Operating Aspects of
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PASSENGER TRANSPORT
£45,000 CHANGE-OVER SCHEME IN MERTHYR
Asum of approximately £45,000 will he expended in connection with the change-over, from trams to buses, which is now under consideration by Merthyr Corporation. It is confidently expected that this move, similar to successful change-overs in other Welsh towns during recent years, will result in increased efficiency in transport, and cheaper fares on certain routes.
In Swansea, the abandonment of the tram service and the introduction of buses have been widelypraised_ Merthyr Corporation has decided to promote a Parliamentary Bill to give effect to the proposed abandonment of the present tram service and authorizing it to run a bus service. It will empower the corporation to borrow money for the purchase and attendant expenditure.
DRIVER'S DUTY FOLLOWING AN ACCIDENT. .
A POINT of particular interest to
operators of public service vehicles was mentioned by Mr. C. E. Douthwaite, traffic manager to the British Oil and Cake Mills, Ltd„ of Hull, in a paper on " Some Aspects of the Law of Road Accidents," which he recently read before the Graduates' and Students' Society of the Leeds and district section of the Institute of Transport. The point, which concerned the law on the notification of accidents, cropped up in a prosecution at Hull, not long ago.
Mr. Douthwaite explained that if the driver of a motor vehicle, concerned in an accident, does not give his name and address to any person to whom the accident causes damage or injury, he must report the accident to the police within B24 24 hours. In the case at Hull, a woman passenger in a public service vehicle, alighted after the bus had been set in motion, and fell to the ground. The conductor, who knew the woman, went to her assistance, but was assured by the passenger that she was unhurt.
Although the conductor knew the woman personally—possibly he gave her his name and address and the number of the vehicle—and afterwards duly made out his accident report at the depot, the driver of the vehicle was eventually summoned for not reporting the acciaent to the police.
Even had the conductor given the driver's name and address to the woman, this might not have been sufficient to obviate a prosecution, for the law stipulates that the driver, himself, must give his name and address to the person concerned.
TWO HALIFAX TRAM ROUTES GO.
THE trams on two routes in Halifax, ran for the last time on Wednesday, when buses took over. The remaining tram service in the town, that to Mason Green, is to be replaced by buses this month.
PRODUCER-GAS BUSES FOR GLASGOW.
T"question of running producergas buses, in Glasgow, is to be considered by the transport committee after it has received a report, from the general manager, on the experiment which has been carried out with the Highland Transport Co.'s bus.
A request has been made to the corporation by the Duke of Montrose, that a conversion of some of the vehicles should be considered. It is stated that British Gazogenes, Ltd., which is shortly to open a new factory at the Millington Industrial Estate, Glasgow, is in a position to do this work.
BLACKPOOL PROFITS STILL RISING
PROFITS from Blackpool Corporation's bus services are nearly eight times greater than they were in 1934. This is revealed in the annual report of the transport manager, Mr. W. Luff, who points out that, in 1933, when he took over office, the aggregate loss on the services was £66,861.
In the year he became manager he changed the previous 12 months' loss of £9,586, to a profit of £3,283, and subsequent profits had been: 1935, £11,326; 1936, £15,252; 1937, £19,611, and 1938, £24,451.
Passengers carried on the buses have risen from 9,741,648, in 1933, to 33,163,996 this year. Mr. Luff states that not a single man has been dismissed, wages have been substantially increased and all employees now have 12 days' annual holiday with pay, compared -with six days previous to 19;14.
COMMISSIONERS AND WAITING ROOMS.
PRESIDING at a sitting of the Traffic Commissioners at Dunfermline, last week, Mr. Henry Riches gave a hint to bus operators on the subject of the provision of waiting-room accommodation in places where there are no bus stances.
He said that, during a recent inspection of bus halts at Cowderibeath, the Commissioners were much interested in a new waiting-room and office, provided by W. Alexander and Son, Ltd., which company had converted an old building into a comfortable waiting room.
The Commissioners suggested it as a model that might be copied in many other places. Where the operators had the privilege of using the streets for their terminal points, it was only fair to provide for waiting passengers.
