthy of the trade. This is a delicate matter, but something must surely be done to instil something of an "esprit de corps' amongst owners in general. The sooner it is realized that such methods cannot possibly prevail, and that while they exist they constitute a hindrance to the growth of the movement, the better it will be for all. This very briefly outlines the object and scope of an Association of Motor Coach Proprietors. Once it is in being, the advantages would soon exert themselves It rests with coach owners to decide whether such an association would be an advantage to them, and if se to make a start at once so that the organization can be usefully employed during the next year.
If the motor coach industry, which is now so great, is to stand the test of years, a very strong organization is required to develop and direct the movement along proper lines. Without such an organization, I am led to think that it is just possible that we shall see the movement flicker away into obscurity.