Aberdeen's Big Loss: Luton
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Fares Up: W. Bridgford Applies
%y/HAT was described as a "very WY disquieting situation was revealed when Aberdeen Corporation applied last week for permission to advance' charge s. Although higher fares were authorized last November, the corporation undertaking incurred a loss of £93,269 in the year ended May 31 left: £16,322 of this amount was bast on tram working and £76,947 on the buses. The accumulated deficit was £138,424..
Since the corporation had decided, last September, to apply for higher fares, wages had gone up by over £28,000 a year. The Scottish Licensing Authority promised that he would recommend the Ministry of Transport to give an early decision.
Another 134,000 a Year Luton Corporation, which applied for higher fares on September 8, has received permission to introduce new rates from last Sunday. The corporation and United Counties Omnibus Co., Ltd., operating jointly in the municipal area, expect revenue to increase by £34.000 a year.
Fares on 11 services operated by Salopia Saloon Coaches, Ltd., Whitchurch, Salop, have also gone up, bringing them into line with those charged by the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd.
At Nottingham, last week, West Bridgford Urban District Council and Nottingham Corporation applied for permission to introduce a revised fate schedule based on lid, a mile. The application was the third made by West Bridgford since the end of the war, and if granted, would bring charges up to 66.96 per cent. above the pre-war rate on the joint services.
Television Blamed West Bridgford incurred a loss of £7,795 in 1951-1952, and the estimated loss for the current year would he £10,185. Traffic had dropped in the past year, television being blamed by the general manager for keeping people at home in the evening. The Licensing Authority, Mr. J. W. Fletcher, declared that the reduction in the stage lengths might encourage people, to walk or cycle, or walk to the next stage point.
Revisions affecting both charges and the method of dperating eight services are proposed by Aberdare Urban District Council. It is proposed to increase fares on the basis of 0.6 mile for lid.. 1.6d 'per mile for journeys from 0.6 mile up. to 5 miles, with a sliding scale thereafter, to introduce return fares and to vary both weekly and season tickets. The service revisions, if granted, will have the effect of linking routes across the town.
The application of Todmorden Corporation to modify charges has now been published. Four services are
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Exeter Corporation is considering new means for augmenting revenue. it has been decided that further ecoeo'nips would not be advisable.
Tynemouth and District Transport Co., Ltd., is also considering new fare scales, including the replacement of the present ld. minimum adult single fare by a lid. one.
' " ROAD PENCE—ROAD SENSE"
A POPULAR version of a paper by r--1 Mr. C. T. Brunner entitled "The Economic Justification, of Road Works," which was defivired to the Permanent International. Association of Road Congresses at Lisbon last year, has been published by the British Road Federation, -4a, Bloomsbury Square, London, W.C.1. It is called "Read Pence—Road Sense."
The book, which costs is., shows graphically that the building of new roads and highway improvements are as justifiable as any other form of capital investment where it can be shown that their cost can -be offset by reduced vehicle-operaiing expenses and fewer accidents.
DAIMLER CLUTCH TRIALS EXTENDED
FAVOURA.BLE results with the new Daimler centrifugal clutch in a crush-load single-decker, now being tried out by Halifax Corporation, have encouraged the undertaking to extend the tests to double-deckers fitted with the same unit. Although the crushload single-decker in which the first unit was fitted did not meet with public approval, both passengers and stair have commented favourably on the performance. of the centrifugal clutch on trial.
Highland Appeal Refused
THE appeal of Highland. Transportagainst the refusal of the Scottish Licensing Authority to grant a licence for an express service from Glasgow to Thurso has been dismissed with costs. The respondents in the case were Highland Omnibuses, Ltd. (formerly Highland Transport, Ltd.), W. Ala:ander • and Sons, Ltd., David MacBrayne, Ltd.. and the Railway Executive. Highland Omnibuses and Alexanders now operate a joint service over the route applied for by Highland Transport.
For the appellants, Mr. D. McKay said that as the Licensing Authority had implied that the needs of the area which they proposed to serve were not adequately met by existing operators, he should not have found that the existing operators should supply this need. The present services did not exist when Highland Transport applied for the licence.
Mr. R. P. Munson, in reply, said that every inch of the proposed route was covered by the existing operators' services. The appellants had no experience of stage or express-carriage operation, and they wished only to skim' the cream of the traffic.
For the railways, it was held that it was better for the Executive to lose traffic to the existing operators than to a newcomer.
In his observations, Mr. W. Grant. Q.C., an •inspector of the Ministry of Transport, declared that the existing operators had been slow to recognize the need for the service, and he had considerable sympathy with the appellants. There was no connection, howeiier, between their application and the present operators', application.
The 1953 examinations of the Institute of Traffic Administration will be held on May 8-9 in London and other centres.