PROGRESS IN PASSENGER TRAVEL.
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The Latest Doings and Developments in the Bus and Coach World.
The Season's Prospects.
Why Liverpool Company Prefers Standard Fleet as Against One of Mixed Vehicles.
• NOTWITHSTANDING the unhappy state of trade and the great amount of unemployment at the present time, motor coaeh proprietors regard the prospects for the forthcoming season as distinctly bright. Already parties are booking their coaches for summer tours, and owners believe that this year the extended tour is likely to become more popular even than last year. The Collingwood Transport Co., of Liverpool, who last spring initiated a pioneer coach service between Liverpool and Blackpool, leaving Liverpool at 9.40 a.m. daily, intend to repeat the experiment, and in an interview with a Commercial Motor representative, Mr. W. R. Furphey, of the Collingwood Co., whilst not prepared to go into details concerning their intentions, indicated that his company is out to beat the best records of last sea,son.
The fleet consists of Daimler 28-seaters, and the question was put to Mr. Furphev as to whether he thought a fleet of vehicle* with a varying carrying capacity would not be more advantageous.
"No, I do not," he replied, "for the reason that if you have the same make of vehicle right through, you are enabled to affect economies in maintenance and repair, and so on.?'
'In which way? "
" Well, with a uniform fleet, there need only be One stock of oil, petrol. and One set of spare parts, instead of as many as there are makes of engines. Besides, it is easier to know all that there is to be known of one type of vehicle than of four or five."
"But why are all your coaches 28-seaters? "
"The 28-seater," said Mr. Furphey, "is the most saita.ble vehicle, because it is capable, so far as capacity goes, of all
round service. The difference between the running costs of, say, a 16-seater and a 28-seater are so negligible as to be hardly worthy of consideration. There is a difference, it is true, in the initial outlay, but then, if you have a coach ox such limited carrying capacity,
you cannot carry more, whereas with the bigger car, which costs only a little more to run, yen have a bigger revenue." "Do you consider, then, that the 28seater is the largest practicable coach capacity?" we queried.
"I do 'not say that," answered our informant, "but the 28-seater is plenty big enough." After your experience of I-tinning during the past year, what rate per mile do you consider is the profitable one to charge?"
"Not less than 2d. Many people seem to forget the fact that the coaches are only running a few months every year,
and whilst they are in the garage, standing charges have' got to be met. There
fore, until there is an all-the-year-round demand for coaches, 2d. per mile seems to me to be a very fair rate." "Do you think that the extended tour will be as popular this year as previously?" " Quite."
" Notwithstanding all the unemployment, the trade slump, and the general industrial outlook?"
"Yes. These conditions do not affect everybody, and concern the Midland in dustrial population more than the people of a great seaport, which is in a different category. As a matter of fact, we are contemplating running an xtended tour this year, for ,the first time, ourselves."
Of' course, Liverpool and district owners experience the same difficulty that owners in most parts of the country do in regard to the use of narrow roads, and the attitude of the local authorities in whose jurisdiction they lie is anything but a pleasant one.
Demonstration Coach Tours.
COMMERCIAL CARS, LTD., of Luton, have organized, with coinmendable enterprise, four demonstration
Conuner Car char-a-banes toursfor the express purpose of peoviding possible purchasers with an opportunity of inspecting the vehicle and testing its capabilities at first hand.
The vehicles which are employed are of the 3P type passenger-carrying model,
which we have described at some length
in these columns, and each of the vehicles is fitted with a 30-seater body. The
tours commenced yesterday ; one vehicle will cover the South Wales district, the second the whole of the South Coast, whilst the third will tour Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire, and the fourth Nottingham, Sheffield, Goole, Hull and the N.E. coast.
As there is certain to be a big demand for demonstrations, those who are interested are invited to get into touch immediately with the local agent, asking for a trial run, or by writing to Commercial Cars, Ltd., 168, Regent Street, London, W.1.
We hope to be able to publish next week* the maps of each of the districts which will be traversed by the respective vehicles together with an itinerary of the places to be called at on each route.
Combined Coach and Aerial Tours.
An Inauguration of a New Form of . Pleasure Service.
AN INTERESTING development in motor coach pleasure trips has been inaugurated by Cornelis, Ltd., of West Smithfield, London, E.G. This company have made arrangements with the In-stone Air Line of the London Air Port., Waddon, Surrey, to run tours' from ()haring Cross to the 'aerodrome at Waddon every Sunday, eachtour to include a. circular fight on a continental air liner, which takes the form of a Vickers-Vitny Rolls-Royce known as "The City of London." ' At present only one coach is iii. opera. ' tion, but this service will shortly be augmented. The vehicle, which is a Thornycreft, leaves Oha.ring Cross (Victoria Emhanlement) at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., return 'ing, from the aerodrome at 4 p.m. anti p.m. -respectively. The route followed from Charing Cross is via Vauxhall 13ridge, Clapham Road (where a stop is made outside Lawrence's Garage to pick :up any further passengers who may wish to join the party), thence across Mitcham 'Common to Waddon. The time taken. for the journey is about one hour. At :the air port is a fully-equipped 'hotel arid res,taurant, run by Trust Houses Ltd., ;where passengers can obtain teas and other refreshments at reasonable prices. Sunday, the 30th ult., saw the camLinencement of the services, and although the weather *as not all that could be 'desired, the first trip was voted an um-qualified success. The duration of each .flight is approximately a quarter of an hour, and as tihe air liner is totally en'closed, there is no need for ladies to have any fears regarding their hats, etc.
