LORD ASHFIELD TO D rastic R ailway Lirastic Aallway Rate cutting
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OPEN HULL STATION ?
HULL'S new municipal bus station 'will be ready for opening in about a fortnight's time. At a meeting of Hull Transport Committee, on Monday, it was suggested that Lord Ashfield, chairman of London Transport, might he approached with a view to his opening the station.
The committee also decided to acquire an interest in Messrs. Sharp's Motor Service, running from Hull to Hedon, which Fast Yorkshire Motor Services, Ltd., recently took over.
BRADFORD CO-OPERATES WITH COMPANY. •
THE Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners last week granted consent to Bradford Corporation to run buses outside the city area, between Bradford and Dewsbury, jointly with the Yorkshire (Woollen District) Transport Co., Ltd. The company already operates a service on the route, which has a total. length of 9.6 miles, and the scheme for a joint service arises from Bradfcrd Corporation's decision to abandon its tramways from Tong Cemetery to Birkenshaw. A VITAL principle in connection with fares was raised, last week, by Mr. T. H. Halsall, secretary of the Southport Motor Coach Owners Association (affiliated to Associated Road Operators), on behalf of all Southport operators, before the NorthWestern Traffic Commissioners.
It was stated that, on certain routes, the local operators' traffic had, as a result of fare-cutting by the railways, dropped by 60 per cent, and, in other cases, by 40 per cat. and 50 per cent. It was contended that the railways ascertained, by cross-examination at public sittings, which were the popular trips and cut the fare.
As a result of drastic fare-cutting by the railways on the journey to Liverpool, evening-theatre coach traffic had decreased by 95 per cent. in two years. The operators sought to reduce fares -to figures 3d. higher than the railway charges and to operate additional vehicles and to new destinations.
Mr. H. P. Beanies, for the London, Midland and Scottish and London and North Eastern Railway Companies, submitted that the application must fail under Section 72 (4) (5) of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, because it took from the Commissioners the control of fares. The Commissioners, however, ruled against this argument. They questioned, however, the possibility cf granting the application, on the ground that the fares might prove to be uneconomic, and reserved their decision, Mr. Halsall submitted that the new fares schedule would not incur a loss, but would just clear costs.
This case is somewhat analogous to the recent application to the East • Midland Traffic Commissioners by the Eastern Counties Omnibus Co., Ltd., for permission to provide cheap return fares between King's Lynn and Hunstanton. The application was stated to be to obtain permission to run cheap excursions whenever these were operated by the L.N.E.R. • The Commissioners accepted this plea, and granted the application, stating that the road operator was entitled to a fair share of new traffic. The Eastern Counties concern was allowed to charge Is. return between King's Lynn and Hunstanton when similar L.N.E.R. excursions were run at