PASSENGER TRAVEL NEWS.
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(AN the coach or bus used for long
distance journeys comfort for the passengers is a vital factor in obtaining continued patronage. The weather exPerienced during the past few months has impressed this fact upon vehicle operators in no uncertain manner.
One of the neatest heating devices we have seen has been devised by Kingston and Modern Travels, Ltd., 68, St. Mary's Road, Southampton. It has been installed by this concern upon Albion, Dennis and Guy vehicles with, we are told, marked success. It is worthy of note that the cost of fitting has proved to be about £2 per vehicle. The work involved in manufacture is very simple, and there is no need to detract from the appearance or _convenience of the body in any way, the only work on the body being the drilling of a hole through the floor to accommodate the hot-air delivery pipe.
The component parts are few. Behind the radiator is a sheet-metal air scoop, into which air is driven by the action of the cooling fan and the forward movement of the vehicle. The air passes through a flexible pipe to a long steel box welded around the outside Of the exhaust pipe. The box is about one-third larger in diameter than the pipe, its length being between 3 ft. and 4 ft. The air passes over the hot walls of the pipe, picks up the heat from them, and passes on through the outlet pipe at the rear to the interior of the body. In the case of an Albion coach we inspected the outlet discharged between the two pairs of front seats.
On the morning of our inspection the coach had been driven from the neighbourhood of King's Cross to its starting point, Charing Cross, for the daily run to Southampton. This means that the vehicle had run some distance after starting from cold. The engine was allowed
MHE use of buses has increased during the past year in America, and it is estimated that there are now 92,000 vehicles of this type in operation in the country. During 1927 about 86,000 buses carried more than 2,500,000,000 passengers, so that, with the greater number of motorbuses in use during the past year, the total number of passengers Carried during 1928 should Show a considerable increase.
The year has been marked by many steps in the direction of greater to tick over at its normal rate, and the air stream was, in consequence, fax slower than would he the case when travelling. Even so the air coming into the body was raised to a comfortable degree. With a normally hot engine travelling at its accustomed cruising speed the output of heat is considerable.
Special attention has been _paid to the question of draught exclusion. Should the temperature rise too high, the drop windows can easily counter any tendency towards stuffiness. There is no smell or noise associated with the ingress of warm air. The passengers' entering the vehicle expressed their approval of the installation of a 'heater, as this allayed their only fear of an uncomfortable trip in the inclement weather obtaining on the day in question..
stability in the bus-operating industry. Numerous consolidations of small bug lines into large well-organized systems have been features of this movement. Typical of these consolidations was the formation of the Southland-Red Ball Motor Bus Co. with a capital of :5300,000, a concern formed to operate lines formerly controlled by five small companies in the State of Texas. Another consolidation was the organization of the Georgia-Florida Motor Lines, Inc., with a capital of
$1,000,000, to take over ten motorbus companies in Southern Georgia and Northern Florida.
The most iniportant fusion of the year was that of the California Transit Co. and the Yelloway System into the American Motor Transport Co., which represents a financial investment of $7,500,000. As a result of this combination, passengers can now travel by bus from the eastern seaboard to the cities of the west coast. When final arrangements are made with branch or feeder lines, it is estimated that the company's buses will cover more than 70,000 miles.
Transcontinental bus service was also instituted during the year by Pickwick Stages, Inc., of Los Angeles, California, which had previously been operating the entire length of the west coast. This company has already started to build a chain of companyowned bus terminal hotels to serve its lines from the Atlantic to the Pacific, ' Two of these hotels, in San Diego and San Francisco, have
already been opened. Others will be built across the country to the eastern terminus at Philadelphia. The company has also acquired control of a network of wireless statiOns on the west coast and intends to acquire stations across the country at the same time as the new terminal hotels along its lines are built.
In addition to these transcontinental services, the past year has seen a good increase in the number of other longdistance lines. For instance, it is now possible to travel by bus from Port Arthur, Canada, or from Chicago, through the Middle West. to the Gulf Coast. Numerous other services have been placed in operation between cities more than 100 miles apart.
The growth of inter-city bus operation has brought about the erection of numerous wellequipped terminal stations, which are used by all lines entering each city.
Developments in the carriage of passengers by aeroplane are also receiving attention from bus operators, as evidenced by the formation of the Pickwick Airways Corporation, a subsidiary
of Pickwick Stages, Inc'
lines in connection with its west coast and transcontinental bus lines. The Pickwick aeroplanes are to be used in conjunction with the new " Nite Coach" with sleeper accommodation, passengers travelling in the aeroplanes by day and changing at night to the " Nita Coaches."
Steam railways have been actively entering the bus transportation field, either adding to operations begun before the past year, or entering the passengercarrying industry for the first time. Amongst the railways which have begun bus operations this year are the Reading, the Pennsylvania and the Cotton Belt. The Missouri-Pacific has applied for permits to operate 22 bus services throughout the State of Arkansas and other railways have applied for permission to abandon short branch lines in favour of buses. About 05 companies working steam trains are
now operating approximately 1,300 motor coaches over routes aggregating more than 16,000 miles.
The growth of bus transportation by steam railway companies has been paralleled in the electric railway field during the year. Those companies using locomotives have been steadily adding to their bus equipment, and it
oeNE of the hives of industry in the ‘_./coach and bus world is the Central Londen (Road Transport) Station, Ltd., Crescent Place, Russell Square, W.C.1. From this station, which will house 200 vehicles, starts a large number of services to all parts of the king
dorm, whilst tickets may be booked there for many other services which operate from ether points in the Metropolis.
Starting from the station is a seevice run by the Queen Line to York and Hull; the single fare to the former city Is 17s., whilst the return is £1 6s. To Hull the prices are 1.8s. and 30s. respectively. Messrs. Fleetways have instituted a service to Peterborough, calls being made at Huntingdon, St.
Nets and Biggleswade. The single fare to Peterborough is 7s. ad, and the return charge 10s.
Bookings are made for the LondonBradford and Leeds sleeper-coach service, whilst the London-Nevveastle sleeper service starts from the premises.
The Folkestone buses now depart three times daily instead of twice.
Travellers can embark in one of the Ensign motor coaches in the station for Aberystwyth every Monday and Friday at 8.30 a.m. The return trips are made on Tuesdays or Saturdays; the single
is estimated that there are now 0,500 buses operated either directly by electric railway companies or through their subsidiaries. Those buses are run by about 65 former electric railway companies, which have entirely dispensed with their rail equipment.
In 400 cities of over 10,000 population, 12,000 buses are used locally.
fare is £1, the return being £1 15s. Intermediate points on the route which serve as fare-stages are: Oxford, Chipping Norton, Moreton-in-the-Marsh, Evesham, Worcester, Leominster, Kington, 'New Radnor, Pen ybont and Rhayader.
The daily service from London to Swindon run by the Lavender Blue Motor Coaches, of Swindon, now starts from the Central London Station, instead of from Hammersmith.
Patrons of the theatre who live along the Great North Road are finding the special services to Baldock on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday a great convenience. The starting time in London is 11.30 p.m. The Baldock Motor Transport Co. is responsible for this service and runs four times each way daily.
A recent fare reduction is in connection with the Manchester service ; the single fare to Manchester or Blackpool Is 15s. and the return ticket rests 21s.
After February 1st the London-Cambridge route will operate four times daily via Ware, and three times daily via Bishop's Stortford. On Thursdays and Saturdays there will also he additional late specials. The fares -will be 4s. 6d. single, Os. Od. day return or 8s. 6d. period return.