LATEST NEWS FROM THE TRAFFIC AREAS
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REDCAR versus AUTOCAR SERVICES: MILEAGE TRANSFER.
RECENTLY, Redcar Services, Ltd., appealed against the variation of conditions attached to certain licences granted by the South-Eastern Traffic Commissioners to itself and to Autocar Services, Ltd.
The Minister of Transport ordered that, on the services concerned, the receipts should be assigned in a ratio of 45 per cent. to the Redear company and 55 per cent. to the Autocar concern.
The Commissioners considered that the only method of giving effect to the Order was to work on a mileage basis. Therefore, certain mileage from Monday to Friday of each week was transferred from Autocar Services, Ltd., to the Itedear undertaking; but it was contended that, as the receipts on Saturday and Sunday were higher than on other days, the prescribed ratio was not obtained.
In a letter from the Ministry of Transport to the Commissioners, it is stated that "the Minister regrets the apparent unwillingness of the Autocar company to co-operate in any attempt to arrive at a workable arrangement to give effect to the intention of . his Order. In these circumstances, he has had no alternative but himself to fix the precise details of the transfer of mileage to be made."
The Redcar concern has the option of retaining the iourneys proposed ,by the Commissioners to be transferred to it, together with corresponding journeys on Rank Holidays (when these holidays fall between Monday and Friday inclusive), or to have transferred to it corresponding ,Sunday mileage, instead of journeys on Friday.
OMNIBUS SOCIETY MEMBERS TOUR IN STREAMLINED COACH.
MEMBERS of the Omnibus Society recently visited the headquarters of the Lincolnshire Road Car Co., Ltd., at Bracebridge Heath, near Lincoln, and a tour of the company's system was made in a Leyland Tiger coach with a streamlined 32-seater body. The vehicle, which was completed on March 11, is illustrated on this page, and is used for private hire work.
Thee lines of the coach a-re not merely
striking, hut 'wind-tunnel experiments at the National Physical Laboratory hint that a substantial saving in petrol consumption will ba recorded. Accompanying the party -were Mr. N. Wilson, general manager of the company, Mr. J. F. W. Miles, secretary, and Mr. A. G. Parrott, managing director of W. Rainforth and Sons, Ltd., Lincoln, the concern responsible for the bodywork a the vehicle.
TORQUAY TO CHANGE TO BUSES?
AS we reported in our issue dated March 24, the ratepayers of Torquay have shown themselves in opposition to the substitution of trolley-buses for trams by the Torquay Tramways Co., Ltd. It was feared that such action would result in the raising of fares.
It is understood that the company has now suggested that it should replace the trams by petrol buses, instead of trolley vehicles. It is laid down in the offer that, when application is first made for licences to run buses on the old tramways, it will not be proposed to charge higher fares than at present. PORTSMOUTH TO REPLACE TRAMS BY TROLLEY-BUSES?
loORTSMOUTH City Council is reeonimended to adopt a policy of the gradual replacement of the tramways by trolley-buses. It is suggested that a service of trolley-buses should be put into operation from the South Parade Pier to Cosham, and that tenders should be obtained for the supply of vehicles.
Alderman Sir John Timpson, the chairman of the tramways committee, stated at a meeting, last week, that the tramcar operating cost per mile was 12.2d., the comparative figure for a trolley-bus being 10.6d.
PERIOD BOOKINGS ONLY FOR REGULAR SERVICES.
IN future, the North-Western Traffie Commissioners are to permit period bookings to be made only on those services which have been operated regularly in preceding years.
MORE AGREED FARES.
THE West Midland Traffic Commis
sioners propose to sanction fares recommended by Regional Committee No. 5, for services from London to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Blackpool by various -routes.
COACHING TO CUP FINAL.
DESPITE the reduction in rail
fares, Manchester coach owners are preparing actively to secure their fair share of the English Cup-final traffic. Already, 14 operators have secured licences to run excursions to Wembley, and it is estimated that 58 vehicles will carry more than 2,000 Manchester City enthusiasts. In addition, numbers of coaches are being hired privately.
TROLLEY-BUSES FOR DOVER?
LAST Tuesday, Dover Town Council decided to obtain powers to substitute trolley-buses for trams, the cost being estimated at £60,000-i65,000, exclusive of road-improvement charges.
COUNCILS OPPOSE Od. MINIMUM FARE.
_CONSIDERABLE indignation is be
ing expressed in the Eastern Area following the decision a the Minister of Transport laying down a minimum fare of 6d. to be charged, after April 3 next, by Edward Hillman's Saloon Coaches, Ltd. This decision was announced in our issue dated March 3.
Chelmsford Rural District Council has agreed to wait upon the Minister and to point out to him the importance of the subject. A meeting of Chelmsford Town Council was unanimous in its decision to protest to the Minister.
