Strange Principles in Bus Service
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ABUS service between a Lakeland valley and the nearest town was criticized last week by Mr. J. A. T. Hanlon, chairman of the Northern Traffic Commissioners,for its "old fashioned and strange principles." He had been told that five concerns operated between Keswick and Seatoller during the summer season, whilst in winter two concerns operated the route on alternate weeks.
The two winter operators, Messrs.Weightman's, Keswick, and Mr. R. W. Simpson, Keswick, were applying to amend the service. There were objections from Cockermouth Rural District Council, Keswick Urban District Council and Borrowdale Parish Council. The application was adjourned until the summer.
It was stated that the summer seryice was shared between the applicants arid Mr. T. Young, Keswick, Mr. Askew, Grange-in-Barrowdale, and Cumberland Motor Services, Ltd. Weightman's and Mr. Simpson wanted to make the 8.25 a.m. Keswick7Seatoller-Keswick run an hour later, to amend the 5.30 p.m. service to 5.50 p.m., and to suspend the 6.45 p.m. service on the ground that it was unremunerative. Mr. J. M. Wilson, secretary of B32
Weightman's, said average takings were ls. 4d. a mile, compared with costs of Is. 9d For some time they had been trying to co-ordinate the four small operators and Cumberland Motor Services, Ltd. It had been suggested that a new company should be formed to hold the licences, with all the operators sharing, but so far this had come to nothing.
Mr. W. Hind, clerk to the parish council, told the Commissioners that operators did not duplicate buses in summer because some of them had only one vehicle. Each fifth day one bus was taken off the route, so there were then only four operators. •He suggested that each operator should run the winter service in turn for one week.
Mr. Hanlon said he could not understand why five people were allowed to operate the service when the cream of the traffic was available, and 'only two had to carry the winter burden. The winter services should be shared by all.
He had no doubt that an adequate and fair service could be operated, and in June or July he would call a public inquiry for the service to be varied. As the winter service was scheduled to end on April 2, any immediate change might cause inconvenience.