PROGRESS IN PASSENGER TRAVEL.
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The Latest Doings and Developments in the Bus and Coach World.
Popularizing Coach Travel.
ABig Outing for Children. •
THE DEMONSTRATION arranged by the premier Transport Co., of Keighley, with a view to popularizing motor coaching at the outset of the season, which was referred to in. advance in the special meter coach issue of The Commercial Motor, was held. at the end of Easter week, and proved highly suceessful. The event took the form of an excursion for 250 school children, selected in parties of about ten from each of the schools in the area in which the company works. Nine motor coaches were used, these being for the most part 28 seater Churchills and A.E.C.s, with an IB seater Daimler and a 14 seater Garford on pneumatic tyres. The last was reserved for the headinuters, while teachers were put in charge of the children in each coach. Scholars from the schools to the south of Keighley were picked up at the schools and brought into the townt where all the vehicles assembled. Passing through the principal streets, the way was then made towards Skipton, but, instead of the direct route being taken, a number of villages were called at, and children picked up on the way.
The event had been announced as a demonstration to show the value of motor coach travel in assisting education. Preliminary paragraphs had been published in all the local papers, and much interest was thus aroused amongst local residents. Reporters, Press photographers, and a kinematograph camera man attended, and long accounts of the experiment in educational motor coaching appeared in the morning, evening, and weekly papers, and the film has been shown at a number of picture houses in the district.
The advertising value of the excursion .was, of course, of primary importance to the Premier Transport Co., but this point was not stressed, and everything possible was done to make the affair appear to be a genuine attempt to teach the children something, every effort being made to let everyone know that the Premier Co. was giving the treat to the children. The long procession of coaches made stops wherever there was a chance of an impression being made. The children were given balloons bearing the name of the company, wad a number of balloons filled with gas were released on the road.
The children who had been given tickets at the schools were the envy of their schoolfellows and also of the others who saw the merry party on the road. Keighley stands upon the banks of the Aire, and. Malham, at the source of the Aire, had been chosen as the destination. A printed itinerary had been given to each child, and this stated what was to be expected. along the route.
How those children, many of them town-bred, revelled in the joys of the open road! Everything they saw was novel. The teachers had to be veritable encyclopsedias for the day. They did their best in pointing out the interesting geological features. The history of the old castle at Skipton had to be told, and on the way the children had the good fortune to meet a, pack of hounds out at exercise—a novelty to probably 99 out of every 100.
Leaving the coaches at Malham Village, the party trooped across the fields
to Malliam Cove, a great limestone cliff, from the base of which the Aire gurgles, after its passage underground-II:worn its source at Malhara Tarn, tinder the great cliff, 6:10 ft. high, and among the trees the children were assembled, and. the leader of the expedition, Mr. Jonas 'Bradley, spoke to them, touching upon geographical, botanical, and historical subjects. He referred them to Ruskin's remarks concerning the district, and to the fact that. Kingsley referred to the Cove in " Water Babies." Returning to Malh.am, the motor coaches then made the journey to Kirkby Malham where tea was. served. As the children sat down to tea in batches, parties were taken by -Mr. Bradley into the interesting church of the village.
The return to Keighley was commenced shortly after 7 p.m., and a halt was made at Skipton, -where the Premier Transport Co. have a booking agency for 'their motor coaches. Fire balloons were sent up at this spot, and then Keighley was reached soon after 9 p.m. The nine vehicles ran throughout the whole day without a mechanical failing of any description. Everything went off in strict accordance with the programme, and. the effect of the demonstration cannot have been anything but of the greatest good, not only to the Premier Transport Co., but to the motor coach industry in general, for the event received very wide publicity.
The day was fine and the children enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Most closely affected by the appeal of this enterprising advertising movement will be the parents of the children, who cannot help but be impressed by the talk of those who had so much appreciated the outing. Naturally, when everything passed off so well, the parents will wish to experience the joys of the children. The carrying of such a big party shows the possibilities of the motor coach in providing for numbers, and the absence of any hitch will inspire confidence in the safe running of the vehicles.
A Thornycroft Coach in Algeria.
