THE LATEST NEWS OF IMPORTANT EVENTS
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35-MILE RADIUS FOR PICKING UP SOUGHT.
A N application having an important AN
on the pre-booked-party question was submitted to the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners, at Leeds.
last Friday. Under the pre-bookedparty licensing scheme introduced by the Yorkshire Commissioners, last year, picking up has been limited to a radius of three miles from the operator's licensed starting point, but the applicant, Mr. Samuel Ledgard, asked for the radius to be extended to 35 miles from Leeds.
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For the applicant,. it was said that the application might appear to be new, but the Minister of Transport had supported, on appeal, a similar application in the south. Inquiries for the conveyance of pre-booked parties had, it was stated, been received from places as far afield as Aysgarth.
Mr. Ledgard wished to bring his fares more into line with the railway fares, which, it was explained, were, in some cases, 83-50 per cent. lower than the coach rates.
The Commissioners reserved their decision.
ROAD-RAIL FARES CO-ORDINATION ON TYNESIDE.
THE railways and road passenger' transport undertakings are to coordinate for the first time on the Newcastle-on-Tyne-Whitley Bay route by raising their fares to is. 3d. return. it is understood, however, that Messrs. T. Allen, who opera te on a section of the route will not increase fares.
The present rail rate of is. return, is available for only one day, whereas the new is. 3d. " returns " will be available for three months. The present return fare for buses is is. 2d. REDCAR COMPENSATION CASE CONTINUES.
' FURTHER hearing of the claim of Redcar Services, Ltd., Tunbridge Wells, for compensation from London Transport, took place on Monday and Tuesday of this week, before the London Passenger Transport Arbitration Tribunal. The company claims £21,000 in compensation for the severance of two services and for the transfer of three vehicles. The previous hearing was reported in Our issue dated February 9.
On Monday, the Redcar concern's accountant explained that the basis of the severance claim was that the operating costs • were as high as previously, but the receipts were lower, because the transport of short-stage passengers was prohibited by the Board. In the year ended September 30, 1932, the company's LondonTunbridge Wells service brought in receipts of £7,201.
For the Board, it was submitted that, if the authority were liable for compensation, it could be in respect only of goodwill and vehieles. The claim was on an incorrect and exaggerated basis. If the Redear concern had transferred the whole of the service to the Board, it would have hqen entitled to full compensation, hut the company would not follow this course. Furthermore, it was stated, considerably more mileage was now being covered on the route than previously.
The Board's accountant said that a sum of about £2,000 for goodwill would be reasonable if the Board were found to be liable. He assessed the compensation payable, in those circumstances, at £6,454. He added that, if. the Redcar London-Tunbridge Wells service were stopped, the company would not, in future, sustain the 1932 loss.
The hearing was continued on Tuesday, when Mr. Frank Pick, vice-chairman of the Board, gave evidence.
LICENCES GRANTED FOR PASSENGERS ON LORRIES.
LICENCES have been granted by the
Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners to enable market traders to travel on the lorries which carry their goods from Leeds to various towns in Yorkshire. The licences were granted to Mr. J. Miles and Mr. J. Floldgate, both of Leeds, last Friday.
Mr. J. Keeling, secretary of the Yorkshire Motor Coach and Transport Owners Association, who appeared for the applicants, said that they had carried the stallholders free of charge, along with their goods, for many years. Only stailholders accompanying their goods to a particular market would he carried, and the number would be limited to seven at a time. The ordinary excursion fares would be charged.
In the past, 5s. to 10s. was charged for carrying packages, and the owner travelled free. Now the fare would be divided between the trader and his goods, and any additional charge necessary would be taken off the cost of carrying the goods.
NINE MONTHS' DISPUTE ENDED.
QN Monday last the North-Western
Traffic Commissioners announced their decision on a controversy that has dragged on for the past nine months, concerning the operatton of services from Liverpool, Birkenhead and Wallasey to resorts on the coast of North Wales. Thirteen licences were involved, some of the applications for which have been refused.
