SHORT-PERIOD BUS LICENCES.
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How a Company of Bus Proprietors Have Been Affected by the Policy of a Welsh Municipal Authority.
SWslE TIME ago the Merthyr Tydfil Council made a resolution to licence the buses of private proprietors to ply for hire in the district from month to month only. A letter from a local proprietor, which was considered at a recent meeting of the council's omnibus committee, indicates the serious effect
that this policy may have upon the services in the district, and shows why the system must be considered unsatisfactory both to owners and prospective owners. Mears. C. Davies and Sons, of Dowlais, in intimating that the issue of these short-period licences made their position insecure, pointed out that they had been led to decide upon abandoning their enterprise of running buses and of confining their activities to haulage and private hire work.
The letter went on to say that the issue of such short-period. concessions was not in keeping with the issue of quarterly licences by the excise authorities, especially in view of the large capital Outlay, maintenance costs and other items inseparable from the operation of an efficient bus service. Messrs. Davies did not venture an opinion as to the necessity for both municipal and privately owned services.
. It is necessary to point, out at this juncture that a factor which weighed with the watch committee in its decision to issue licence renewals at monthly intervals was whether the council's service was sufficient for the traffic needs of the areas served. It held the view that the existing services were equal to the demand for travelling facilities.
Messrs. Davies offered to sell certain of their buses to the council if an extension -of the council's fleet was projected, and this suggestion led to a debate on the wisdom of possessing a standardized fleet or of running one made up of vehicles of different makes and types. The offer has been deferred for the time being.
The question of the issue of licences for such short periods is one of great importance to bus owners generally, and it is, of course, a more acute question where the licensing authority is also responsible for the operation of a fleet of municipal buses.
French Buses for Russia.
The Soviet deputation which has been visiting London, Paris and Berlin, to study various municipal questions, announces that the Moscow Government intends to place orders abroad for motorbuses representing an expenditure of ten million roubles. French manufacturers have received the first order for some of these vehicles.