LATEST NEWS FROM THE TRAFFIC AREAS
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DROP THE L.P.T. BILL.
AN eloquent statement on the London Passenger Transport Bill has been issued on behalf of the Motor Hirers and Coach Services Association, Ltd. The pamphlet explains the provisions of the measure and describes its progress.
It is submitted that the circumstances do not justify keeping the Bill alive and, that if any legislation is necessary to deal with London passenger transport, it should be framed on different principles. The statement continues:— " It is a mistake to suppose that if the Bill is allowed to lapse, the money which has been expended in connection with the Bill will be wasted. The expenditure was necessary in order to demonstrate the operation of the Bills
and to expose its defects. . . The waste cannot he cured by carrying the Bill forward. The bulk of the expenditure was incurred by the transport undertakers in the London traffic area in their efforts--'only partially successful— to protect their business from extermination or interference. . . ."
It is further stated that the Bill "has been used to prejudice application by the members of the Association for licences to continue their business, and has prevented the legitimate expansion of existing services STILL MORE TROLLEY-BUSES.
SUBJECT to approval by the Ministry of Transport, trolley-buses will be put into service on Derby Corporation's Ostnaston Road route on November 6. U.A.S. REPLIES TO CRITICS.
CERTAIN criticisms of the facilities provided by United Automobile Services, Ltd., have been made at meetings of Scarborough Town Council, and the company has issued a reply to explain the position.
It is stated that the corporation entered into an agreement with the company whereby the municipality was to be paid id. for each mile run within the borough by the "United" buses. This is a first charge on the gross receipts, after the actual working expenses, as limited in the agreement, have been paid. Additionally, in certain circumstances, further revenue accrues to the corporation.
It is pointed out that the municipality will receive not less than £2,600 for the first 12 months' working. BIG JOINT SCHEME FOR -.AGENTS AND OPERATORS.
WITH a view to ending the chaotic' conditions in the coach-booking industry, a meeting of agents and operators was convened, last Monday, by the Booking Agents' Association. The chair was taken by Mr. E. P. Bailey, chairman of the Booking Agents' Association, and there were present over 150 agents and operators.
It was pointed eut that the multiplicity of agents—there are 5,000 in Greater London, where 1,000 would more than suffice—was detrimental to the industry.
A committee of six operators and six agents was elected to evolve a scheme for combining operators' and agents' interests with a view to saving expense and reducing the number of agents. The operators are Messrs French (United Service Transport Co., Ltd.), Harris (Highways, Ltd.), Lowe (Grey Coaches), Mitchell (Blue Belle Motors, Ltd.), Neal (Eclipse Co.), and Nowell (Red and White Services, Ltd.). The agents are Messrs. Bailey, S. Cohen, Doughty, Dowsett, Goodman and Green. The secretary is to be Mr. T. Morris, hon. secretary of the Booking Agents' Association. The first meeting of the uommittee will be held on November 1.
GREEN LINE CASE TO BE HEARD ON NOVEMBER 3. IN last week's issue, we reported the case of an application by Green Line Coaches, Ltd., for a backing for a licence to continue a London-Sevenoaks service. The South Eastern Traffic Commissioners have adjourned consideration of the application until November 3. We are informed that the Motor Hirers and Coach Service Association, Ltd., intend § to pursue its opposition to the application.
WEST MIDLAND FARES SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED. IN Gazette 83 of the West Midland Traffic Commissioners, is published a list of proposed fares for excursions and tours operating from. Hereford, Shrewsbury and Worcester and districts. It is stated that the revised fares will remain in operation throughout the 1932-33 season and will apply to all road service licences commencing on and after December 1 next.
REPORTED WRIT AGAINST "EASTERN COUNTIES."
IT is reported that Mr. Parker, the operator of the Reliance Coaches, Cottenham, has issued a writ for slander and libel against the Eastern Counties Omnibus Co., Ltd. It is stated that certain allegations against Mr. Parker have been made.
ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL APPEAL.
IT is announced that the Moorfield Bus Co., Ycadon, has been successful in its appeal against the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners' refusal to licence a Lforsforth-Otley service, via West Chevin. The appeal was supported by five local authorities.
NEXT YEAR'S TOUR LICENCES. NEXT year, the Northern Traffic Commissioners propose to renew licences to operate excursions and tours on the basis of this year's figures. This was intimated by Sir John Max a34 well, chairman of the Commissioners, at a recent sitting.
The Yorkshire Commissioners adopted this basis during the past season and it caused a considerable amount of opposition, because last year the unsatisfactory state of the weather made it necessary to curtail many tours.
ld FARE ON NEW SERVICE.
A FARE of d. is being charged on a new experimental service operated by Sunderland Corporation from a housing estate to Southwick. The dis
tance is about mile, and the service is intended as a feeder for the trams.
OPPOSITION TO COACH-STATION • SCHEME.
THERE has been some opposition by residents in Hampstead, London, N.1V., to a tentative proposal to establish a coach garage on the site of the old Hampstead Brewery, in the High Street, The scheme is said to be one of several put forward for the development of this site, which covers half an
acre, The idea is to build a covered garage, where -washing and repair facilities would be available for coaches that had discharged in the west-end passengers from the north. It Would not be proposed to Use the station for picking up or setting down passengers.
