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Operating Aspects of PASSENGER TRANSPORT

30th December 1932
Page 57
Page 58
Page 57, 30th December 1932 — Operating Aspects of PASSENGER TRANSPORT
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

BETTER COUNTRY BUS SERVICES NEEDED

COUNTRY services are often difficult to organize and to co-ordinate, but co-ordination of the routes and times of running is indeed necessary. One of the difficulties encountered in organizing rural services is the great denutud for accommodation on Saturdays and the relative neglect of the facilities during the week. This applies particularly to purely rural routes, intertown routes being generally well patronized, during the week, by people other than country folk. In towns, the requirements of nearly all can be met, because the general flow of traffic is such as to justify a service every few minutes. By imagining the opposite of travel conditions prevailing in towns, one can obtain an idea of the country position, which could be much improved if better ser

vices were provided, because there would be more week-day travel.

Now that most rural services, like those operating on the town and intertown routes, are in the hands of the bigger companies, the usual practice is to establish a depot in each important country town from which the rural services radiate. The local official who is in charge of the depot rarely has the .final word when settling times of running. It would probably be better if be had.

How is a local manager to cope with his difficulties, when, as is the case with most villages, apart from the large ones, the usual two-hourly services of the week-day have to be augmented to an hourly headway on Saturdays? Ile can, perhaps, obtain more buses (but there is a close limit to this), and he can keep those in operation more busy. A2commodation must be limited on Saturdays, or there must be buses standing idle, or running empty, during the week.

There is another difficulty relating to the times of running which is a hindrance to thorough co-ordination. Considering the requirements of the ordinary village and excluding the isolated demand for a workmen's bus, a suitable operating time is one which allows the first bus to reach the local centre before 9 a.m., carrying business people and school children. It also conveys early shoppers and others who will wish to make train or bus connections, or to return home at about 10 a.m.

Most country people who wish some843 times to travel to town are ready to do so about 10 a.m., and they generally wish to reach home between noon and 1 pan. This gives, for the morning, practically a two-hourly service, which, in most cases, is sufficient when the most suitable times are observed. From the countryman's point of view, the first bus not reaching town until after 9 a.m. is most inconvenient. Other unsuitable times are 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and when the last-mentioned prevail it will be found that other forms of travel are often secured. The best morning times are approximately 8-8.30 am., 10-10.30 a.m., and 12 noon-12.30 p.m.

It is not easy to organize such times for all villages at once, but it should be possible to offer more than at present by way of convenience to the travelling public.

Afternoon' services are not so important, provided that there is at least one in both directions, with a bus leaving for home between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., and one to the town at about 6 p.m. for pleasure seekers, who must, of course, return afterwards.

These difficulties did not arise so frequently before so many of the small operators were absorbed by the bigger companies, because they specialized in their own routes and nursed them. They had not to provide buses for a number of places and ran just at those times in the week when people most wanted to travel. Now that changes have come about every effort should be made by the companies and the Traffic Commissioners to ensure that these services are adequately maintained.

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