7s. Pay Rise Presages New . Fare Increases ?

26th September 1952, Page 72

26th September 1952

Page 72

Page 72, 26th September 1952 — 7s. Pay Rise Presages New . Fare Increases ?

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AfiUNICIPAL operators will have to find another, £1.7m. a year to IVImeet the 7s. weekly wage increase granted by the Industrial Court. to employees of the municipal passenger transport undertakings. The award went before the National Joint Industrial Council to be ratified this week, and applies to drivers, conductors and employees in Grades 1, 2 and 3. It is expected that the new rates will operate from the first full pay period after September 11.

A similar award for the employees of provincial passenger transport undertakings was expected to be announced late this week. Operators are expressing grave concern about the effecton ,fares of these new imposts. •

Bristol Joint Transport Committee met this week to discuss the increase, which will cost Bristol Tramways and Carriage Co., Ltd., £55,000 a year. The company is advocating a id. increase of fares, although the corporation is in favour of finding the additional revenue from the rates. Another faction in the city council is recommending that the corporation's financial interest in the Bristol concern be taken over by the British Transport Commission.

Liverpool to Find £106,000 Liverpool Corporation estimates that the new wage rates will add £106,000 to the undertaking's annual costs. The transport department expects to achieve a surplus of £101,000 this year.

Coventry Corporation, introducing new fares next Sunday, will find that of the £94,000 additional revenue expected from the new charges, £20,000 will go to meet the new wages.

"Almost as soon as these increase are granted, the corporation may have to return another application," said the representative of Edinburgh Corporation last week, when presenting the undertaking's proposals to raise fares. They aimed at augmenting revenue by £190,000 a year, but it was revealed that an increase of Is. a week in wages would cost £10,000 a year; thus, the new aklyance will reduce the extra revenue which the corporation expects to derive from the higher charges, if granted, to £120,000.

The transport department proposed to abolish the Iid; minimum adult single fare and to replace it by a 2d. fare and to increase the 2id. fare to 3d. Last year, despite an advance in charges, there was a deficit of £68,000 and the reserve fund, which had been £1,316,000 in 1947, now stood at £338,000. Everything had been dotie to curtail expenditure. For the first time the department had borrowed money to purchase vehicles,. Decision was reserved.

Having incurred a deficit in the year ended March, 1952, Bradford Corporation last week applied to the Yorkshire Licensing Authority to abolish workmen's fares and to replace them by early-morning • concessions. It was stated that last year's deficit was equal to a rate of over 70. D cision was reserved.

From last Monday, fares of the 36 services operated by Wigan Corporation were increased. The id. adult single fare was abolished and the children's id. fare became Id. Application for these increases was made on July 31.

On the same day, id. and Id. additions were made to the charges of Mexborough and Swinton Traction Co., Ltd. Application was made in March.

Rochdale Corporation has applied for permission to increase, ordinary single fares by id. and Id., to institute a 3d. minimum early-morning return and to adjust other concessions. Of the 40 services affected, 31 are worked independently by the undertaking and the remainder jointly.