STAGGERING MUST N O commercial concern would tolerate a situation in
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which 75 per cent. of its valuable capital equipment was idle for the greater part of the working day. Yet this is the situation facing the bus industry today.
Because of the fantastic cost of peak operation for a period varying between 15 minutes and an hour at each end of the working day, operators who serve heavily industrialized and populated areas have millions of pounds worth of buses in use for no more than four to five hours a day. Many vehicles are doing only one worthwhile journey morning and evening.
idle Buses
For the remainder of the time, costly garages are half-full of idle buses, and the whole situation is further complicated by awkward shiftworking and spreadovers of 11-12 hours for crews, resulting in staff shortages and payment for time when work is not available. Paradoxically, too many travellers carried during a short peak can be less economic than too few during the slack periods of the day.
The answer to this problem is not only urgent, but vital to the financial stability of the bus industry. In order to outline the difficulties facing the industry, The Commercial Motor asked important provincial companies and undertakings in England and Wales for information on the advantages of a general staggering of
B30 working and school hours, and the views of general managers on possible solutions, The most significant point arising from the survey, is the lack of co-operation from industry and education authorities, Mr, D. M. Sinclair, general manager of the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., pointed out that during the war there was an organized staggering scheme among the major factories . in Coventry. Factories started at 7 a.m., 7.30 a.m., 8 a.m. and 8.30 a.m. and finished at 4.30 p.m., 5 p.m., 5.30 p.m. and 6 p.m. But immediately after the war this was virtually abandoned, despite protests from the transport undertakings concerned. The main reason Was that workers on the 8 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. shift would not agree to take a turn at less popular hours. One of the problems facing bus companies is that only about 25-30 per cent. of the employees of a particular factory travel on buses, and their workmates are reluctant to see the advantages of staggering. Comparatively recently, Mr. W. P. James, chairman of the West Midland Traffic Commissioners, raised the question of the expense of "peak" operation during a fares application by the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd. The matter was brought to the notice of the Regional Board by Mr. James in his capacity as Regional Transport Commissioner. • They expressed approval in principle of staggering of peak hours, and the matter was put to the Employers' Federation, who agreed that it would be an excellent thing—but the eventual result was nil. Nearly everyone pays lip service to staggering as a solution of the problem, but no one wishes to be the first to put it into operation. Mr. Sinclair's view is that while there is a good case in theory for staggering, industrial managements are not prepared to force the issue with workpeople because of (a) competition for labour—unpop ular hours do not attract—and (b) the percentage of the total labour force using stage-carriage services is usually in the minority. The company's recent experiences, so far as proposed reductions of the working week are concerned, are not encouraging. Although, together with ,Birmingham Transport Department, they were consulted by one of the largest Birmingham manufacturing concerns about an alteration of hours, their advice was ignored and the finishing time adopted has increased congestion during the evening peak,
Rural Problems
In some country districts served by the company, where arrivals before 9 a.m. cater for business and school traffic, an alteration of school starting times to 9.30 a.m. could be a disadvantage. Additional journeys would be required and, if the journey time were more than 20 minutes each way, vehicles would have to start their outward journey by 8.35 a.m. As vehicles are not free by this time the undertaking might have to increase its fleet and run extra mileage without additional revenue. The experience of Coventry Transport Department, serving a much more concentrated area, has been somewhat different. Mr. R. A. Fearnley, general manager, says staggering of both working and school hours has received particular attention during the postwar years. The principal outcome of many conferences with factory and trades union representatives has been the successful staggering of starting and finishing times of two large factories on opposite sides of the city. Each formerly required approxi mately 30 double-deck buses, but a stagger of 45 minutes has enabled the same buses to be used for both jobs.
The difficulty of reaching a satisfactory conclusion, even when there is voluntary co-operation, is shown, however, by the experience of Mr. E. V. Dyson, general manager of Huddersfield Transport Department. The largest single employers of labour in the town, Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd., recently altered their working hours. The management had always co-operated in staggering the starting and finishing times of various shifts, and their premises are situated about 10 minutes' run from the town centre. A 40-minute staggering of finishing times-4.30 p.m., 4.50 p.m., and 5.10 p.m.--enabled the same vehicles to be used for the three shifts.
When preliminary discussions about the new hours of work took place it was agreed that it would be better to have a later start and alter starting times only, but this was not acceptable to the unions, who pressed for earlier finishing times, which were subsequently put into effect.