Messrs. Maxvrays Motor Services, who, some time ago, terminated a coordination agree:Tient with CroSville Motor Services, Ltd., concerning the Llandudno and Carnarvon routes, will be able to set down passengers at variour points formerly prohibited by the vgreement.
" CONTRACT-CARRIAGE " APPEAL.
AN appeal has been lodged by W. Alexander and Son, Ltd., Elgin District Motor Co., and three other parties, against the decision of Sheriff Howden that it is an offence to hire buses to
private persons to attend football matches, when seats are subsequently offered for sale. The case was reported in last week's issue.
BUS FUND BEARS TRANI DEBTS.
THE finance committee of Wallasey Corporation has decided that the debt on the track and electrical equipment, amounting to £10,887, be charged to the bus reserve fund. The remaining debt, amounting to £12,751, in respect of assets taken over and used for bus purposes, are to be assumed by the bus account.
"BENEFITS OF THE ACT LARGELY NULLIFIED."
THE view that, although the Road Traffic Act had improved passenger. transport conditions, the benefit conferred had largely been nullified by the considerable extra expense and time involved in complying with it, was expressed by Mr. 0. C. Power, traffic manager of the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., at the annual meeting of the Birmingham Horse and Motor Vehicle Owners Association, on Monday.
Mr. Power, who presided, maintained that contract-carriage work should be free. trona restriction, and remarked that the Minister of Transport did not seem inclined to amend the Road Traffic Act In this connection, although he had promised to consider doing so.
In describing the restrictions on the duplication of long-distance coaches as an attempt to coerce the public to travel by rail when it wished to go byroad, the speaker forecast that, during next August Bank HolidaY week-end a state of chaos equivalent to, if not . worse than, that which existed prior to the war would be experienced on the railways.
He referred to the Road and Rail Traffic Act as another measure designed to restrict goods-transport operators in the carrying on of their legitimate business.
GLASGOW TO BUILD TROLLEY. BUSES?
GLASGOW Corporation is seeking
power to build trolleybuses. Certain members of the Parliamentary Committee are opposed to the proposal, but their objection has been overrated by the Parliamentary Bills Committee, In support of the applies. tion, it is pointed out that the council has constructed trams for over 30 years.
BUSES AND COACHES NOT THE CAUSE OF CONGESTION.
INTERESTING statistics throwing 'light upon the question of traffic congestion were quoted by Mr, R. Stuart Filcher, . Manchester Corporation's transport manager, in an address to the Manchester and Liverpool and district section of the Institute of Trans-. port. The speaker denied that publicservice vehicles were responsible for traffic congestion.
He said that a census taken in Manchester, last year, showed that the average space occupied by a private car per person carried was 32.9 sq. ft. On the other hand, a single-deck bus covered 11.18 sq. ft. per person, and a double-decker 6.1 sq. ft.
Furthermore, Mr. Pricher stated, the average private car paid only 4s. 70. per annum in taxation, calculated in terms of a unit road space occupied, as compared with 8s. 1.0id. for the bus.
He mentioned that oil-engined buses are saving Manchester Corporation no less than 2.136c1, per mile in operating costs. M.T. CO. LOSES CASE: TO APPEAL FOR THIRD TIME.
'p'`OR the third time, the M.T. Co.
(Motor Coaches), Ltd., London, S.E., is to appeal against the refusal of the South-Eastern Traffic Commissioners to grant certain picking-up points between Birching'non and Swanley on services from London to the Isle of Thanet, which have been run for many years. The third refusal of the application was made by the Commissioners last week.
On a previous appeal, the Minister of Transport stated that representations
had been made by residents of Lenham and there appeared to be no service to Lenham comparable with that of the M.T. concern. The Commissioners granted the company permission_to carry passengers from London to Len ham, also giving this facility to the East Kent Road Car Co., Ltd., although it is understood the latter company was apparently not particularly anxious to secure this privilege.
