Operating Aspects of
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PASSENGER TRANSPORT
COUNCIL FAILS TO SUPPORT OBJECTION
ALETTER from Totnes Rural District Council was read by the chairman of the Western Area Traffic Commissioners, Mr. H. Trevor Morgan, H.C., when sitting at Plymouth last week, intimating that the council opposed the applications of Messrs. C. B. Foxworthy, of Paignton, and the Western National Omnibus Co., Ltd., for renewals of licences for a service between Stoke Gabriel and Paignton, on the ground that tickets should he inter-available on either service and the return fare should be reduced. "
No representative of the council appeared in support of the opposition, however, and evidence was given on behalf. of the applicants to the effect that inter-available tickets would be impracticable and an imposition on the smaller operators. The Commissioners renewed the licences.
MR. RICHES SETTLES STANCE ARGUMENT IN ABERDEEN.
AT a sitting of the Traffic Commissioners for the Northern Area of Scotland, at Aberdeen, last week, it was said on behalf of the owners of single vehicles using the Guestrow stance, Aberdeen, that conferences had been held between the small operators and those who had fleets of coaches. Campbells, Ltd. had generously agreed to reduce the number of its coaches from eight to four and, as a result, it had been possible to arrange four groups of five operators, with eight
vehicles to each group. The small operators wished to retain the existing principle of rotation, irrespective oi the number of vehicles a man had, whilst the larger 'operators felt that they should not pay charges for four coaches and only one rotation. ' For the larger operators, it was submitted that it was unfair that a fourvehicle man should have only the same chance as a one-vehicle man.
Mr. Henry Riches, the chairman, adjourned the sitting while a colleague picked the names of the groups out of a hat. Thereafter, there was a second adjournment to see if the rotation question could be settled amicably. On resuming, failure was reported and Mr. Riches announced that the single rotation system would continue.
There would be no bookers or clerks, only the drivers of the two front vehicles to book passengers, as both the public and the operators complained of " touting."
VICTORIA COACH STATION'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS.
THURSDAY of last Week marked the J. seventh anniversary celebrations of the opening of the Victoria Coach Station. London Coastal Coaches, Ltd., permitted its guests, numbering several hundred, to inspect the various departments when they had an opportunity of appreciating the efficient manner in which the rapidly expending organization is conducted.
REVISED TOURS FARES IN PLYMOUTH.
A PPLICATION . was made by the fl.Plymouth Co-operative Society to the Traffic Commissioners for the Western Area, sitting at Plymouth last week, for permission to increase the fare of the tour from Plymouth to Lydford from 4s. to 4s. 6(1., and to institute a fare of 6s. 6d. to Widdecombe on fair day.
It was explained that the proposals were made to put the fares in conformity with those of other operators, and the Western National Omnibus Co., Ltd., withdrew its opposition to the application, which was granted.
"S.M.T." EMPLOYEES NOT TO STRIKE
ANEW agreement, affecting the 9,000 bus workers employed by the Scottish Motor Traction Co., Ltd., and associated companies, was reached at Glasgow on March 31. This followed a conference of the negotiating committee and other officials of the Scottish Area of the Transport and General Workers' Union, and representatives of the companies.
The terms of the new agreement embrace a general increase of id. per hour and a new rate of id. more per hour for conductors of 22 years of age and over, uniformity of rates for all services, which brings employees in the underfaking north and west of Aberdeen up to the scales operating elsewhere, and an increase in the annual holidays with pay.
In the recent ballot, on the question of taking strike action, the majority in favour of ceasing work was less than two-thirds of the poll and was, therefore, not large enough for the calling of a strike.
" RIBBLE " COMPANY'S UNREMUNERATIVE SERVICES.
SINCE 1919 " Ribble " services had carried 900,000,000 passengers, said Alderman W. R. Duckworth, M.P., Mayor of Blackpool, speaking at a dinner, given by Major H. E. Hickmott, in connection with the "
Ribble" Staff Ball, held in Blackpool last week.
The manner in which large companies provided unremunerative services for the benefit of the public was mentioned by Mr. F. S. Eastwood, chairman of the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners. Over 60 per cent, of the individual services were not remunerative, said Major Hiekmott.