SKEGNESS FINANCE COMMITTEE SAYS -NO"
A RECOMMENDATION to reject a ti proposal made by Barton Transport, Ltd., of Beeston, Notts, has been made by Skegness Finance Committee. The proposal concerned a portion of land at the north end of Drummond Road, which the company, subject to its obtaining the consent of the council, intended to purchase for use as a terminus for its Nottingham-Skegness service.
NEW BUS STATION FOR KEIGHLEY.
DLANS for the construction of a bus
station at Keighley, for KeighleyWest Yorkshire Services, Ltd., a company in which the capital is held by Keighley Corporation and the West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd., have been approved by Keighley Highways Committee.
It is proposed to build the station en the island site already used for bus parking and the picking-up and setting down of passengers, with the addition of land to be made available by the demolition of houses and other property.. The plans provide for the erection of a flat, two-storey building, about 150 ft. in length, with a central entrance in Lawkholme Crescent, leading to a canopied platform. A long island, in the centre of the concretecovered site, will serve as an additional platform. The station building will be centrally heated.
AN EXPERIMENTAL SERVICE IN SCOTLAND.
IT was intimated at a sitting of the I Northern Scotland Traffic Commissioners, at Dunfermline, last week, that, as a result of a conference between representatives of the county council and of bus operators, the latter had agreed to introduce, experimentally, a service for Blairhall and High Valleyfield on three days a week—Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There would be four or five runs, from the afternoon until the late evening.
INQUIRY INTO ALLEGATIONS AGAINST LINCS. OPERATOR.
A PUBLIC inquiry was held at the IA East Midland Traffic Couzt, Nottingham, on November 25, into allegations against the Humber Road Car Co., of Lincolnshire, of failing to comply with the conditions of its licence. The allegations were made by Enterprise and Silver Dawn Motors, Ltd., of High Street, Scunthorpe, and related to failure to adhere to scheduled time-tables, routes, fares, and stopping places.
After submitting details of the alleged breaches of conditiOns, on a route between Scunthorpe and Burtonon-Stather, Mr. P. E. Sandlands, K.0 , acting for the Enterprise concern, said: "We do not want to deprive the Humber Road Car Co. of its licence. Our object is to get it to run cleanly and fairly."
There were other matters contained in the allegations and these were thit the company was undercharging on certain routes, was allowing the return halves of tickets to be used for the journey, and that, in certain instances, tickets were not issued or, if they were, were not punched.
Mr. Sandlands mentioned August Bank Holiday when he said that Humber buses were running continuously, between certain times, without any attempt to keep to 'the timetable. Mr. B. de H. Pereira, for the Humber company, denied the allegations.
After a lengthy consultation between the parties concerned, Mr. J, H. Stirk, chairman of the Traffic Commissioners, decided to adjourn the inquiry sine die.
UNION'S NOTICE TO OPERATOR
THREE months' notice is to be given 1 to the management of the Scottish Motor Traction Co., Ltd., and subsidiary companies, by the Transport and General Workers' Union to end the present agreement on wages and conditions. The decision, which affects more than 8,000 bus workers in Scotland, was reached at a special delegate conference of the Union, held at Edinburgh, on November 24.
The decision is to be communicated to all branches and sections, which will be asked to submit any proposed changes in the agreement.
LATER NEW YEAR'S SERVICES DUNDEE.
AT DUNDEE, on November 24, Mr. Henry Riches, Northern Scotland Traffic Commissioner, granted permission to Dundee Corporation to extend its bus services up to 1.15 a.m. on New Year's morning. Replying to a question, as to what intending travellers would do after that hour, Mr. Robert Taylor, transport manager for Dundee, expressed the view that, after 1.15 a.m., people would not be much interested in travelling.
SCOTTISH SUMMER TOURS WELCOMED.
GRANTING permission at .Dundee, on November 24, to a number of English bus operators to run summer tours in the Highlands, Mr. Henry Riches, chairman of the Northern Scotland Traffic Commissioners, said that the Commissioners welcomed these tours. They brought a fine class of people to the district, whose presence was appreciated by the Scottish folks. The tours were in the interests of Scotland and were appreciated by the tourist.