THE MOTOR COAC1 VICES OF SUSSEX.
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The Popular Seaboard Re-sorts of the
ye Remunerative Centres of Operation.
HOULD ANYONE be dubious of the increasing popularity of motor coaching he would do well to pay a visit to Sussex-by-Sea, where, at the present time, the 'motor coaching season is at its height, as it is a part of the country which, for various reasons, is particularly well provided with facilities for travel by road, and in which the services receive a patronage that is really quite remarkable.
Sussex is fortunate, as a county, in having on its. seaboard some of the most populai of the south coast holiday resorts, the constant influx of holiday makers to these delightful spots during the summer months providing a large volume of custom for the motor coach proprietors. But, there are other factors which have Made for the development of road services in Sussex. The somewhat hilly nature of the country has made the linking up of the villages by rail a matter of great difficulty, so that, quite ap.arlfrom seasonal and holiday pleasure traffic—as we shall presently show—there is a constant -demand for road motor services to give those facilities of inter communication which the railways have been—by the nature of the terrain—unable to provide. Thusit is that Sussex, in affording an example of the extraordinary development of open motor coach traffic, also serves to show how regular all-year-round, all-weather motor coaches' provice a means of intercommunication .which is becoming every year more essential to the well being of a community ill-provided pith other means of communication.
In this article it is our intention to clenI with the motor coach services of Eastbourne and Brighton, two of the most popular resorts on the Susaex coast, both of which are fortunate in possessing motor coach concerns whiCh Cater for the needs of the public with outstanding enterprise and efficiency.
At Eastbourne the principal motor coach concern is the well-known, and old-established house of Chapman and Sona, founded, we believe, about the year 1858, and having behind them thetraditions of an exceptional reputation for coachbuilding before the first motor vehicle was seen upon the roads. This concern, which is conducted by two brothers, Messrs. William and Geo. Chapman, has gone into the motor coach business in a thorough and whole-hearted manner. The Chapman fleet consists of 27 Dennis vehicles, all of them of the latest type, and provided with handsome 29 seater bodies, many of which have been built in Chapman and Sons' own coach works.
From Easthourne'an astonishing variety of services is rim for the benefit of the visitors. These include daily express services to and from London, leaving
Eastbourne at it a.m, and reaching Victoria at 4 p.m., and leaving Victoria at 11.30 to reach Eastbourne at 4,15. A daily service also runs to Brighton. The other services are too numerous to list in detail here. Suffice it.„to :say that Messrs. Chapman's handbill whechile over 50 trips during the week, which include trips toevery place of interest in Sussex which the visitor may poksibly wish to see. A speeial feature is made of circular tours, some of them covering as .much as 100 miles.
It must here be mentioned that this is only one side ofthe Chapman services. This firm makes a speciality of long-distance touring, and has extended tours, one of them lasting :as much as 20 days, all over the country, including Aberystwyth and North. Wales, North Devon and the Cornish coast, the Wye Valley, Land's End and the Cornish Riviera,. and Scotland. There is, also, a battlefields tour through France. and Belgium, which gives the passengers two nights in Paris and lasts 12 days, hotel accommodation being arranged throughout, and even tips being included in the very moderate price charged for the tour.
As interesting as the scope of the 'ervices provided is the organization which operates them. Motor coaches are bulky vehicieS, and it is not surprising that Chapman and Sons have a very commodioua garage to accommodate their fleet._ Contrary to what might be expected, however, their repair facilities are net extensive. The principle has been adopted of using only chassis of quite up-to-date construction and in such a condition that heavy repairs are a contingency against which it is unnecessary to provide. Although, as has been mentioned, extended tours are undertaken, during which the vehicles axle weeks away from,their home station, so excellentis their condition that, as a general ride, only Occasional minor repairs and adjustments.are found necessary.
The drivers carry spare magnetos and other. small ;parts, and it is a tribute to the, esteem in which Messrs. Chapman and Sons are held amongst garage proprietors all over the country that their drivers are able to rely on getting most willing assistance from garages throughout the length and breadth of the country on their long journeys.
Chapman and Sons have two booking offices at Eastbourne, one at the pierhead and the main •office in Victoria Place. The latter must, we think, be one of the best organized in the country, and the Volume of hooking which has to be catered for is extraordinary Passengers are supplied with numbered tickets in colours, which enable them to find their seats in
the coaches with a minimum of An electric bell trouble, and the organization is passengers in th such that practically no street ohthe driver of o struction is caused by the embarkation of the many passengers on the motor coaches. The two offices and the garages, are; of course, in constant telephonic communication, and are kept in close touch throughout the day. The coaches come round from the garage punctually at their schedule time, and it is
-quite unusual for more than two coaches to he outside the offices at the same time. The Eastbourne arrangements are thus in sharp contrast to those at Brighton, where the daily motor coach
"queue ' extends practically a mile along the parade, and is regulated .by the police.
Many of the roads over ried on the clash in front of the driver and actuated by the push. This scheme is said to work splendidly, and rear seat passengers get Much amusement out of it. It is said that there is keen competition to be first. to ring the bell, and it is on record that a chief constable —himself a passenger—was once able to test the efficiency of the scheme to his great satisfaction.
In Eastbourne there are also the " Blue " motor coaches, which are run by C. Bassett and Co., who have several Na,piers, and who offer a variety of trips. These, whenever possible, are Made on different routes to these provided by the other coaches, so that there is little overlapping.
At Brighton the principal coach services are those at Southdown Motor Services, Ltd., who have a fleet of about 25 open coaches, mostly Leylands, and have no fewer than 40 'saloon" buses. In addition to a great variety of tours designed for the benefit of the seasonal visitors to Brighton, these • services link up an extraordinary number of places. Service 31, for instance, runs from Brighton to•
Portsmouth, stopping at schedule times at 33 intern.ediate places, including Worthing, Littlehampton,Bognor, Chichester, and Havant.. A ten-minute service runs to Worthing.
.s Service 19 runs to Uckfield and is connected with a bus to Tunbridge
. Wells. . • Service 81; which is run . co-jointly With. the Maid stone and District Motor Services, Ltd., runs to Hawkhurst, passing through sL e w es and Heathfield en route.
The open coaches go to
places as widely distant as Bournemouth, Windsor -Castle, Virginia Water, and Southsea.
Special mention must. be made of the excellent Mr. George Chapman, way in which these ser
vices are worked to a pre-arranged time-table.
Other services are provided by the " Silver Star" 'coaches., Which include a daily London journey in the , programme carried out by a fleet of ten vehicles.
An Interesting vehicle run by the Cuckfield Motors, Ltd., in the Sussex district is a 30 cwt. Paekard, formerly a W.D. lorry. To it have been added a canopy and a back, made readily removable by the use of lynch pins. The seats also are removable,' so :that the vehicle can be 'made to serve several purposes, which, in fact, it does. This improvised coach shows the great demand which exists for passengercarrying vehicles, and is indicative of the popularity of the motor coach for touring.