ANOTHER CHANGE TO TROLLEY-BUSES. •
Tiih transport manager of Wolver
hampton Corporation, Mr. C. Owen Silvers, advises us that the corporation has recently converted a further 2i. miles of motorbus route to trolley-bus operation. The Ministry of Transport has approved the route. • MACSHANE'S FINED £50.
A FINE of £20 on each of four sum
monses was imposed on MacShane's Motors, Ltd., Liverpool, for operating, without a licence, an express carriage from Liverpool te Torquay. The prosecution was taken at Bristol, where the magistrates made some sharp comments on the case.
TILLING-BRIGHTON MERGER POSITION.
THE secretary of Thomas Tilling, Ltd., informs us that the proposed merger of interests between Brighton Corporation and Thomas Tilling, Ltd., is still the subject of delicate negotiations, and considerable ground has yet to be covered, LICENCE-CONDITION CASE DISMISSED.
A. CASE was recently heard at the
Sheriffs Court, Glasgow, when Mr. J. McInally, of Johnstone, a bus proprietor, was accused of wilfully and negligently failing, on six days, to comply with his licence conditions. It appears that he was licensed to run one vehicle, which developed a mechanical failure, Sheriff Robertson said: " I cannot regard his failure to hire a substitute vehicle at the prohibitive rate of 10d. per mile as a wilful neglect of his duty to the public." The case against him was, therefore, dismissed.
THE PROBLEM OF DRIVERS' EMERGENCY LICENCES. WHILST fining each of the defendants 30s., the bench of the Aberdeen Court thought that there might have been some hardship in a case in which Mr. C. Bruce and Mr. J. F. Harper were charged, the former with having driven a public service vehicle without being licensed to do so, and the latter with permitting the offence to be committed.
It appears that Harper urgently required a driver, for he was booked to carry passengers to Crathie, on August 23, and Bruce was the only available man. It was arranged that the latter should apply immediately for a publicservice-vehicle driver's licence, and this was granted as from September 15.
OPERATING OUTSIDE BOROUGH.
ON November 10, at the Shire Hall,
Norwich, the Eastern Traffic Commissioners will hold a public inquiry into the application of Lowestoft Corporation to operate buses outside the borough.
PROBLEM OF BUS OPERATION THROUGH MERSEY TUNNEL IF Liverpool Corporation wishes to run buses through the new Mersey Tunnel, it will have to seek the consent of the Minister of Transport, and the views of Birkenhead Corporation, which operatea a passenger ferry, would have to be considered. Moreover, under a clause in the 1925 Tunnel Act, the Minister would prescribe tolls for the buses, to protect the interests of the Mersey Railway Co.
The subjeet • was considered, last Wednesday evening, by a meeting of Birkenhead Town Council.
DOVER'S TROLLEY-BUS SCHEME.
IN connection with Dover Corpora tion's proposal to prepare a Parliamentary Bill to obtain powers to establish a trolley-bus system, it is recommended that Mr. A. R. Hoare. of Stephen Sellon and Partners, London, S.W.1, should be appointed as consulting engineer.
TEST WITH GAS AS FUEL.
ON' Monday last, Chesterfield Cor
poration carried out S test of a bus consuming coke-oven gas as fuel. The gas was stored in six bighspressure cylinders, and it was estimated that the fuel cost for 70 miles of running would be 3s. 641. It is stated that the bus ran smoothly and without emitting fumes.
"NO MORE PETTY RESTRIC TION" BY THE RAILWAYS. THE chairman of the Northern Traffic Commissioners, Sir John Maxwell, remarked, when the London and North Eastern Railway Co. objected to an application by the Northern General Transport Co., Ltd., to increase its Newcastle-Sunderland service, that they did not want any more petty restriction. He was referring to a railway statement that its service was adequate. The Commissioners granted the bus company's application, and the frequency of the service will be increased from 60 minutes to 30 minutes.
ANOTHER U.A.S. ACQUISITION.
THE United Automobile Services, Ltd., has acquired the services operated by F. W. Jenny and Co., Ltd., Newcastle, between Newcastle, Morpeth and Alnwick. Mr. Jenny, head of the latter company, is taking up a position with the United concern. The agreement is subject to the approval of the Traffic Commissioners respecting the transfer of licences. Mr. Jerms"s undertaking was established eight years ago.
WITHDRAWN FACILITIES: BUS PASSENGERS COMPLA11.4% THERE is at Mumbles (Swansea) an organization known as the Mumbles and District Travelling Association, the membership being comprised of bus and tram passengers.
At a meeting of the association on October 20, it was decided to notify the South Wales Transport Co., Ltd., which operates the Swansea-Mumbles service, that "unless facilities formerly enjoyed by holders of workers' tickets be restored, the association will appeal to the Commissioners." The chief complaint made was that the company had withdrawn the right of ticket-holders to utilize their cheap tickets in the evenings. Some 10,000-12,000 people were said to be affected.
