London Transport Productivity and a New Private Service
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FROM OUR INDUSTRIAL CORRESPONDENT ON DON TRANSPORT chiefs are expected to approach leaders of its busmen shortly and propose the reopening of talks on higher productivity. In particular they are anxious to have the long-standing' problem of introducing one-man buses in outer suburban areas 'szttled at last.
When the last round of wage negotiations ended in April, with still no agreement of the various L.T.B. proposals, the , Board warned that it might have to consider handing over some routes to private operators. The immediate reaction of some of the more militant busmen was to threaten "industrial action " if London Transport went ahead with the scheme.
The possibility of private enterprise bus services in London was underlined with the announcement last week that a special coach service is to be run between Black friars and Orpington in Kent. It will be operated by Samuelson New Transport Ltd., with the consent of London Transport.
Admittedly, this service is not in quite the same category as those which the L.T.B. had in mind when it suggested handing over to private operators. The new service is to replace the all-night rail link between London and Orpington which will disappear when the new summer timetables come into force on June 17.
There will be four services a night, leaving Blackfriars station at 1.22 a.m., 1.53 a.m., 2.20 a.m. and 3.17 a.m. The coach will call at Elephant and Castle, Penge East, Kent House, Beckenham Junction, Bromley, Bickley, Petts Wood and Orpington and there will be a single fare of 3s.
The service will be the only privately operated one to run from the centre of London. The only other services of this type have up to now been in areas on the fringe of the London Transport traffic area.
If the new talks with the union leaders make as little progress as hitherto, there is a distinct possibility that services in other areas, such as Kingston-uponThames, which have been losing money for years, will be abandoned or handed over to private operators.
In addition to one-man buses London Transport is still anxious to get union acceptance of " standee " buses, of higher speeds on &restricted roads and of the larger, 72-seater Routemasters.