The "East Kent" also was granted picking-up Points between Charing and Chilham formerly used by the M.T. Co. The latter was refused these picking-up points in order to protect the alleged unremunerative stage-carriage services of the East Kent company.
For the M.T. Co., figures were submitted to show that a net loss would be
incurred by the refusal of these pickingup points, but the Commissioners would not agree.
We understand from Mr. F. A. Flin, director of the M.T. Co. (Motor
Coaches), Ltd., that, if the impending appeal be lost, the company will probably have to go out of business after 14 years of operation.
LONDON BUSES NOT TOO FAST.
THE London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee has decided that it would not be justified in recommending a reduction of the a,verage speed of London buses.
The committee has investigated a complaint by the Pedestrians Association to the effect that, during the first six months of the working of the accelerated schedules for London buses, 56 persons had been killed and 1,281 injured by these vehicles in the Metropolitan Police Area, as compared with 32 and 1,014 respectively a year earlier.
Statistics furnished by London Transport indicated that accidents involving its buses had increased by only .061 per 10,000 miles in 1933, as compared with the figure for the previous year.
MORECAMBE COACH OWNERS TO PRESS FOR TUNNEL?
ASUGGESTION that Morecambe, Heysham and District Coach Owners Association should press for a tunnel underneath the River Lune, in order to improve the connection between Lancaster and Morecambe and Heysham now dependent upon a single bridge at Lancaster, was made at the annual dinner of the Association.
The corporation advertising manager suggested that, at a rough estimate, 250,000 people were taken by coach
B42 from Morecambe to the Lake District, but few persons came from the Lake District to Morecambe. He suggested that the Morecambe coach owners should arrange with those in the Lake District to reciprocate by bringing visitors to Morecambe.
Councillor Clifford Thomas, vicechairman of the Motor Hirers and Coach Services Association, urged that respite from unfair restrictions was needed.
BLACKBURN TRAMS TO GO.
R LACKBURN Corporation's first 'change-over from trams to buses will take place on the Queen's Park section of the system and two 56-seater buses are being purchased for the purpose.
TROLLEYBUS PIONEER DEAD.
THE death has occurred, at the age of 66 years, of Mr. John William Dawson, one of the pioneers in the de
velopment of the trolleybus, who, until his retirement in 1927, was rolling-stock superintendent in Bradford Corporation's tramways department. Bradford and Leeds were among the first cities to use the trolleybus, which they introduced in 1911.
BRADFORD EXPECTS A PROFIT. R RADFORD Corporation's tramways
'Department, which runs trams, trotleybuses and motorbuses, expects to
make a net profit of at least £7,000 by the end of this month. This will be the first time that the department has shown a net profit since 1928. The losses since that date have varied from £5,951 to 1929 to £64,696 in 1931.
COMMISSIONER RECOMMENDS SALE OF BUSINESS.
AT a sitting, a few days ago, Mr.
J. H. Stirk, chairman of the East Midland Traffic Commissioners, recommended a certain operator to negotiate for the sale of his business, because his past conduct had been such that, in two months' time, the Commissioners might have to take his vehicles off the road. P.S.V. BODY DESIGN DISCUSSED: LATITUDE NEEDED.
THE Design of Bodywork for Public Service Vehicles" was the title of a paper read by Mr. A. J. Romer, of the Eastern Counties Omnibus Co., Ltd., before a meeting of the Institution of Automobile Engineers, in Wolverharnpton.
The subjects of all-metal and woodand-metal bodywork were discussed at some length, and ;Mx. Romer felt that the Road Traffic Act had been an advantage in limiting the size of coaches and buses. At the same time, a certain amount of latitude was sometimes required by the bodybuilder, particularly in respect of double-deckers. The strict limitation of the weight of a double-decker to 10 tons presented a temptation to place light weight before safety. The speaker also referred to the economies in operating costs effected by streamlining bodywork, and pointed to the need for streamlining the space. below the radiator, which, he said, was just as important from the point of view of wind resistance as the fairing of the roof and sides.