; • Scotland Yard have granted permission to the company to stand their vehicles close by Charing Cross Station on the 'Victoria Embankment.
WQ certainly think that this scheme is A mostenterprising one, and, in spite of :its somewhat early start, We trust that #, will aebieve the success that it merits.
How to Operate Buses,
Expert Tells The Commercial Motor 'how He would Proceed to Cut a Loss of
, 140,000 a Year.
a recent issue, mention was made I of the fact that the Liverpool motor omnibuses were losing at the rate of R-40,000 per annum, and that a local firm of passenger traffic experts had volunteered to put the business on a 'better foundation. We have since ascertained. that the offer was made by Mr, C, F. Rymer, of C. F Rymer, Ltd., 'who, in his letter to the chairman of the Tramways Committee, said that his firm regretted the financial position of the Liverpool undertaking, "not only be cause we are ratepavert in the town, but also because it is our main business to serf motor omnibuses and operate them in all parts of the country. For instance, we have sold vehicles during the last few months to Douglas, Wigan, Colne,
d Morecambe Corporations, and, frankly, we do not know a single place where the particular type of machines we favour is operating at a loss. Apart from this, however, the fact that, Liverpool shows a financial loss is going to influence very seriously our business elsewhere,
"We suggest, with all respect, that we can reduce your losses considerably, and,' given a free hand., we can put them. on a basis of at least paying their way. We do not for one moment want you to think we are boasting,. for, after all, the operating of motor omnibuses is an expert's job, and so anxious' are we to help ourselves by helping you, that the writer would be prepared to look thoroughly into the whole position on your account, on the understanding of no CUM no pay
"Your comMittee will readily appreciate that the fact that Liverpool is losing money so heavily is bound to influence other public authorities who are contemplating the installation of raptor omnibuses, and business is bad enough without adding to the general depression.
"Our offer, therefore, is that the writer, a member of the Institute . of Transport, who claims to know something about the operating of motor vehicles, will, with your permission, go thoroughly into the matter, give an absolutely independent report with suggestions for eliminating most of your present loss, and if, when the suggestion is carried out the results are no better, then the work it free. If we do reduce your losses, as we feel certain we can, the committee will, of course, act with us accordingly.—(SignedJ C. F. Rymer."
To this letter, the chairmen of the Liverpool Tramways Committee replied that he was having the working costs drawn out so that the matter may be discussed with the general manager, and
he would be glad to know how to tun/ the Liverpool motorbuses into a profitmaking department. A representative of The Commercial Motor called upon Mr. Rymer, and asked him how he would effect the transformation.
" Well, in the first place," said Mr. Rymer, "I would want to see where every penny of expenditure goes to, and would seek to eliminate all wastage. YoUntust get on to a competitive basis, but the laat, thing that should be done is to increase the fares.
"Well, obviously, when engines are running all the time they axe shortening the life of the machinery and consuming petrol. How often are motorbuses standing for five or ten minutes with their engines running? This is an item of cumulative waste that should be cut out."
" And the means of achieving this reeult?"
"I would like to meet the men, say, once a month–ein my own works we have quite a family meeting—and should put them on an immediate b-onus for saving
petrol. I would net mind if a man's wages came to £7 or £8 a week by the elimination of waste."
'And what do you think of the type of vehicle operated? ' "I should cut losses by scrapping machines unsuitable for bus, work, and I should insist upon the management keeping the driver to the one machine. These are the broad lines upon which I would proceed."
Coach Items.
Bournemouth Corporation is writing to all char-a .banes proprietors calling attention to the annoyance caused to the public by touting, and asking them to give such instructions to their employees as will reduce this annoyance to a minimum.
The motor Mid engineering section of the Chamber of Trade has asked the Bournemouth Corporation if it will licensechars-aehanes to carry 29 passengers, including conductor, if on inspection they are found to comply with the regulath/I-is laid down in the New Roads Act, 1920, which provides for an allowance of 16 linear inches per seat. The Licensing Committee of the Corporation recommends a reply ia• .the affirmative, but subject to any local mgt./Wiens that may be in force.
A London evening paper last week published highly sensational details Concerning an elaborate scheme of motor coach services from London to popular resorts. There were inaccuracies in that account, and it is highly probable that Wh-eri the fade are given in The Comm&cial Motor they will be found to disagree to a considerable eXtent with those which have been published Kendell Corporation has arranged for the parking of motor chars a-banes at a charge of 2s. 6d. per day.
It is stated that the capital represented in the Yorkshire char-banes .section of the of which Mr. G. F. Box, of Batley, is president, and Mr. E. Haiti. son, secretary, is about £750,000.