At Nottingham, three years ago, the Chamber of Commerce set up a committee for the staggering of working hours in central Nottingham. It comprised their own representatives, trade unions, city and county police, the local authority and passenger transport undertakings. he first aim of the mittee was to uce the number of rkpeople leaving jr places of employ
e r w th ment in the central area at 5.30 p.m. The total number leaving at this time was 12,000 whereas at 5.15 p.m. it was 1,500 and at 5.45 p.m., 4,000. " IA successful start was made when the retail trades section of the Chamber of Commerce agreed to alter shop closing times for a trial period of four months from 530 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Friday and S urday (Thursday being early closing day).
The result was a reduction of approximately s 10 minutes in the !queuing time for services in the city centre.
Unfortunately, one or two of the la ger stores refused to co-operate and th scheme was abandoned. he first aim of the mittee was to uce the number of rkpeople leaving jr places of employ he general manager of Nottingham Tiansport DePartment, Mr. Ben E gland, considers that for the departmint to benefit there would shave to be .a movement of industrial starting an1 finishing times completely outside the present peaks. They could then achieve a reduction of up to 100 vehicles and crews, with an enhanced saving in wages, as the extensive sp eadover penalty payments attached to art-day duties would be eliminated. • Leeds Transport Department have found that changes in working hours over the past 30 years have produced a peak period out of all proportion to normal service requirements. The afternoon services of 266 buses 'have to be augmented by a further 360. buses in order to clear the city from 5 p.m. to 6.15 p.m. The cost of this is enormous and spreading the load from 4.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. would \ greatly benefit both the department and the travelling public.
Again, co-operation from works management and labour is almost non-existent.
Mr. T. G. Davies, general manager of the Western Welsh Omnibus Co., Ltd., has different problems. He says the extent of staggering necessary would differ in various districts and would have to be arranged locally. In this area there are many cases where a measure of staggering to suit one operator would be useless for another.
Conflicting Needs
An example is the trading estate at Treforest, nine miles from Cardiff, and three miles from Pontypridd, where large numbers of people are employed and peak-hour travel arrangements are most costly. Staggering by half an hour would suit Pontypridd Urban District Council, who handle that town's traffic, but would be no good at all to the operators who carry traffic for longer distances.
Newcastle upon Tyne Transport Department are an exception to the general rule. Over the past 13 to 14 years they have achieved a reasonable degree of staggering, particularly with new industries.
When the Ministry of National Insurance headquarters were transferred to Newcastle in 1946, with a potential of 8,000 staff, it was agreed they should start at 8.15 a.m. and finish at 4.30 p.m. This means the greater part of the local traffic is carried by special services, involving 32 double-deck vehicles, without increasing maximum peak-period require ments. Had the department been unable to obtain this assistance, at least 36 additional vehicles would have been required at the morning and evening peaks.
Further advantages have accrued from the establishment of a number of light industries on the perimeter of the city, from which the traffic travels against the normal flow.
The existing position is that:— industry begins from 7 a.m. to 7.30 a.m., civil service from 8.15 a.m., commercial traffic from 8.30 a.m. to 9 a.m.. and schools from 9 a.m. to 9.30 a.m. Finishing times are:— Schools, 4 'p.m. to 4.30 p.m., civil service, 4.30 p.m., and industry and commerce, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Economy in Buses
Doncaster Transport Department have aimed at staggered hours at big factories divided by location—east and west of the Great North Road. They run shuttle services from the town centre mainly by way of duplication of stage-carriage services, morning and evening. As there is 30 minutes' difference in the starting and finishing times for various factories they are able to do a double run with a bus, serving the second factory on the second run. • In order to maintain this position, says Mr. T. Bamford, general manager they have had to campaign very strongly for, from time to time, factories on the later times have sought to finish earlier.
Maj. F. S. Eastwood, chairman of the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners, believes that so far as cities like Leeds and Sheffield are concerned, the reduction in working hours will, in the main, lead to more overtime and can have little effect on the staggering of peak hours.
Cars Cause Congestion
Mr. S. J. B. Skyrme, general manager of the Potteries Motor Traction Co., Ltd., says that staggering would be a great help at Stoke-onTrent. At a large works south of the city many employees have their own cars, and most of this private transport leaves via Stoke at the same time each evening, causing a complete blockage which frequently delays the company's vehicles up to 20 minutes.
