WHAT COACH-OWNERS ARE DOING.
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The Opening of the Season of Road Travel, which Promises to Maintain the Supremacy of the Motor Coach as the Ideal Form of Recreation.
It would be true to say of the motor coach that, during the season, it will be found on every road, at every beauty spot, and every hohday resort throughout the country. Thus, to take an absolutely comprehensive survey of the motor-coaching movement would call for far more space than we could arrange to give in one issue. Bat, the information we give in the following pages will be found to be typical of the preparations =which are being made by coach-owners, north, south, east and west, for the sea.son which already has so auspiciously opened. This issue will come into the hands of many new readers among coach-owners, and
we shall welcome detwas of any developments of their programme as the season advances.
At London-by-the-Sea.
THE WHITE HEATHER fleet of motor coaches, which is under the proprietorship and management. of Mr. W. 0. Taylor, is operated from 9, West Street, Brighton. lie present fleet consists of six vehicles, these comprising two 28-seater A.E.O.s—both of which are equipped with bodies fitted with folding arm rests, which, when in use, reduce their seating capacity to 22—threo J-type Thornyerofts, two 32-seaters and one 28-seater, and a 32-seater Leyland. The company have, in the past, considered the 28-seater coach the best type for all-round service, but local conditions of operation have directed their attention to the smaller vehicle, and it is likely that, at an early date, arrangements will be made to put into service several pneumatic-tyred 16-seaters--a type of coach which appears to be in demand by tourists.
During the forthcoming season the company are to a certain extent concentrating on the London and Brighton services, the vehicles leaving the c-cia„sial town at 5 p.m. arid returning from the Albert Embankment (London) at 8.30 a.m, the following morning. For these journeys, which will commence on April 30th, a charge of 7s. 6d. single and 15s. return is made from Monday to Friday, whilst on Saturdays and Sundays these fares are increased to 10s. 6d. and 17S. 6d. respectively. The London service is, to a certain extent, run in conjunction with "Messrs. Cornelis, 3f West Smithfield. Passengers participating in these trips will be permitted to carry 14 lb. of luggage.
The season proper commences at Whit-. stin and finishes at the end of September, hut the company run during the seven-week interval between Easter and Whitsun a number of tours, although on these trips they only expect to cover expenses. The last two weeks of July and the whole of August is the busiest period so far as ,Brighton is concerned. Throughout, Easter a number of daily runs to various places in Sussex were made, as well as certain special drives.
The majority of the runs made by the White Heather coaches are of the popular type, and in most instances the company offer a selection of runs in the morning of about 24 miles for 3s. return, and in the afternoon of between 30 and 60 miles at prices ranging from 4s. to 7s. 6d. A daily service is run to Eastbourne for 7s. return, and another to Hastings for 8s. 6d. return, whilst three times a week, a service to Littlehampton is operated at a fare of 7s. 6d.
On June 6th and every seven days subsequently the company are running a six days' tour through Middlesex, Bell thire, • Wiltshire, Somerset, Dorset, Hampshire, and Surrey, making an inclusive charge for this tour, with a road mileage of 500, of 14 guineas.
It has been found that the running costs for each coach are 2s. 9d. per mile, this figure including a fair rate for depreciation. The company believe, however, that their total mileage for the coming season will be smaller per vehicle, with the result, of course, that their running charges will be slightly, heavier. They have formulated I neir charges as -near as possible at a ■-•.te of lid. per passenger-mile; although for local trips
the figure is slightly less. Last season approximately 30,000 passengers were carried, some coaches making as many as three trips a day. Competition in Brighton, however, is now very great, and it is doubtful whether the prospects are as bright for the forthcoming season, an opinion which exists more or les amongst the established proprietors in the town. "With the addition of several coaches to the fleet, however, the White Heather Co. expect to maintain these figures. Char-it-bancs operation differs to a great extent in Brighton relatively to London. The clerk of the weather dominates to a large degree the tours which are rpm. Unlike London and the majority of the towns where seats can be booked beforehand for private parties, the White Heather Co. have to ply for hire on the front, and bad weather, of course, has a disastrous effect on the bookings.
The company have under construction a booking office on the Aquarium Terrace at Brighton, which will be opmed in the course of a few -weeks. From this office, which will be open from 8 in the morning until 10 at night, the whole of the passenger traffic will be conducted. The companyare enlarging their business, and in this connection they have recently taken a commodious office and garage at Hampton Street. Previous to the acquisition of these premises, they had to obtain outside assistance for their -machine work, but in the future all classes of repair work will be undertaken. A night engineer is employed during the seasonto effect the necessary running repairs to the vehicles, whilst during the winter months the whole of the -fleet is overhauled.