P.T.A. AND BUS SHORTAGE QERIOUS concern over the difficulty in
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obtaining new vehicles and component parts is expressed in the annual report of the Public Transport Association. The Association points out that its plea for the commercial vehicle industry to be placed on the "Prime Minister's list " was rejected.
Arrangements made by the authorities to ensure supplies of timing chains were not regarded as suitable and representations had been made with the object of improving them. It was hoped, says the report, that a new technique would he developed which would provide lighter and stronger road wheels.
At December 31, 1947, the Association had 457 members and represented 44,554 vehicles.
L.T.E. MEETS HOLIDAY NEEDS
LONDON TRANSPORT made a L. great effort to deal with Easter traffic, and on Easter Monday 325 additional Central boises were placed in service, whilst country bus and Green Line services were increased by 10 per cent. The total Bank Holiday services were 20 per cent, above those normally provided for traffic on a Sunday.
London Transport's road vehicles and trains ran nearly 1,500,000 vehicle-miles on Bank Holiday, a record figure for Easter Monday. It is estimated that well over 12,000,000 passengers were carried.
N.S.W. NEEDS FARES INCREASE A GGREGATE losses amounting to Z'Ar979,919 in the past two years have had a serious effect on the financial position of the New South Wales road passenger services, says the annual report of the Commissioner for Road Transport and Tramways for the year ended June 30, 1947.
Last year there was a loss of £600,813 on the operation of the tramway, • trolleybus and bus services in the Metropolitan and Newcastle districts combined. The respective losses were £536,093 and £64,720.
The Commissioner states that the unsatisfactory trend in the financial position was brought under notice in ,April, 1945, and a recommendation made that fares should be increased. In the report for 1946 attention was A30 drawn to further losses, and increased fares were once more advocated.
Revenue increased, as an offset against rising expenditure, and this, together with the proceeds of a Id. increase in-fares from July, 1947, estimated at £1,200,000 per annum, will be a substantial help to the department.
It has been recommended by the Auditor-General for New South Wales that the Government should ,make an interest-free loan of £1,000,000, the terms of repayment to be reviewed at
the end of 10 years. The Commissioner, however, says that "there is no prospect that profits sufficient to repay the £1,000,000 in due course wilt be earned in the future."
NO SALE TO B.T.C.
NO negotiations have been entered into by or on behalf of the Lancashire United Transport and Power Co., Ltd., for the sale to the British Transport Commission of those of its interests which are affected by the Transport Act. This statement is made in the annual report which accompanies the company's accounts.
ROAD-RAIL FARE CHANGE?
OPPOS1NG for British Railways an application by Leeds and Bradford Corporations for an increase in the frequency of their joint bus service linking Leeds and Bradford, Mr, Alan Goss said: "It may be that in the near future fares will alter for both rail and road, and if there is any change, there may well be a swing back by the public
to the trains." The application was heard by the Yorkshire Licensing Authority on April 2, at Wakefield.
Mr. Arnold Stone stated that Leeds buses operating on the service had carried 1,859,438 passengers during the past year, compared with 1,802,552 the previous year. On one Saturday when a census was taken, 200 passengers were left behind by one bus at the Leeds terminus.
Mr. L. L. Christie said that the Bradford buses on the route had carried 852,000 passengers in the past 10 months, compared with 815,000 in the corresponding period of the previous year.
The following comparative figures for fares were submitted:—Bus: 8d. single, Is. 2d. return. Train: 2s. Id. single, 2s. 9d. monthly return, is. 21d. workman's fare up to 8 a.m, and cheap day return (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday only) 2s, Id.
Mr. Goss contended that the application was not justified by what he termed a comparatively small increase in traffic.
Major F. S. Eastwood, the chairman, intimating that decision would be reserved, said that the total increase asked for hardly seemed necessary, but a partial increase might be justified.
43 LEYLANDS FOR MADRID A N order for 43 double-decker i–Xchassis with 125 b.h.p. oil engines has been received by Leyland Motors, Ltd., from Madrid Municipal Urban Transport. They will have 17-ft. 6-in. wheelbases and will be 8 ft. wide. There was fierce American competition for the contract.
TILLING NEGOTIATIONS DELAY IT is understood that negotiations for the sale of the road transport interests of Thomas Tilling, Ltd., to the British Transport Commission are taking longer than was expected, and that no final statement is likely to be made for some time.