Some degree of staggering has been achieved in the pottery industry, where starting times vary from 6.30 a.m. to 9 a.m., with 7.30 a.m. and 8 a.m. as the main times. Finishing times, however, range only from 5 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. The area's other major industry a32 —mining—works a three-shift system. Similarly with school hours in Stokeon-Trent, primary and secondary modern schools start at 9.30 a.m. and finish at 4.30 p.m.
In the smaller Lancashire towns the situation is rather better. 'Bolton Corporation consider themselves fortunate in that the two largest engineering concerns in the district whose factories are situated on the outskirts of the town, finish at 5 p.m., whereas the majority of the cotton mills finish at 5.30 p.m.
There is a gradual build-up of vehicles from 3.45 p.m. to the peak between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. General manager, Mr. R. F. Bennett, thinks a further spread of finishing times between 4.30 p.m. and 6.15 p.m. could save approximately 71 per cent. of the fleet, a reduction of 17 vehicles.
Warrington Transport Department have achieved a fair measure of staggering in the area, varying between 7.30 a.m. and 8 a.m. for works, and between 8.30 a.m. and 9 a.m. in shops and offices. Their main difficulty arises in the evening peak, when a majority of works and offices dose between 5 p.m. and 5.18 p.m., producing an intensive short peak in the town centre between 5.20 p.m. and 5.50 p.m.
Miners and Scholars
Operating in an area where cotton, coal and engineering predominate, with cotton mills working day shifts and finishing between 5 p.m. and 5.30 p.m., Lancashire United Transport, Ltd., can use peak buses to cover collieries and schools as well as peak traffic.
The cotton industry is now engaged in changing over to the twoshift system, which Mr. C. C. Oakham, general manager, thinks will improve conditions.
United Automobile Services, Ltd., because of the extensive nature of their operations and the varying distances between destinations, consider staggering of hours would be of little help. Mr. D. F. Deacon, traffic manager, says that sonie 36 per cent. of the fleet is employed during peak hours only, but so many of the journeys are of an hour or more in duration that staggering by less than 1,1 or 11 hours would be of little use.
Mr. A. F. Neal, general manager of Manchester Transport Department, in a paper read before the Institute of Transport (The Commercial Motor, January 15) suggested that the problem was growing steadily worse. Maximum demands generally were between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., and 4 p.m. and 630 p.m., and an accentuated peak within these periods often called for a maxi
mum number of vehicles in effective service for only 15 minutes.
Using the maximum peak service as a basis, he found the off-peak varied between 27 and 80 per cent, in the case of local authorities, and was probably less than 50 per cent. in half the undertakings.
One reason for the decline was the introduction of the reduced working week in industry and the wide adoption of a five-day week.
For comparison he pointed out that one large undertaking in its four main peak hours of 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., carried 44.9 per cent. of its passengers in 1939. Now, some 20 years later, the figure is 48.2 per cent. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. it is now 21.1 per cent. compared, with 24.3 per cent. in 1939.
Chance to Save
In his view great savings could be effected by reducing the peaks during the worst 15 minutes at each end of the day. Other aids suggested were to help conductors by the use of simple fare systems; abolition of Id. fares, and the universal operation of 8-ft.-wide vehicles with front entrances and the highest effective carrying capacity.
Mr. F. Williamson, chairman of the North Western Traffic Commissioners, is taking all possible steps to meet the main difficulties in the area—the country-wide one of fitting new starting and finishing" times for industry into the scheme of things and the Lancashire problem of the reorganization of the cotton industry.
In a number of cases agreement had been made between workers and managements, concerning new starting or finishing times, without prior consultation with transport operators. For example, 300 workers at "a factory on Wrexham's Trading Estate decided to finish 15 minutes earlier each day and ran into transport difficulties because Crosville Motor Services, Ltd., had not been consulted and could not find the requisite number of buses.
No Consultation
Similarly, Imperial Chemical Industries, at Northwich, agreed alterations with 8,000 workers. There was no pre-consultation with the North Western Road Car Co., Ltd., and only a limited number of vehicles could be provided.
To assist in coping with this kind of problem, _Mr. Williamson sent a letter to 20 of the major companies in the cotton area advising them of pending developments and promising speedy action where variations or new services were required.