Fewer operators and slump in buses, report Commissioners
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ANNUAL REPORTS STRESS SHORTAGES: 1,910 P.S.V. LICENCES SUSPENDED
ASERIOUS shortage of vehicle maintenance staff, cuts in rural bus services, continuing decline in passengeis, chronic shortage of bus crews and an increase in the number of complaints lodged about the standard of service are recurring points featured in the Annual Reports of the Traffic Commissioners for the period April 1 1965 to March 311966. They have been published collectively this week by HM Stationery Office, price 7s. 6d.
The reports show a fall of 142 in the 'lumber of operators compared with the 3revious year, to a total of 5,082 and a irop in the number of p.s.v. (including London Transport buses and coaches) of 760 to 76,127. This is in sharp contrast to .he previous year when the number of verators fell by only 42 and the number of ).s.v. actually increased by three over the )revious year.
During the year 79,034 driver's licences and 59,496 conductor's licences were issued, 131 tnd 20 licences respectively suspended and 56 tnd 45 respectively revoked. A total of 1,910 ).s.v. licences was suspended.
The Northern area was one reporting a shortage )f crews, stating that except in Cumberland he position was worse than it had ever been. n spite of incentives offered by quite a number If undertakings the greatest difficulty had been ;xperienced in recruiting platform staff. The area Ilso reported that whilst the standard of public :ervice vehicles had remained generally satisactory the availability of maintenance staff ontinued to he a major problem with many operators. Some operators complained about :hortage of spares from the principal manufacurers. This. the Northern report stated, was a ralid complaint and where possible shortages vhich affected the roadworthiness of vehicles were 011owed up.
Slow delivery of new buses caused some operators to present for recertification vehicles which they had intended to scrap, stated the forkshire report. Certifying officers were pre!hided from giving a Certificate of Fitness of ess than one year's duration, and preparation to neet the necessary standard involved maintelance work which could have been avoided had olanned replacement dates been met. No fewer han 169 suspensions of p.s.v. licences had oeen issued 2.2 per cent of the total fleet in the trea. A shortage of skilled maintenance staff and I shortage of bus crews was also reported.
In its report the West Midland area blamed the continuing decline in passenger traffic on the continuing rise in fares, rather than on the rapid growth in the use of personal transport. The Commissioners had studied the passenger loadings of the principal undertakings in its area (Midland Red. Potteries and Birmingham City Transport) following the last two fares increases and in each case there had been a marked fallingoff of passengers following the second increase, which came in 1965.
Point of no return
In the opinion of the Commissioners stage carriage fares in the West Midlands had now reached the point of no return and a period of fares stability was most desirable if not essential if the decline in passengers was to be slowed down. The crew shortages experienced by the municipalities in the area, together with Midland Red and Potteries were tabulated, showing a deficiency of 1,751 drivers and 1,417 conductors. Birmingham alone was 25 per cent down on its establishment.
The lack of standardization in new vehicle design was accentuated by the East Midland report. which pointed out that the major bodybuilder in its area (Willowbrook Ltd.) produced no fewer than 40 separately designed p.s.v. bodies to meet the requirements of its customers. Despite a decline in the number of operators from 332 in 1964 to 325 in March 1966, the Eastern area repotted an increase of 40 p.s.v. to a total of 3,515 for the same period.
Rural pruning becomes severe
Almost all areas reported a decline in rural bus services—for example the South Wales area reported that 21 services had been significantly reduced with a weekly loss of 1,397 miles, and nine services had been withdrawn involving a weekly loss of 728 miles. This pruning of services was also recorded by the Eastern area which had found that even those country bus operators
whose services had originated in the days of the village carrier, and whose operations were still very local, had begun to apply to withdraw facilities which they seemed to have been providing, at all events in recent years, largely from a sense of local responsibility and good neighbourliness.
Without exception all areas reported that the level of complaints about inefficiency or unreliability of services was on the increase. Shortage of crews and services affected by traffic congestion were the main causes for complaint. The Metropolitan area reported that many changes in picking-up points had become necessary because increased car parking had rendered original sites unsatisfactory.
Several areas reported that the shorter working week had increased the problem of peak-hour loadings, and appeals to stagger schools and works finishing times had, in the main, failed.
An increase in the availability of concessionary fares was also reported from some areas. The Yorkshire area reported the example of a local authority which was allowed to extend concessionary fares to services operated beyond its boundaries jointly with three company undertakings, who were not prepared to grant concessions to the elderly without some subsidy. Many people could not understand this anomaly.
Coach Rally: The 1967 National Coach Rally is to take place at Blackpool on April 1 and 2 Coaches will start from Wigan at 9 a.m. and after a break for lunch in Blackpool. driving tests will start at 2 p.m.