WHAT is probably one of the most luxurious motor coaches in regular service is running in Algeria, North i Africa. The vehicle s a 40 h.p. type Thornycroft, owned by the AngloAmerican Automobilewho are agents for this make of vehicle in Algiers, and to whom we are indebted for the pictures which we reproduce herewith. The most noticeable external feature of the vehicle is the giant pneumatic tyres, fitted on the built-up wheels, which were specially made in Algiers and equipped with dust shields. The view of the interior shows the luxurious arrangement, separate upholstered armchair seats being provided for each passenger, a central gangway giving aceese, to each row of seats. 'this vehicle makes regular long-distance journeys from Algiers extending up to 10 days, and, to enable passengers to partake of light meals and refreslunents en route, folding tables are provided, which can be seen in one of the illustrations neatly tucked away close te the body. Provision is also made for hot-water heating, which must surely be considered the height of luxury in coach comfort.
Coaching in Ireland.
Tours Officially . Restricted on Account of Present Conditions. THE DRASTIC restrictions at pre-. sent prevailing in Ireland do not allow of much latitude in the matter of organizing -pleasure tours. Although motor coach proprietors in certain parts of Erin's; Isle are considerably handicapped by the imposition of a travelling limit, which permits of journeys of only 20 miles radius (measured. in a horizontal plane) to be undertaken, there are indications that many of them have not been slow to organize short-distance tours within, the limits laid down. From one point of view, the officialrestrictions are possibly a blessing in disguise, for they effectively prevent the running of redundant services, and, in a measure, undesirable overlapping. The restrictions probably have a detrimental influence upon the services of proprietors who are not well located for the operation of road toursto places of historical and picturesque interest, but they assist others more favourably situated by preventing the incursion of
outside proprietors into the more remunerative fields of employment.
For instance, whilst coach owners in Belfast are excluded, under the present regulations, from running their 'vehicles on the famous Glens of Antrim tour, Henry M'Neill, Ltd.' whose head offiie is situated at Main Street, Larne, are favourably placed in this respect, and the vehicles which they run cover the complete Glens trip from Larne via Belfast, Ballymena, Parkmore, Cushendall. and the coast to Lame. From their depot at Cushendall the company also run road toursto the Giant's Causeway. The composition of the char-bebancs fleet run by this company,, which consists of nine vehicles, is made up of four Commer Cars (two 33 seaters and two 25 seaters), a Peerless 34.seater, a Kerrie' 42 seater, a Fiat 33 seater, and two 10 seater FOrds. In addition to these vehicles seven hire• vehicles are also operated. The seating capacities of the vehicles it will be observed, extend from the 10 seater to the 42 seater, vehicles of an intermediary capacity bridging the gap between the coaches of the smallest and largest capacity. With vehicles of such a range of seating capacities the company is able to cater for almost all classes of tours and tourists. The large vehicles are undoubtedly' invaluable during the peak period of the season, while the smaller vehicles can render a profitable account of themselves in the less remunerative part of the season, when less demand is made for tours of all descriptions
The season for the shortest-distance tours commenced. at Easter in the districts in which Messrs. 11UNeill's headquarters are located, whilst those of longer duration will begin on June 1st. Of the latter class, the six-days' tours on the beautiful coast of Antrim for the inclusive sure of £4 7s, 6.d. is one of the most interesting, embracing, as it does, some of the choicest scenery to be found in Ireland.
The places detailed in the itinerary of this tour, which starte en every .Frielay and Saturday from the end of May to October, include Larne, Belfast, GarroteTower, Glengariffe Glen, Sallagh Braes, Whitehead, Gobbin.e and Islandmagee. Garrott Tower, once the property of the Londonderry family, was recently mentioned in the public Press as passing to Mr. Winston Churchill, although, accurately speaking, the Tower and the surrounding land of 500 acres, extending from the sea coae to the neighbourhood of Clenariffe Glen, is the exclusive property of Henry MNeill, Ltd. It is open to motorists from April until the end of October, and is largely used as a halting place for luncheon by cher-abanes parties.
The company also run a mail service by motorvans between Larne, Glenarm, Carnlougla. Garrott Tower and Cushendell, as well as between Cushendall and Parkmore. The business was established in 1953, and a wealth of coaching experience undoubtedly bee behind such a long association with this form of travel.
Accommodation at Coventry,
Messrs. Sumner Brea., of Coventry, have converted the old riding wheel in the Barrack Square into a garage for the accommodation of motor coaches and commercial vehicles. The site is ideal for the purpose, being situated just off Hertford Street. The old riding school provides storage for a nember of vehicles, and it is probably the only place in Coventry where coaches con be garaged so conveniently.