AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

PASSENGER TRAVEL NEWS.

3rd August 1926, Page 21
3rd August 1926
Page 21
Page 22
Page 21, 3rd August 1926 — PASSENGER TRAVEL NEWS.
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

The Latest Doings and Developments in the Bus and Coach World. \

MOTOR COACHING AT MORECAMBE.

Details of Passenger Travel Activities at a Popular Lancashire Resort which is Ideally Located for Tours by Road Motor.

WITH delightful country within easy reach and the Lake District a comfortable journey out and home,Morecambe is an ideal centre for motor coaching, and road travel is one of the most popular diversions of holiday makers at this Lancashire resort. The season, up to the present, has been much more satisfactory, so far as weather conditions are concerned, than any recent year proved to be, but, unfortunately, the disturbed state of industry throughout the country has had the effect of reducing the number of people who are prepared to spend money on coach runs. Generally, Morecambe has appeared to be in a fairly prosperous state, judging by the number of visitors, but the complaint of coach owners, shopkeepers and amusement caterers has been that there is a tightness of money seldom before experienced.

The coach owners are well organized, bat in spite of this conditions are far from rosy. Coaches are allowed to stand on the promenade at fixed times during the morning and afternoon, but if a full complement of passengers has not been secured by the appointed time the coach must leave the stand. Early in the morning and again after lunch there are long strings of coaches stretching for a conSiderable distance along the sea front, whilst the two principal concerns, Fahy's, Ltd., and Morecambe Motors, Ltd., have private stands. The latter company have a striking coach booking office and station on the promenade, from which their coaches start, and they gain a valuable advertisement from the stand and the display made by a huge sign which stretches across the front of the premises.

Fahy's, Ltd., also have a stand on the promenade, and their display includes two very large views of scenes in the Lake District, with their coaches in prominent positions on the -views. A large number of booking stations is reserved by the smaller proprietors in front of shops and hotels on the promenade, and shopkeepers act as booking agents.

Fahy's, Ltd., are the oldest motor coach proprietors in this part of the country and introduced the motor. coach to this district in 1905. In the early days Adams, Argyll and Dennis vehicles were in use in turn, and proved to be a popular novelty in the days when horse coaching held sway. Fahy's, Ltd., who have now amalgamated with the Lancashire and Westmorland Services, Ltd., have spent large sums of money in popularizing motor coaching, and this year have issued a large number of booklets giving a detailed description of the journey to Keswick,• written by a resident and illustrated from actual photographs taken on the route from the coaches. The booklet is an excellent production and should provide a lasting advertisement for the company and their activities.

Incidentally' it may be mentioned that at the capacious garage in Morecambe Fahy's, Ltd., have preserved the first police-court summons, dated 1903 and issued in Lancashire or Westmorland under the Motor Car Act. The offence was committed by Mr. J. Fahy when driving a three-cylinder Minerva car. Before the days of the motor coach the company used motorcars for passenger service.

The principal trip from Morecambe is the one to Keswick, via Windermere, Arnbleside, Grasmere and Thirlmere,

and this journey maintains its appeal year after ,-ear. In Morecambe the somewhat unusual course has been taken of fixing two prices for the same journey. In almost every case the charges made for runs by small pneumatic-tyred coaches are higher than those for vehicles on solid tyres. This course has not been adopted solely on account of the increased cost of running the smaller coaches, but to give an advantage to the larger coaches, which are more difficult to fill.

The fare for the journey to Keswick is Ss. 6d. in the large coaches and 10s. 6d. in the small ones. The charge for this journey since the war has, hitherto, been Li is., and it is stated there was more clamouring for seats then than at the reduced fares of to-day. When that charge was made the number of coaches was much smaller than it is now.

This is not the longest tour undertaken, for one journey includes in its itinerary Keswick, Penrith and tileswater. The Keswick tour is that which most owners appear to schedule for each morning, with a shorter trip as an alternative run. After the Lake District trip comes, in order of popularity, the run to Blackpool, and then that to Southport. The former journey costs 5s. Trips to Grange at 4s., Kirkby Lonsdale at 3s. 6d., and Silverdale are run in the afternoons, with a 12-mile circular tour for is. in the evening.

A new feature of motor coaching at Morecambe this year, and one which proved of special value during the time the railway services were curtailed, has been the arrangement of return runs for holiday makers to the industrial centres of Yorkshire and Lancashire. Prominence has been given by some owners to regular services which are run every Tuesday and Saturday to inland towns at the following rates :— Preston 3s. 6d., Blackburn 4s., Skipton 5s., Burnley 5s. 6d., Keighley 6s., Bolton 6.s. 6d., Manchester 7s., Bradford 7s. and Leeds Ss. These have proved to be profitable journeys and, as passengers have been set down at the same spots in each town every week, the services have become well known, and a fair number of return passengers has been booked. The journey by motor coach to many of these places has been preferred to the long and tedious journey by train, and the coaches have been able to compete with the railways at times when there were no excursiega fares in force.

Tags

People: J. Fahy

comments powered by Disqus