LICENCE VALID FOR PERIOD OF JOINT AGREEMENT.
A LICENCE has been granted for a
jointly operated service from lsliddleton to Blackpool, the route being maintained by North Manchester Motor Owners Joint Services. This undertaking consists of Messrs. J. W. Smith, J. A. Ferrington and W. Cooper, working under an agreement, but not in partnership. The licence was granted subject to the agreement continuing. UNDERGRADUATE ROADWAYS OBTAINS LICENCE.
IN our issues dated March 17 and 24, we announced the formation, by 10 undergraduates of Cambridge University, of a company known as Undergraduate Roadways. We are now informed that the purpose of the company is to operate an express service from Cambridge to Skegness, via Peterborough, Spalding and Boston.
The Eastern Traffic Commissioners have granted the application for the licence, but passengers may be carried only to and from Cambridge, and between that town and points specified in the fares table that has been authorized. Last Tuesday, the East Midland Commissioners granted a backing.
We understand that, in addition to operating this regular service on Sundays from Easter to June, as well as on Easter Saturday, Easter Monday and Whit-Monday, private-hire work will be undertaken. The service will not be exclusively confined to undergraduates.
BIG TOURS PROGRAMME. THIS season, Crosville Motor Services, Ltd., Chester, is to operate a programme of 71 tours for periods of seven days, nine days and 12 days, along the south coast and in Scotland. The fares are inclusive of every charge.
PARIS TAXIS AS BUSES.
TRADE depression, a surfeit of vehicles, the decline of the tourist traffic, and other factors have made the lot of the Paris taximen a difficult one and some of the operators have shown resource to combat the unfortunate circumstances.
Inspired, probably, by the sight of night buses carrying good loads, the taximen have entered into competition with them. The cab drivers collect as many passengers as possible (six), and charge 3 francs per head for a trip from the centre of the city to one of the gates. Three francs is the regulation 'fare on the all-night buses, whatever the distance travelled. There is already a certain amount of organization amongst small groups of owner-drivers and they manage to secure regular patronage from night workers.
Our Paris representative writes:— Before the crisis a Paris taximan could net a regular 100 francs per day profit, but, to-day, he is fortunate indeed to make 50 francs.
LOOK TO THE FUTURE.
DURING the South Wales Traffic Commissioners' sitting at Newport, the chairman, Mr. A. T. James, K.C., warned operators of the importance to their future well-being of the methods of conducting their services. Unless operators were careful, to-day, they might be run off the roads in four or five years' time.
The Commissioners fixed 5s. as a proper fare for a journey of 90 miles.
BETWEEN May and October next,
"LAND CRUISES" EXTENDED.
BETWEEN May and October next, the Great Western Railway Co. is to run an extended series of its wellknown "land cruises'" covering most of the beauty spots on the system. Tours are of either a week's or a fortnight's duration, and the charges are inclusive of meals and accommodation.
CARDIFF TO PROCEED WITH STATION PLAN.
AT last, the Cardiff municipal authority has decided to proceed with the plan to build a bus centre outside the new Great Western Railway station. It is stated that about a dozen variations of the general plan have been considered, and powers are to be sought to clear a fairly extensive area of Property, to form a site for building the bus station The Western Welsh Omnibus Co., Ltd., has, we understand, agreed to contribute 11,000 per annum to the maintenance of the station, Cardiff Corpora
tion's transport committee £1,500, and other bus operators £2,288, providing a total annual revenue of £4,788. With the receipt of this sum, it is estimated that the station would be self-supporting.
STOCKTON BUS DEFICIT.
AT a recent meeting of the transport
committee of Stockton-on-Tees Corporation, the borough accountant submitted a statement of the receipts and expenditure up to December 31 last, and an estimate for the three months ending March 31, on the buses. The statement showed a substantial deficiency, but the exact amount is not yet known.
PLEA FOR FULL INFORMATION.
A DECISION that local authorities
should be supplied with full details of applications, in ample time before they were heard by the Northern Traffic Commissioners, was reached at a conference, last week, of urban and rural district councils in the county of Durham.
Sir John Maxwell, chairman of the Northern Commissioners, has offered, at the request of Essington Urban District Council, which convened the conference mentioned, to meet local authorities to discuss suggestions concerning procedure and fares.
ECONOMY OF TROLLEY-BUSES.
IN a lengthy statement on Bourne mouth Corporation's transport system, Alderman F. B. Summerbee, the chairman of the transport committee, stated that Bournemouth could run trolleybuses at a power cost of lid. per mile, as compared with 2id. in the ease of a petrol bus. In view of the fact that the municipal fleet covered 3,000,000 miles a year, a saving of about £12,000 would result