'Co-ordination' by Mr. Swingler
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FOR as far ahead as anyone can foresee buses are going to be the staple of public transport in most towns and over much of the countryside, said Mr. Stephen Swingler on Friday.
Because "buses are flexible and relatively cheap to run compared with some other forms of transport. But what the Government and operators together have to do is to make them even more flexible in serving public needs, more comfortable and therefore more attractive."
Mr. Swingler was performing his first public task as Minister of State, Ministry of Transport—opening the Thames Valley Traction Co. Ltd. bus station, Reading.
Big immediate task, he said, was to get maximum fleet productivity—which meant one-man operation for many more routes and for most operators.
Good progress Thames Valley Traction—in co-operation with the union side—was making good progress on this front. It operated about 3,tm vehicle miles a year with one-man single-deckers and more were on the way.
The proposed PTAs would be powerful enough to provide co-ordinated bus and train services. They would, as extensions of local government, ensure that sensible traffic management enabled buses to get through crowded urban streets.
The PTAs would be the first beneficiaries of the Govertunent plan to give grants towards the cost of investment projects such as rapid transit systems and interchange facilities between road and rail.
Mr. Swingler said that the Regional Transport Co-ordinating Committee for South East England was already at work and Thames Valley Traction, with other operators, had pledged their support for its efforts.
All operators could contribute "something constructive to the greater convenience of the customer, and thereby to the greater viability of the bus industry if they take a really searching look at services in relation to public need.
"This new bus station is itself an excellent example of co-ordination," added Mr. Swingler. "It's a Thames Valley station but I'm glad to see that the services of the Aldershot and District Traction Co. and City of Oxford Motor Services Ltd. will both be running to and from here.
"It is handy for the railway station. It is well laid out for the convenience of passengers."
• THE TYNE TUNNEL complex to be opened by the Queen in October will in, corporate an advanced toll registration scheme with equipment supplied by the Plessey Automation Group. It is designed to provide fast handling of traffic and includes a vehicle check and accounting system.