MORE TROLLEYBUSES FOR NEWCASTLE
THE introduction of trolleybuses in Place of trams, on the Elswick Road route, has been decided upon by Newcastle-on-Tyne Corporation. The next change-over is from Throckley to Forest Hall, which will cost about £120,000. The Elswick Road changeover will cost £50,000. The corporation has decided to purchase another six trolleybuses in addition to the six for which tenders were recently invited.
BRIGHTON'S NEW TRANSPORT ERA.
BRIGHTON'S new transport underI./taking commenced on April 1, when eight of the new buses took the road on two new routes. It is anticipated that tmlleybuses will begin operations at Whitson, and from then on, the number of vehicles will increase weekly until September, when it is thought that the whole fleet will be in service.
BUSES REDUCE TRAM DEBT IN LANCASHIRE.
T`HE financial benefit accruing to the
ratepayers of Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire, since the borough replaced its trams by buses, was mentioned by the chairman of the transport committee, Councillor J. W. Horsfall, in an address to the local Chamber of Trade.
The original debt on the tramways, said Councillor Horsfali, was £132,279, but it had been brought down to £90,326. Last year the buses made a profit of £7,748, which went a little further to reducing the tramways debt.
• EDINBURGH BUS TENDER RECOMMENDATIONS.
DLFFICULT hills on the bus routes in the area were mentiOned, during a debate, as a reason why Edinburgh Corporation should operate the more expensive type of vehicle. The Public Utilities Committee, on March 31, favoured the purchase of 30 buses at a total cost of more than £56,000. An alternative proposal, involving a saving of more than £7,000, was defeated. •
The transport sub-committee recommended acceptance of the following tenders:—Ten double-deck and 20 single-deck bus chassis from Transport Vehicles (Daimler), Ltd., 10 doubledeck bus bodies from MetropolitanCammell-Weymann, Ltd., and 20 single-deck bus bodies from the M.-C.-W. concern.
GLASGOW BODYBUILDER'S OFFER.
MIIE transport committee of Glasgow Corporation has called for a report from Mr. R. F. Smith, manager of the transport department, on an application by a local company to be given an opportunity of supplying a bus body in order to demonstrate that it is capable of carrying out such work. The concern has not, hitherto, had a contract with the corporation for bus bodies. The initiative taken by Councillor Victor D. Warren, in proposing that Parliamentary powers should be sought for the right to construct trolley-buses, as well as trams, has been followed by the presentation of a motion by Baillie David Brown, sub-convener of the transport committee, that an appeal should be made for powers to build buses in the municipal workshops at Coplawhill.
BY COACH TO THE CONTINENT.
I N addition to the introduction of several new tours in Great Britain and Ireland, Wallace Arnold Tours, Ltd., of Leeds, has introduced two to the Continent—one to the Riviera and another to the Rhine.
During the past year the Trust acquired the businesses of two other operators, and Mr. Barr, speaking at the second annual meeting held in Leeds, last week, said that the company was in the course of completing negotiations for the acquisition of four other coach-operating businesses.
HALIFAX SHOWS NET PROFIT OF 41,622.
DEDUCTING its losses on tramL./operation from its bus profits. Halifax Corporation's passenger transport undertaking, after meeting capital charges, made a net profit of £41,622 during the past financial year. On the tram undertaking, the abandonment of which was recently completed, capital charges, amounting to £16,227, turned a trading surplus into a net loss ol 7E11,189.
PRODUCER-GAS BUS FOR CARDIFF
AT a meeting of Cardiff Corporation Transport Committee a letter, received from the chairman of the National Industrial Development Council of Wales and Monmouthshire, was read in which it was stated that arrangements had been made for a Sentinel single-decker producer-gas bus to be at the disposal of the department for one week, and that the manufacturer was anxious that, at present, the fuel to be used should be anthracite.
NEW BUS STATION FOR SOUTH SHIELDS.
MEGOTIATIONS have been corn1 Npleted by South Shields Town Council for the acquisition of a site in Mile End Road, South Shields, for the erection of a bus station. It is to cost £6,500.
BIRMINGHAM REPLACES 100 TRAMS WITH BUSES.
THE change-over from trains to buses on routes between Birmingham, Handsworth, West Bromwich, Dudley and Wednesbury took place on Sunday last, April 2. In place of the 100 trams which have been operating the routes, 117 buses of the latest type have been introduced.
The most modern of the displaced trams will be transferred to tram routes remaining in the city, whilst the oldest trams will be scrapped in a general reorganization of the transport system.