Among those present at the meeting were Mr. C. Owen Silvers, Wolverhampton Corporation's transport manager; Mr. A. Webb, of Guy Motors, Ltd. ; and Mr. Wingfield, 'of Birmingham Corporation's transport department. The chairman was Mr. J. E. GreenwOod.
NEW DUBLIN ROAD-TRANSPORT CENTRE.
FOLLOWING the final absorption of
the services of the Irish Omnibus Co., Ltd., and John Wallis and Sons, Ltd., by the Great Southern Railway (Ireland), it is announced that Hill House, Dublin, has been acquired by the railway company as its new central city headquarters. It is understood. that the company's administrative centre for all passenger and goods road traffic will be located in the new building.
GAS BUSES: OPERATORS AND COUNCIL TO CO-OPERATE?
A SUB-COMMITTEE of the gas com mittee of Stoke-on-Trent Corporation has met representatives of the Potteries Motor Traction Co., Ltd., and Associated Bus Proprietors, Ltd., and other bus operators in the city, when they inspected the 6s compressor and witnessed a demonstration by the van at present running on town gas.
The sub-committee suggested that a bus running on one of the city routes should be fitted up to use gas fuel, the cost of adaptation to be borne in equal proportions by the operators and the corporation. The fuel would be supplied by the corporation at a minimum charge. After further discussion, the matter was deferred to enable the proprietors to meet for the purpose of going further into details.
ULSTER FARES TRIBUNAL RESULT.
ON February 24, the Northern Ire
land Road Transport Fares Tribunal, in giving judgment on the application of the Belfast Omnibus Co. for authority to provide for . two, instead of one, double journeys per day with monthly season tickets, except in the case of five routes, granted the application.
The Tribunal stated that it would be prepared to consider sympathetically a future application in respect of the five excluded routes, when the company was in a position to. extend the privilege without imposing any additional cost on the ordinary passenger.
AGREED FARES IN THE NORTH.
AT a sitting at Newcastle, on March 9, the Northern Traffic CommisSioners will hear objections or representations in connection with agreed excursion and tour fares. The fares are listed in Gazette 117, dated February 17, and objections or representations must be lodged within 14 days of that date.
BUSES HELP THE RATES.
THE motorbus committee of Todmor
den Corporation has allocated 46,375 from the motorbus fund for the relief of rates during the next financial year.
CROYDON OPERATORS' DINNER.
THE annual dinner and dance of the
Croydon and District Motor Coach Owners Association will be held at the Greyhound Hotel, Croydon, on March 12, at 7 p.m. It is hoped that the two Members of Parliament for the district and leading members of the Motor Hirers and Coach Services Association will be present. SERVICE RUN FOR YEARS WITHOUT A LICENCE.
THE remarkable circumstance of an
operator running a service for a number of years without a licence was revealed to the West Midland Traffic Commissioners a few days ago. It appears that Wells and Alayner, Ltd., Birmingham, had, prior to the operation of the Road Traffic Act and since that date, been working an express service to Weston-super-Mare on Bank Holidays, and, owing to a misapprehension, thought that the service could be run under an existing excursion and tour licence. The company's competitors thought that it was licensed.
Col. A. S. Redman, chairman of the Traffic Commissioners, remarked "This almost passes comprehension." The hearing was adjourned for the production of statistics.
ANOTHER TRANSFER TO LONDON TRANSPORT.
oN February 21, the buses of Messrs.
Penfold and Brodie, Green-StreetGreen, Kent, were transferred to London Transport, which assumed operation of the services on the Green-StreetGreen-Cudham-Knockholt and Westerham-Knockholt-Sevenoaks routes. The transfer does not extend to the firm's coach services ftom Bromley, etc., to coastal towns.