THE DISCUSSION ON COACH MATTERS.
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Propaganda Among the Travelling Public, Stands for Omnibuses, Licences to Ply for Hire, and Local Control Over Routes and Time-tables.
ANUMBER of important matters were discussed at the recent meeting of the passenger-vehicle committee of the Commercial Motor Users Association held in Loudon under the chairmanship of Mr. Walter IilioLsey.
It had been suggested that membership of the motor °each section of the C.M.U.A. should be limited to firms. owning a minimum number of vehicles, but it was resolved that no such limitation...should be made,
With regard to rates and fares, it was decided that theC.M.U.A: should not interest itself in these matters.
In order to enable members to keep fully in touch with the running costs and the actual working costs of their vehicles, it was resolved to draw up and issue to members a model working-costs chart showing the various headings' unddar which information should be eritereLll daily or at other intervals.
Propaganda work in connection with IMAM' coaches is to be undertaken, a publicity campaign by means of posters advertising the advantages of travel by road will be instituted shortly. Sir Henry IVfaybery is to be interviewed by the president of the Association with a view to ascertaining whether the Ministry of Transport would arrange a demonstration showing the safety and suitability of motor coaches.
Licenses to Ply for Hire.
A movement is on foot to secure an amendment of the law with regard to the issue of licences to ply for hire and the use of hackney -carriage stands. The solicitor has reported to the committee that, after consideration, he Wa,,9 of the that. it would be necessary for a vehicle to have a separate licence to ply for hire ill each district in which it plied for hire, because it was essential _
that local authorities should have. control over the number of vehicles plying for hire within their districts. Furthermore' it was in the interest of many smallerer users that they should not be Unduly competed with by larger proprietors, who, if there were no •restrictions, could send their vehicles from ether lows into those where the smaller proprietors had their businesses. With a view to avoiding the necessity for a vehicle carrying a number of local hackney carriage plates, and of the drivers and conduetors, if any, being flounced by each local authority, the abileitor put forward suggestions with a view to their being considered. One was that the examination of a vehicle and the licensing of a driver and conductor in one district should be accepted by any other authority to whom application is made for a licence to-ply for hire. A further suggestion concerned the right of appeal to the Ministry of Transport upon an adverse decision of a local authority on an application for a licence to ply for hire. The third propneal was that it should only be necessary for a vehicle to display the licence plate of the district in which it was ordinarily used, licences for other districts in which the vehicle was authorized to ply for hire being carried by the driver.
• Stands for Omnibuses.
With regard to the difficulties that have arisen in the matter of appointing stands for omnibuses and in allocating particular stands to particular owners of vehicles, the view was taken by the eoramittase, after a• clear explanation, that this iuestion should, in the first place, be dealt with by those who have knowledge of the local streets and'requireinents but that it would. be -desirable that there should be right of appeal to the Ministry of Transport. The suggestion was put forward that it 'might be possible to .arrange that a committee of local motor coach proprietors should sib with the Watch COMmittea when that committee was dealing With questions affecting motor coaches and omnibuses, such as the granting of licences to ply for hire and the fixing of stands.
The question was discussed as to whether local, authorities should have power to fix time-tables and routes for omnibus services.
Another matter that was discussed was the suggestion that the C.M.U.A should issue special badges to members which should be exhibited on vehicles belong jug to members which were up to the required standard, Parking Places and Charges.
The question of parking places came up for discussion, and it was considered that, where passible, they should be pro. vided for vehicles making a temPorary stand in the town, such as while the driver had dinner' '''and, that such parking places should be free of charge, or, if a charge he made, it should be proportionate to the length of the stay, and that only a very nominal charge should be made where a vehicle did not stop, say, more than 15 minutes. The Association will, later on, issue a special list of -parking places.
Consideration was given to the matter of the steps to be taken to strengthen the motor coach section of the Association, and the direction in which the various motor coach owners could be linked up with the C.M.U.A. it was resolved that no organization should be affiliated to the C.M.U.A., but that steps should be taken to bring in existing motor coach organizations as part of the motor coach section of the Association and to secure that the members of these local'orga»izations should also become members Of the As already announced in this journal, a general meeting of coach owners will be called during the month of February next, the venue lit all probaloility being Nottingham,