Upward Trend of Fares Accelerates
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B.M.M.0,. to Apply Again : Edinburgh, TharnesValley, Aberdeen and Cardiff Succeed
WITH the arm-mincer-trent by the Birmingham and Midland Motor " Oirthibus Cdi, Ltd; that it intends to-apply once again for a general increase in fares., it-. became clear that the twist* and turns of the inflationary.spiral-are-.heing matched by those of viperators seeking new means for augmenting rtitnue. In the B.M.M.O. applica. lion may be seen a typical example of how costs have affected pperOars in the *past year. Operational costs have gone up by"...ovier T500,000 a year: fuel :cost alone has increased by £150,000 it year r
Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Southport Corporations have, in the past week, been granted what is in each Case a. third increase in fares, and , Thames Valley Traction Co., Ltd. has ben successful in a second general application.....
. Giving details of the. second general application for higher fares, Mr. D. M. Sinclair, general manager of B.M.M.O., revealed that the new scale granted in April, which came into effect on tidy 28, did . not realize the extra revenue required. In addition, fuel eosts had risen by 50,000 a year and wage costs by £275,000 a year.
B.M.M.O. Proposals
It is now proposed to make additions to single fares from 3i2d. on the follow ing basis:-30.-11.1d., Is.-Is. lid.. id.,25.-2s. 1 td., 2d., and:So' on, giving . a maximum increase of 9d. on fares in the 9s.-9s. 3d. range: Workmen's' fares from 2111.-5s. 4d.-; will go up by ld.-4d.' if the application succeeds.
Next Sunday, higher bus and tram charges will come into operation at Edinburgh. With the exception of proposals referring to tranSfer tickets for school Children, the Scottish Licensiag Authority has granted the municipal application in full. ' The cost of:transfer tickets, which the 'corporation had sought 10 raise to 2d.; remains at id.
for children: • The lid. ticket will remain although in racist cases for shorter Stages. The 21d.-3d. tickets will cover shorter stages and additional 4d. and 5d. tickets will be introduced. The new fares will augment revenue by £239.000 a year, although a deficit of £273,000 is expected next year.
Aberdeen's Grant
On the same day Aberdeen Transport Department may introduce higher charges,. although difficulties with regard fo. the change-over may ,delay this until December 9. The Licensing Authority granted permission:to the undeitiking to introduce, for six months, an experimental Id. fare for one stage during off-peak periods.
Apart from this, fares will be on the basis of a 750-yd. stage, two of which may be covered on a lid. ticket, three for 2d., four for and 12 for 40. Another concession in the form of a season ticket costing 27s. 6d. for three months for 750 yds., plus 10d. for each subsequent 100 yds., was authorized.
Permission to add -td. to single fares from21(1.-7d., 10 per cent. to tickets costing 7d. and over and 10 per cent.
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to workmen's and ordinary return fares was granted the Thames Valley Traction Co., Ltd., by the South Eastern Licensing Authority, last week. Since the previous application was granted a year ago, stated the concern's counsel, wages costs had .increased by nearly £78,000 for. a full year and -fuel costs by over £30,000. An operating profit of £1,305 was all that could be expected for next year on present fares.
Giving decisivae, the Licensing Authority said that he was glad that the lid, fare had been retained. Under the conditions prevailing, the applicant had made its case, but he would continue to.. wateh:the situation carefully. After '12 months he would-require the company to furnish figures on the effect of higher fares to see whether a reduction' couldnot be -Made with the idea of giving back to the public something of the amount which he was.then compelled to sanction. .
Cardiff Fares Up
At Cardiff, fares will he increased next Thursday. Two-stage journeys will, Oat Id. More and workmen's returns Id. .more.. The undertaking had 'requested permission to increase workmen's fares by 50 per cent. and the estimated value of the increase equals £1,000 per week. Since the hearing took place on September 25, it is estimated that the undertaking has lost approximately £12,000 additional' revenue.
Southport Corporation has now received permission to advance all fares over 21d. by id., and to establish workmen's return tickets on the basis of the normal ‘single fare minus id. in the caie of all tickets over 3d. The Northwestern Licensing Authority also granted. Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., permission to bring its charges into line on•common routes.
Since fares were last raised a year ago, costs had gone up by 02,500 a year,' it was stated for the municipal undertaking. The loss for this year, on current fares, would amount to £6.895, creating an accumulated deficit of 118,480. The new charges would add 0,200 to this year's revenue and £17,372 to that of a full year. Mileage had been cut by 300,000 'to meet the situation, but it was felt that passengers would prefer to pay more rather than suffer-more service oats.
In view of negotiations between bus operators and the National Coal Board in • respect of special services for mineworkers. the Yorkshire Licensing Authority last week' deferred decision on the application of the West Riding Automobile Co., Ltd„ to abolish miners' and workmen's concession fares. The concern operates 335 special .services for miners as well as workmen's services.
. Other points in the application were an increase in ordinary return, fares front 1.1-1i times the single rate and the abolition of monthly contracts and apprentices'
12-journey tickets. • With the 'present fares, the concern would lose over £4,000 this-year and over £6,000 next year. The company has been given a' fortnight in which to come to a decision with the N.C.B. The Board subsidizes some miners' services in the West Riding.
2d. Minhnum for Leeds?
With the possibility of a deficit next year of £300.000. Leeds Corporation is idscussing new fares schedules, including a 2d. minimum. Higher charges were last introduced by the corporation undertaking in June last, but since then, wages alone have gone up by £82,000 a year: The. department would require a Is. 3d. rate to extricate it from its present difficulties.
Sheffield Corporation, which is in a similar position, is alsO ecineidering a 2d. minimum fare, as reported in "The Commercial Motor" dated November 16. A recommendation to this effect is to be.considered by the city council next week. .
Lancaster Transport Department is applying for higher charges. consisting . mainly of an addition of Id. to each existing fare. This would be the second advance in fares in 12 months.
More from South Wales Three more South Wales operators have filed new proposals with the Licensing Authority. Two of these, West Wales Motors, Ltd., and Rees and Williams, Lid., both of Ammanford, suggest the abolition of workmen's fares. The third, Merthyr Tydfil Corporation, proposes to issue workmen's tickets to "bona tide workpeople." These tickets will be availabld for use before 8 am. Shift workers travelling after. this hour may obtain workmen's tickets on production of a permit.
Thirty-four services are affected by an application of Bury Corporation. This proposes a minimum fare of lid. available for a mile, reductions in the stage lengths on other fares, and additions of Id. and 1.1c1, to higher fares. Some of these services are worked jointly with other opera tors.