Area Schemes Passenger
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THE establishment by the Governmerit of a special technical commission to review road passenger transport throughout Britain, was suggested by Mr. C. S. Dunbar, M.Inst.T., before the Midland Section of the Institute of Transport, on Tuesday.
The commission should be authorized to draw up area schemes where changes were considered necessary. These would have regard, primarily, to local conditions and, in the case of country districts, the related matters of local haulage and passenger train facilities would also be considered.
Mr. Dunbar emphasized that he was not using the term "area scheme" in the sense of the Transport Act, 1947.
Each of the special areas would have a passenger transport board, the membership of which would initially be shared equally by operators and local authorities, irrespective of whether or not the latter ran 'transport. The chairman, who should be appointed from outside the board, would be a practical transport man.
At its inception, the board would take over the working of all municipal undertakings in its area, together with operational control of all company and individually owned concerns where 50 per cent, or more of the revenue had been earned by stage services.
The hoard should guarantee to the municipalities the interest and redemption charges an their loans, plus an annual payment equal to their average annual profits since 1930. The guaranteed profits would continue only until the extinction of the municipalities' debts and would be relative to the value of their former assets employed in the board's undertaking.