TROLLEY-BUSES v. PETROL BUSES AT WORCESTER.
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Acting upon the Recommendation of Their Adviser, the Authorities Favour the use of Trackless Vehicles.
THE decision of the Worcester City Council at its special meeting a few days ago to rum trolley-buses in place of trams, to which reference was made in our issue of last week, appears to have been made almost entirely upon the recommendation of Mr. Alfred Baker, general manager of the Birmingham Corporation Tramways, in his capacity as expert adviser t Worcester.
The Mayor (Aid. W. .I. Hill), in moving the resolution in favour of trolley-buses, said, at first, that he had been very much disposed to favour petrol omnibuses, but one must not disregard facts and figures, and he acknow-• ledged that the weight of the argument put forward was in favour of trolley-; buses. As we have already stated, the resolution in favour of the latter system was carried.
Mr. F. Winwood voiced the view of the opposition, and said that be felt the council would be adopting a shortsighted policy by spending an enormous sum in scrapping the trams and im
mediately substituting a modified form of tramcar. The great point of the motorbus was its mobility, and he thought the advantages outweighed any benefits possessed by trolley-buses.
Aid. Leicester said that if the council had its way there would be a majority in favour of buses and against the overhead-trolley system, and, further, that if the citizens were eanvasted 85 per cent, would favour petrol bases.
The authorities in the city will have certain powers to run motorbuses when the Cofporation Bill now before Parliament has been passed. It would appear to be the corporation's intention to take advantage of this clause as the 14 trolley-buses, which it is estimated will he required for the undertaking, will not be sufficient to cope with the city's traffic and provide the proposed extensions to the surrounding villages. This is a matter that will he decided at a later stagy. Meanwhile an important point is whether a municipal undertaking will be inaugurated or whether the city's powers will be lot to a company. Provision iF3 made for this in the Bill, and them is considerable feeling in favour of letting or leasing.
Mr. Alfred Baker estimated a loss for the corporation in the event of buses being run, although there would be a slight saving in capital Outlay. Put, of course, PO estimate could aafely be given based on receipts and profits of the present trams. The tramway company consume about 12,060. worth of electric current per annum.