Municipalities Woo the Customer
Page 68
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THE falling traffic which for the past two or three years has bedevilled the bus industry has by no means excluded the municipal sector. In some respects, it is probable that urban services have been hit as hard as the rural routes. More potential passengers at peak hours are making use of their own transport. In the off-peaks, the evening trips into town for entertainment have been severely curtailed by the influence of television in the home.
In spite of the prevailing conditions, however, many of the municipal operators have succeeded in avoiding disastrous losses in the past year. Attention to internal economies, pruning of route mileage and the replacement of elderly vehicles by larger-capacity buses have contributed to profit.
190 More Buses Undertakings have added 190 vehicles to their combined fleets in the past year. This is, perhaps, not a large figure, but its significance lies in the feeling of cautious optimism that is fairly general
throughout the country. The figures published here, however, do not indicate the extent to which double-deckers of 74and 78-passenger capacity have replaced smaller vehicles. It is understood that Leyland Motors, Ltd., have already supplied 42 Atlanteans to 13 municipalities and that 105 more are on order.
It is clear that authorities are doing everything in their power to attract new customers and to win back those who have been lost. Many of the newly delivered single-deckers offer almost luxury coach comfort and particular E24 emphasis is being placed by traffic managers on meeting the requirements of new housing estates.
The biggest single increase in vehicle strength during the year has been in oilengined double-deckers, now numbering 15,944, an increase of 223. Single-deck oilers now number 35 more than a year ago. The decline in popularity of the petrol engine in passenger work continues in a shallow curve, from 64 a year ago to 54 today.
The trolleybus, too, continues to be replaced by double-deck motorbuses as finance becomes available. In 1958, 2,142 were in operation: today, the figure is 2,084.
Once again, Leyland retains its place as Britain's leading manufacturer of both doubleand single-deck buses for the municipalities. The total for the current year is 5,933, of which 482 are singledeckers. Daimler, firmly in second place, have 4,348 and A.E.C. continue to be the third largest suppliers. • In the analysis that follows, current fleet totals are shown in heavy type, with the figures for the previous year following immediately in brackets. The abbreviations "0" and "P" denote oil and petrol engines.
A BERDARE 39 139)
Cautious Optimism Underlies Slight Increase in Fleets of Municipal Operators, Exclusively Analysed Here
MOTORBUSES, double-deck: 3 A.E.C., 5 Bristol, 3 Daimler, 9 Guy (all 03—total 20. Singledeck: 3 A.E.C,, 8 Bristol. 8 Guy (all 03--total 19. GENERAL MANAGER: Mr. 0, G. Harding,
A.M.I.Mecb.E„ M.I.R.T,E„ A.M.I.M.I
A BERDEEN 223 (235) L3-.MOTORBUSES, double-deck: 55 A.E.C., 160 Daimler (all 0.1—total 215. Single-deck: 7 Daimler (all 0.). GENERAL MANAGER: Mr. F. Y. Frazer, B.Sc., A.M.I.Mech.E., M.Inst.T.
A CCRUNGTON 58 (59) J-3MOTORBUSES. double-deck: 4 Daimler, 23 GUY, •89 Leyland (all 0.)—total 46. Single-deck: S Guy, 4 Leyland (all 0.1—total 12. GENERAL MANAGER: Mr, H. Eaton, M.Trist,T., M.1.R.T.E.
A SIITON-UNDER-LYNE . . . 68 (68) MOTORBUSES. double-I:I.e.& 6 Crossley. 20 Guy, 20 Leyland (all 03—rotal 46. Single-deck: 1 Leyland (0.). TROLLEYBUSES, double-deck: S B.U:T., 7 Crossley, 6 Sunbeam—total 21. GENERAL MANAGER: Mr. T. P. O'Donnell, A,M.I.E,E., M.Inst.T., M.I.R.T.E.
14ARROW-IN-FURNESS 65 (63) -" MOTORBUSES, double-deck: 3 Crossley. 57 Leyland (all 0.1—total 60. Single-deck: 3 Leyland (O.). On order, 3 Leyland double-deckers. GENERAL MANAGER: Mr. T. Lord, M.Insi.T.: A .M.I.Mech J-0 EDWAS AND MACHEN 8 (7) MOTORBUSES, double-deck: 4 A.E.C„ 2 Albion (all 0.)—total 6. Single-deck: 2 A.E.C. (0.). GENERAL MANAGER: Mr. E, V. Thomas.
ELFAST 563 (571)
MOTORBUSES, double-deck: 283 Daimter, 45 Guy, 1 A.E.C. (all 0)—total 329. Single-deck: 19 GUY. TROLLEYBUSES. double-deck: 88 A.E.C,, 48 B.U.T., 70 Guy, 9 Sunbeam—total 215. GENERAL MANAGER: Mr. I. Mackie, M.htst.T., A,M.I.Prod.E.
lBIRKEN1:1EAD . ..... . . 225 (225) MOTORBUSES. double-deck: 30 Daimler, 82 Guy. 109 Leyland (all 03—total 221. Single-deck: 4 Leyland (0.). GENERAL MANAGER: Mr, G. A. Cherry, A.M.I.Mech.E., A.M.Inst.T.