Operating Aspects of
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PASSENGER TRANSPORT
THE RAILWAYS WANT IT BOTH WAYS
DURING the hearing of an applicalion at Chester, by Crosville Motor Services, Ltd:, for the renewal of a stage-carriage licence from Wrexham to Leeswood, Sir William Chamberlain, chairman of the North Western Traffic Commissioners, commented on the attitude of the railway companies. Sir William said that if the bus companies proposed to run to a station, it was claimed that they were competing against the railway companies, but if they did not propose to run to a station then the railway companies claimed that they were not fulfilling their proper function and were not acting as feeders.
The application, which was opposed by the L.N.E.R. Co., was granted, subject to the condition that the route should not pass C-aergwrle station.
HIRE TERMS FOR EVACUATION VEHICLES.
'THE terms of payment for the hire of
buses and coaches in wartime, for the evacuation of civilians from cities and other centres, is the subject of consultations which the Ministry of Transport has opened with representatives of all classes of p.s.v. operator.
At a preliminary conference with Ministry officials, operators organizations were asked to obtain the views of their members and to submit suggestions as to a basis of payment for the hiring of vehicles.
A suggested hiring scheme was outa3.,S
lined by Mr. R. G. Hunter, national passenger secretary of A,R.O., at a meeting which the Yorkshire Area of A.R.O. convened both for members .and non-members, in Leeds, last week. The meeting, held under the presidency of Mr. J. J. Granter, of Upton, chairman of AR. Os Yorkshire Passenger Sectional Board, approved the proposals. Our Yorkshire correspondent was informed that similar meetings, in various parts of the country, were being convened by A.R.O.
The C.M.U.A. has also taken steps to obtain views on the matter from operators. The Passenger Sectional Board of the North-Eastern Division formulated suggestions for submission to headquarters at a meeting in Leeds on July 20.
HIGHER RECEIPTS AT EXETER.
1-11-1E total number of passengers ear1 ried by Exeter's municipal-transport vehicles during the past financial year was 16,787,193, an increase of 734,024. Receipts at £85,591 were up by £1,891, whilst the gross profit was £16,534, an increase of £1,528 on the previous year's working.
YARMOUTH HAS A SATISFACTORY YEAR
AT a recent meeting of Yarmouth Town Council, it was revealed that the transport undertaking, after providing for interest and sinking fund, and charges in respect of the old tram system, had made a net profit for the year ended March 31 last of £1,703 compared with £1,403 for the previous year, Total mileage, at 1,191,390, represented a decrease of 9,523, and
passengers carried, at 8,247,700, showed an increase of 164,477.
Working expenses were 8.563d. per bus mile, as against 8_621d. last yea:, whilst traffic revenue was 12.202d. per bus mile, an increase of .255d.
Since 1933, when the trams were abandoned, the buses have contributed no less a sum than £47,072 towards tram-debt reduction.
PRODUCER-GAS BUS PROGRESS IN FRANCE.
rURTHER evidence of the progress 1of producer-gas vehicles in France is afforded by the statement in L'Officiel de l'Automobile that there are now 17 buses in operation in the town of Angers using charcoal as fuel, 10 in the town of Rennes, 7 in Tours and 21 in Le Mans.
It is estimated that these vehicles are using 1,200 tons of charcoal per annum, equivalent to about 165,000 gallons of imported liquid fuel.
CHESTERFIELD EXPERIMENTS WITH GAS-DRIVEN BUSES.
FOLLOWING a visit to Paris by Ald. P. M. Robinson, chairman of Chesterfield Transport Committee, and Mr. R. Hoggard, transport manager, to investigate the question of gas propulsion for buses, Mr. Haggard has submitted a report.
The transport committee has authorized him to make a further investigation into the use of producer-gas fuel, and, experimentally, equipment is being fitted to a double-deck bus.
WARRINGTON'S DROP IN PROFITS
PRU1 IT resulting from the operation of Warrington's bus undertaking for the post year amounted to £13330, which was £3,305 less than for the previous year's working. Passenger receipts showed an increase of £3,226, but working expenses were £6,455 higher.
Oat of the balance, in the appropriation account, £23,846 has been applied in partial discharge of the purchase price at 131,000 for the suburban bus service which was taken over by the corporation in February of the present year.
NO TRAMS IN BRIGHTON AFTER
AUGUST.
BI( ;1ITON Corporation reports that the tram services will be completely discontinued in August. Arrangements are being made to, proceed_ with the removal of the tram tracks and the reconstruction of the roads at a cost of £75,000.
IRISH BOARD ORDERS MORE LEYLANDS.
AFURTHER order has been placed with Leyland Motors, Ltd., by the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board for bus chassis; and this time it is for 35 oil-engined Tiger models. The bodies are to be built at the Board's own workshops in Belfast. It is understood that they will be 32-seaters of a type suitable for stage service as well
as coach tours, Previous Leyland single-deck buses supplied to the Board have been Lions with semi-luxury bodies for coach purposes.
Since its inception, the Board has placed orders for 124 goods and 93 passenger machines with Leyland
Motors, Ltd., and, apart from some 30 single-cleekers, all the vehicles have been fitted with direct-injection oil engines.
PORTSMOUTH'S GOOD START.
STATISTICS available for the first three months of the financial year show that although the expenditure of Portsmouth's transport undertaking has increased by approximately £3,500, compared with last year, the revenue
has increased by nearly £6,000. This means that the net profit is £2,482 as against £267. Whilst the motorbuses show a net profit of £2,935, the trolleybuses made a net loss of £453.
Wilpshire tram route, at Blackburn, will be discontinued as from March 31, 1940, and a bus service will be operated in its stead.
FEW TROLLEYBUSES IN GERMANY '
TN a recent issue of the ElectraJ. technische Zeilschrift, of Berlin, it is stated that, at the end of February laSt, there were 34 trolleybuses in operation in Germany, working over a total distance of about 42 mites. At the date mentioned, another 42i miles of route was in course of being laid out, for
which 70 additional new vehicles were being built.
WINDING-UP ORDER AGAINST COACH OPERATOR.
(IN a debenture holder's petition, Mr. kJ Justice Crossman, in the Chancery Division, on Monday last, made an order for the compulsory winding up of Smeetons Coaches, Ltd. •