COACH AND BUS SERVICES IN LINCOLNSHIRE.
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Brief Details of the Operations of a Grimsby Company which First Ran Ruses 19 Years Ago.
HE Great Grirasby Street TramJ. ways Co., now known as the Provincial Tramways y CO., Ltd. (Grimsby), commenced operating buses 19 years ago and, therefore; ranks as a pioneer in this method of passenger carrying. The company's fleet has been gradually increased and improved, and at the present time is in tile neighbourhood of 40 vehicles, including a number of motor coaches.
The coaching side of the business has been persistently developed, and it will, no doubt, ho recalled by many readers of TAc Coemercial Motor that this company was one of the first to utilize the Palladium coach, with cantilever springing, and it is interesting to note that some of the latest motor omnibuses are Guy 32-seater saloons, the, basis of which is the maker's latest low load-line chassis.
Many makes of chassis are and have been used by the Provincial Tramways Co., Ltd., including those of Daimler, Cornmer, Thornyceoft, Palladium, Fiat and Guy makes with either single-deck bus bodies or open coach bodies, the seating capacities varying from 14 to 32. A large part of the fleet is now mounted on pneumatic tyres.
Extensively advertised as the Light Green Cars, the company makes quite a feature of tours by coach to places of interest., and various seaside resorts from Clenthorpee, the majority being circulae tours,
For example, for a fare of 7s. return, one can undertake a tour 98 miles long, travelling outwards via Tetney, Clovenham, to Meblethorpe, where one hour's stay is made. Thence on to Skegnese, where a halt for three hours is allowed, the return journey being made via Louth and North Thortsby.
Other places to which tours are run are Woodhall Spa, Burton Stather, Tealby and Louth, whilst there is also a choice of shorter trips, one of seven miles, through Old Cleo to Grimsby and back agein, costing only fid.
During the season all these runs are made daily, unless the number of bsokiegs falls below a reasonable number, this bring rather a rare occurrence, for bookings are usually good.
One other feature may be mentioned. A eombilierl tieket, for whieh the fare is
2s., is issued for a journey from Cleethorpes to Grimsby by motor coach, then by the Grimsby and Immingham Electric Railway (owned and worked by the London and North Eastern Railway Co.) direct to Immingham Docks, the return journey being made the reverse way.
The average fare on all these journeys works out at about 1d. (or less) per passenger per mile for the longer distances, rising to about 1.2d. per passenger per mile in the ease of the shorter runs.
An inquiry and booking kiosk has been established on the promenade at Cleethorpes for the convenience of visitors, whilst there are several agents in that town as well as Grimsby.
Turning now to the bus organization, the services are run all the year round, and at the time of writing five routes are in operation, these being as follow:
Length of route.
) Grimsby, Scartbo' Waltham Miles.
and Erigsley 5 (2) Grimsby and Laceby 4t (3) Grimsby, thimberstone and Tetney .... 7 (4) Grimsby, Laceby and Kir mington 124 (5) Cleethorpes, Old Glee and North Sea Lane (circular) 44
The service interval on each of the shorter routes is from 20 to 30 mins., certain buses not running the whole length of the route ; increased services are provided on Saturdays and market days. Four journeys a day are made to Kirmington, with an extra trip okf Saturdays, whilst about an hourly service is provided on the HumberstoneTetney route. There is also a promenade service at Cleethorpes, this being worked by two special Guy runabouts, which have toast-rack bodies with fixed canopies_ These vehicles run the length of the sea front from the pier to the bathing pool, the fare being 2d. for any dietance.
This type of vehicle is very popular for promenade service and it is now used by quite a number of jrnnortant municipalities, which find it a profitable form of passenger conveyance.