THE LATEST NEWS OF IMPORTANT EVENTS
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"UNCERTAINTY" OF CONTRACTCARRIAGE AMENDMENTS.
nOUBTS were placed on the interpreLJ tation of the contract-carriage amendments in the Road Traffic Act, 1934, at a sitting of the North-Western Traffic Commissioners, a few days ago. Mr. W. Chamberlain, the chairman, supposed there would be some uncertainty for a year.
Certain operators in the Blackburn area made 66 applications, most of them seeking permission to give a maximum commission of Bi per cent. to any person organizing a pre-booked party, and to increase from six to 12 the number of excursions to Manchester.
Under the Road Traffic Act, 1934, it. is illegal for payments to be made to the organizer of a private party. It was explained that it had long been the custom to allow organizers a commission of 31 per cent., in addition to which payment was sometimes made to the organizer by members of the party. The applications were made in an endeavour to prevent resort being had to subterfuges.
In connection with the excursions to Manchester, it was pointed out that it was possible for an operator to hire his vehicle to another when his quota had been exhausted. The applications were opposed by the railway companies.
The Commissioners renewed_ the licences, but deferred their decision on the points of principle.
£(i,000 GROSS PROFIT ON HULL'S BUSES.
HLTLL Corporation made a gross /profit of £6,058 from the operation of its 110 buses in the year ended March 31, 1934, revenue having totalled £142,145 and working expenses £136,087. Loan charges and certain other items result in this amount being converted into a deficit of £16,635.
During the year the buses covered an
aggregate mileage of 2,608,898 and carried 19,983,401 passengers. Only approxim-itely half the fleet of buses was in use for 16 hours per day throughout the year, each vehicle covering an average mileage per day of 143. Up to the end of March last the capital outlay on the bus system amounted to £186,898.
WEST YORKSHIRE CO. TO GIVE UP TWO SERVICES?
I T is announced that J. Bullock and Sons (1928), Ltd., Featherstone, has applied to the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners for the transfer of licences for two stage services operated by -the West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd. The Potteries Motor Traction Co., Ltd., is seeking from the same Commissioners the transfer of an excursion and tours backing previously granted to Mr. J. Hawthorne,
OPERATORS URGED TO SUPPORT NATIONAL CONFERENCE.
THROUGH The Commercial Motor, Mr. H. T. Rickards, president of the Motor Hirers and Coach Services Association, is making an appeal to operators to support the first national. _ conference of independent publicservice-vehicle owners, He stresses the need for unity in the industry to secure the removal of harsh restrictions.
"The council of the M.FLC.S.A. is," he states, "anxious that the consolidation of the independent section of the industry should advance a step farther,' and that views may be expressed on those matters which vitally affect the interests of its members. For these reasons, a national conference has been convened, to take place at Blackpool on .October 3 and 4."
The programme. for the conference. was disclosed in last week's issue.
14 YORKSHIRE OPERATORS CO-ORDINATE.
PPORTANT proposals for the coordination of bus services in the Barnsley, Hemsworth and Pontefract districts of Yorkshire will be submitted to the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners, at Leeds, to-day (Friday). When, in August, the Yorkshire Traction Co., Ltd., applied for permission to take over certain services, the company submitted amended time-tables, to which objection was taken by other operators.
Negotiations between various operators concerned have rrsulted in the scheme of co-ordination to be submitted to the Commissioners. Fourteen undertakings are involved, including the Yorkshire Traction Co., Ltd., West Riding Automobile Co., Ltd., South Yorkshire Motors, Ltd., and Messrs. J. Bullock and Sons.
RAILWAY OBJECTS TO INCREASED RATES!
RAILWAY objections are inevitable in connection with proposals to reduce fares, but it is rather unusual to encounter them when seeking to increase rates." . This was, however, the case when United Automobile Services, Ltd., applied to the Northern Traffic Commissioners for permission to make all-round increases in season-ticket rates in Northumberland. The London and North Eastern Railway Co. and several local authorities objected.
For the bus company it was pointed out that travel facilities in the area had been much improved. The railway representative suggested that, if the bus company's season-ticket rates were to be reviewed, they should be brought into line with the comparable railway fares.
He considered that, where door-todoor facilities were provided, there was a case for bus season-ticket rates being higher than those of the railway. The railway representative added that it was not proposed to introduce interavailability of road and rail tickets.
BIG BUS PLANS AT BRADFORD.
BRADFORD Tramways Committee decided, on Monday, to recommend the city council to replace trams by trolleybuses on the Duckworth Lane route, at an estimated cost of £38,500, including the purchase of 15 A.E.C.English Electric vehicles.
The committee also decided to recommend the purchase of 25 oil-engined buses, required to replace existing buses, at a cost of £47,825. The make has not been disclosed.
SOUTH SHIELDS MAKES LOSS OF 11,140.
THE annual report of South Shields bus undertaking shows a deficit of £1,141 for the year ended March 31 last. The revenue was £11,252, whilst working expenses were £11,776, leaving a deficit of £523. To this sum has to be added interest on mortgages (£143) and a contribution to the sinking fund (£475',. The buses carried
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1,413,848 passengers and covered• 322,008 miles.
The trams, for the same period, showed a net surplus of £133.
NEW STATION FOR 59 BUSES.
LOWESTOFT Corporation has approved a revised plan for the provision of a bus station at Battery Green, affording parking facilities for 59 buses and including waiting rooms and offices, at an estimated cost of £3,884.
