A Luxury Bus for London Suburbs.
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AN extension of theLondon Underground Railway to the better-class residential neighbourhoods of South ‘Vitnbledon and Morden creates for the tilderground group, which includes the London General Omnibus Co., some hat of a problem, because the type of passenger who will desire to make use !if the new railway is one that is very largely a user of a private motorcar and is resident at a distance from the railway. station, too far, perhaps, for a morning or evening walk. So far as those who employ motor drivers are concerned no difficulty arises, because they will be taken in their cars to the station and picked up later in the day on their return, but those passengers by railway who would require to reach the station by cats driven by themselves would need to be provided with garage equipment t or near the station, and this would riitail the devotion of a large area of ground close to each station on which to erect garage buildings.
It was felt that the ordinary London tvpe of bus would not appeal to this class of passenger as an alternative to the private car, and the -way out of the glfheulty has been to provide a series of his services employing buses of a more refined type than those in general use, differing not only in details of seating end Lyre equipment, thus making for greater comfort, but also differing in appearance from the familiar bus.
We illustrate one of the series of 20 buses now in course of construction at i be Chiswick overhaul factory of the Lendon General Omnibus Co. It will be seen that it is quite . a departure from the standard London General Omnibus vehicle, the single-deck type having been adopted, but mounted on large pneumatic tyres, those on the rear wheels being twin tyres. The exterior of the bus is painted in French grey with wine colour lining, and the appearance is unonestionably tasteful and attractive. The chassis is the standard K type modified for pneumatic tyres, and the body is of the Saloon type with semielliptic roof, all the window l being arranged to slide. Sixteen transverse seats are placed forward of the wheel arches, and longitudinal seats accommodate six 'other passengers, so that 22 passengers in all can be carried. The seats are of a now armchair pattern, Spacious and fully upholstered, and the 'back is sprung in a new way, for the centre-sprung squab is entirely separate from the spring roll" which surrounds the squab and forms the edge of the back. The roll edge is formed of a number of 2-in, springs of a very light type touching each other and suitably covered, thus forming a complete and continuctua framing, which,' being separate from the centre-sprung squab, fits the hack of a passenger and prevents any tendency to side roll when the vehicle is in motion. The cushions and backs are upholstered in antique green leather. Eleven of these buses will be employed on three routes, the other nine being now-in course of construction.
Until the railway is in operation,
probably in August, the three services so far arranged will have their terminus at Wimbledon Station, on the District Railway, but so soon as the Morden ex' tension is opened they will serve -that line. The three services so far planned and which commenced to operate on Wednesday last are as follow
-Route 155.---Wimbledon Station and Worcester Park Station.—Via Hartfield Road, Kingston Road, Morden Road, Stonecot Hill, London. Road, North Cheam, Cheam Common Road. Route 156.—Wimbledon Station and Cheam,Via Hartfield Road, Kingston Road, Morden Road, Stonecot Hill, Lonaon Road, North Cheam, Malden Road (return via Malden Road). Route 164.— Wimbledon Station and Burgh Heath. —Via Hartfield Road, Kingston Road, Morden Road, Stonecot . Hill, London Road, High St., Ewell, Reigate Road,
Burgh Heath Road. '
The buses on each of these routes will operate at 22-minute intervals.