SELNEC surplus higher than expected
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• SELNEC PTA announced this week .hat it will meet the £1.3m cost of r.toncessionary fares during the first three months of 1974 without local rate support. In its annual report the PTA say the lecision was made possible by its )perational surplus for 1972 of just under SELNEC's turnover for all public ransport for the year totalled more than The operating surplus -higher than tnticipated — is due to five causes: )assenger decline less than predicted, .educed inflation, financial benefits from iew agreements with other operators, ffective operating economies, and improved nspector and revenue control.
But PTA chairman, Alderman George vlann, warned that the charge to local .atepayers for rail services this year will louble. The Authority says it has to bear an idditional 10 per cent of the cost of grants or providing the services.
However, it intends to limit the overall are increases — to come in later this year — to five per cent, and keep the rate irecept increase to 4.3 per cent. This will be 3 addition to the precept for rail services.
The chairman said that during the year, ;ELNEC had signed an agreement with tritish Rail — the first of its kind in the ountry — as the initial step towards improved local passenger transport facilities.
And among other achievements of the past year, the results of a pilot study to upgrade the Altrincham to Manchester Piccadilly line are being discussed with the DoE. If implemented, the line would give a five-minute peak-hour service with interchanges at major road and rail stations. It is hoped this would be ready by 1975.
Following the raising of the school-leaving age, half-fare travel is now available to pupils up to 16. Concessions On children's travel have also been extended.
Over half of SELNEC's fleet is now one-man-operated, and urgent consideration is to be given to an improved fare and ticket system to reduce boarding times.
The report concludes that in 1972, two major objectives were achieved: the long-term plan for extensive development of passenger transport facilities in the area, and a complete pattern of ownership for the long-term plan to materialize.
Looking to the future, over the next year the new Greater Manchester Metropolitan County and districts will be created. The Authority says it confidently expects the council's wide functions in planning, transportation and traffic management will enable it to determine comprehensive policies within which passenger transport will operate.