BIG FARE CUTS PROPOSED.
PERMISSION to reduce bus fares on certain routes in the Halifax district, by 25-50 per cent., is sought from the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners by Halifax Corporation and the London, Midland and Scottish and London and North Eastern Railway* Companies,
which operate joint bus services in the area.
This is a preliminary to the further substitution of buses for trams—this time on the West Vale and Stainland routes.
ALL WARRINGTON TRAMS TO I N order to complete its tramreplacement programme, Warrington Corporation will require a turther 24 buses. The final substitution of buses for trams shortly take place, the replacement being made in two sections, the first at a cost of £26,000, and the second at a cost of about £21,000. Tenders for 12 oilers with steel bodies are to be sought.
GAS BUS AT WALLASEY.
XPERIMENTS with a bus operating on coal gas are being made by Wallasey Corporation, which is also to test five lorries on this fuel. The Government has sanctioned a loan for gas-compressing plant. DIFFICULT POINTS IN CONTRACT-CARRIAGE CASE.
SOIVIE knotty points were involved in a case at Fishguard Police Court, in which Greys' Garages, Ltd., Tenby, was summoned for the alleged use of a hackney carriage as an express carriage, without a licence from the Traffic Commissioners. The allegation was that the company substituted the car for a coach, advertised to go on a tour.
The defendant, however, denied this, contending that the car was hired privately. The coach tour had been abandoned.
The case was eventually adjourned for legal arguments, with the option to the defence to produce additional evidence.
The prosecution's evidence was that Greys' Garages, in addition to other businesses, ran eight coaches and • advertised toursA policeman spoke to one of the company's coach drivers,. who, at Goodwick, was driving a hackney carriage. The driver said that he was taking the passengers to St. David's and Fishguard on a tour,: which had, the police said, been advertised the previous day.
Mr. D. T. A. Williams, chief vehicle examiner in South Wales, said that a hackney carriage would not have been passed, as would an express carriage. He agreed that there was nothing to prevent a firm from abandoning an advertised tour and then hiring out a vehicle to a private party.
The coach driver said that he would not know whether or not he was conducting a tour or a private party.
Mr. W. J. Cole, manager of Greys' Garages, Ltd., said the 10s. tour was advertised, but owing to poor support was abandon ad. Apparently these would-be tourists were disappointed, for they offered to hire a car, for which a charge of £3 was made. The passengers could have altered their destination had they so wished. OPERATOR SUGGESTS FORMING CO-OPERATIVE COMMITTEE.
A SUGGESTION by Mr. C. Y. Lloyd, PI of Fingland's Hire Cars, Ltd., Manchester, whose work in the organization of coach operators in Lancashire is well known, was welcomed by the North Western Traffic Commissioners, a few days ago.
The question of the interavailability of tickets and booking offices between coach operators had been raised, and Mr. W. Chamberlain, the chairman, pointed out that the scheme, which had much merit, was in force for many years in Manchester, but it had been misused. He did not know how the Commissioners could control passenger transport under an interavailability scheme, when the conditions of individual licences varied so widely.
Mr. Lloyd suggested that a committee of operators could fosmuIate a co-operative system for each area, and any concern which infringed the conditions of its licences would be blacklisted. .Mr. J. S. Howarth, of the Commercial Motor Users Association, , stressed the point that extreme care was necessary in preparing black lists.
Mr. Chamberlain thought that if Mr. Lloyd succeeded in his proposal he would be a public benefactor. The latter believed that the object would he achieved with the Commissioners' support. The need for co-operation was stressed at a meeting (reported on another page) at which Mr. Lloyd pmsided, last week.
IPSWICH TROLLEYBUS EXTENSIONS URGED.
IPSWICH Transport Committee has considered the question of further powers being obtained for the running of trolleybuses over additional roads in the borough, and recommends various extensions at a total estimated cost of £18,820.
STATION CHARGE AGREED.
AN AGREEMENT has been reached between Consett Urban District Council (Co. Durham) and the local bus owners regarding terms for' using the proposed new bus station. Five hundred buses will use the station weekly and each bus will be charged 7d. per day.
COUNCIL TO BUY BUS COMPANY?
°SPORT Borough Council has de cided to appoint a sub-committee to consider the advisability Of purchasing the undertaking of the Gosport and Fareharn Omnibus Co. A councillor pointed out that the municipality had everything to gain and nothing to lose by making a full inquiry into the matter. ULSTER TOURIST TRAFFIC IMPROVES THIS SEASON.
T"system of the combined booking of hotel acconimodation for a week or a longer period, together with daily coach tours from the headquarters,. has been a prominent feature of Irish—and particularly Ulster—holidaymaking for a number of years, the joint terms working out at attractive figures. This year, Ulster has had a record number of visitors taking this type of vacation, the number of bookings being estimated at nearly 70,000. ,
With an average of five coach excursions for each person the system has been a decided asset to the industry. Many hotel proprietors run their own vehicles, whilst others hire coaches from various operators. The Laharna Hotel, at Larne, belonging to the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Co. (Northern Counties Committee) handles a useful portion of the business, a number of bookings is also taken by the same company's Portrush hotel, whilst the L.M.S. (N.C.C.) coaches also carry tourists staying at certain other hotels.
BUSES FOR SOUTH SHIELDS?
UNLESS a reduction in electricity charges can be secured by South Shields transport undertaking, there is a possibility that the trams will have to be replaced by oil-engined buses.