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Page 66
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Robert Bailey
• The new chairman of the Public Road Transport Association, Robert Bailey, who takes up the post after two years as vicechairman and eight years service with the Association in all, is a wholehearted "o-m-o" man. He believes that when operational difficulties have been overcome, and when the public finally accepts the system, one-man operation will have a great deal to offer the operator.
His faith in the system is such that he envisages the day when Lancashire United Transport, of which he is general manager and director, will be operated wholly with one-man vehicles — both singleand double-deckers. At present about a third of the 363 buses and coaches which comprise the fleet, based on Atherton, Lancashire are one-man operated but this is to be increased to 50 per cent soon.
The LUT bus fleet operates in what might be termed a semi-urban area, and Bob Bailey sees little likelihood of a demand for park-andride, Dial-a-Ride or similar special services now being introduced by some companies. LUT, of course, lies largely in the SELNEC PTE area, and has concluded a working agreement with the PTE.
Mr Bailey entered the bus industry back in 1929 with United Counties, at Northampton. He served in the Army during the war and when he left the RASC in 1946 as a major he took the job of assistant traffic manager with Northern General in Gateshead. He had a long spell there, too — nine years -and after an equally settled period with Potteries Motor Traction he was appointed LUT's general manager in 1964; he joined the board six years later.
Although Bob Bailey is a passenger transport man at heart he has good reason for taking an interest in freight as well — among his directorships is a parcels delivery firm, Palatinate (North Cheshire) Ltd.
Very much a family man (he has three daughters) he leads a busy life, with involvement in a number of passenger transport bodies as well as having other commitments, and finds that he has not as much time as he could wish to indulge his two passions of gardening and golf. As chairman of PRTA he is going to find even less time for them, but he obviously welcomes this opportunity to take leading role in an industry whose welfare he cares about so strongly.T.O'T.