NO FARE INCREASE WANTED. INDEPENDENT operators in York shire are of opinion that, so far as "independents" are concerned, there should, at the moment, be no increase in fares. The feeling is that operators should be reimbursed for the increased cost of petrol by other means, such as restrictions on certain modes of travel.
The Yorkshire Regional Fares Committee is to be asked to make recommendations, on these lines, to the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners.
CHEAP FARES FOR UNEMPLOYED.
SWANSCOMBE town clerk is en deavouring to obtain reduced faros for unemployed men attending the labour exchanges at Gravesend" and Dartford, and travelling by Maidstone and district buses.
HUGE LOSS ON PARIS TRANSPORT.
THE annual report of the Societe des Transports en Commune dans la Region Parisienne for 1931-32, the last year of working under the old agreement with the Seine Council, shows a loss of 116,475,834 francs. The new contract was dealt with in our issue dated September 16.
In 1921, the first year of the T.C.R.P.'s existence, 617 million pas
sengers were carried in Paris and 242 million in the suburbs. For last year the figures were respectively 583 million and 441 million.
During last year 143 new buses were put into service and 67 trams abandoned, together with 28 trailer cars. Seven tram services were replaced totally, or in part, by bus systems.
BUS STATION FOR NEATH?
THERE is a proposal at Neath (Glam.) that the borough council should erect a central bus station in the vicinity of the Victoria Gardens. The matter is to come before the council.
NO FREE PASSES AT BOLTON.
THE transport committee of Bolton Corporation has been unable to accede to a request that it should issue free passes on the buses and trams for ex-service men who have lost legs through war service. USEFUL WORK OF YORKSHIRE FARES COMMITTEE.
THE Yorkshire Regional Fares Com
mittee is proving to be a highly useful body. A recommendation has been put forward as to the special fares for school children attending West Riding County Council schools, particulars .ef which are to be found in Gazette 78 of the Yorkshire area.
• Another subject on which the Regional Fares Committee will shortly be making a recommendation to the Commissioners is the operation of excursions and tours. In 1931, the Commissioners granted licences for as many terminal points as were applied for, hut this year they decided that licences would he granted on the statistical returns for 1931.
Owing to loss of passengers through bad weather An 1031, operators were unable to produce the necessary traffic figures to enable them to obtain a reasonable group of excursions to work
this year. Following strong objections to this system, the Commissioners cotsseated to grant additional licences when sought. The system was still found to be unsatisfactory, however, and the upshot is that a new procedure is now being framed.
An appeal by Messrs.' Samuel Ledgard, of Armley, against the previous System was recently heard at Leeds.
The Yorkshire area has been divided into eight sections, and the scheme provides that from each district a batch of excursions to terminal points, at fares which the operators consider to be economic, shall be submitted to the Regional Fares Committee.
The scheme is being drawn up by the Yorkshire Motor Coach Owners, Ltd.—.an operators' association—and it is hoped shortly to submit it.
BEXHILL AND DOUBLEDECKERS.
BEXHILL Corporation has made
arrangements for the Maidstone and Southdown companies to be allowed to operate double-deckers on local services, on the condition that, before seeking to increase the existing Hastings-Eastbourne service worked by double-deck buses, the matter would first be discussed with the council. VILLAGES PROTEST TO M. OF T.
NEIGHBOURING villages in Wor cestershire are supporting Pershore in its representations to the Minister of Transport that the Traffic Commissioners, in granting virtual monopolies of bus traffic in rural areas, should compel the companies concerned to guarantee satisfactory all-the-yearround services.
NEW SERVICE DISCUSSION.
THE highways committee of Little
hampton Urban District Council has arranged to meet a representative of Southdown Motor Services, Ltd., to discuss the provision of a service from the north to the south of the town.
YORKSHIRE APPEAL LOST.
THE transport committee of Chesterfield Corporation has been notified that the Ministry of Transport has refused Mr. W. A. Smith's appeal against the decision of the Traffic Commissioners not granting the corporation a licence for the Holymoorside route. The Commissioners have renewed the licences of the corporation and Mr. Smith, subject to co-ordination of times on the basis of one-third to the former and two-thirds to the latter, and to co-ordination of fares.
GAS INSTEAD OF PETROL? THE Northern General Transport Co., Ltd., is considering the possibility of running its buses on gas instead of petrol. As yet, however, the company has not tried out the scheme.
BUS DEAL DEFERRED.
CHESTERFIELD Corporation has decided to 'take 110 further, action, for the time being, with regard to the purchase of the interest of Messrs. Station and Rooker in the Barlow bus service.
ROADS NOT FIT FOR BUSES?
NEW RADNOR Rural District
Council has been informed by Messrs. Yeomans, who run buses from Yards° to Kington, in Herefordshire, that, unless the road be improved, they will have to discontinue the services.
"INADEQUATE" SERVICES.
THE traffic committee of Paignton
Urban District Council has received complaints alleging that the bus services in operation on Totnes Road, and from Collaton to Paignton, are inadequate. The companies concerned have been notified.
' BOURNEMOUTH BUS "CUTS."
B OURNE MO UTH Corporation's bus and tram services are to be reduced, this resulting in a saving of 16,000 to £7,000 during the winter months.