Operating Aspects of
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W.W.O.C. OFFER TO NEWPORT
Tconcrete proposals of the Western Welsh Omnibus Co., Ltd., for acquiring an interest in Newport (Mon.) Corporation transport system will, be placed before the July meeting of the town council. As reported in The Commercial Motor, the electricity and tramways committee recently -rejected the principle of Newport selling out to the company, but asked for more specific information.
The company does not suggest that
the Council should dispose of the entire municipal services, but that the trams should be replaced by buses and that the undertaking should be jointly owned. The W.W.O.C. would manage and operate the buses under the supervision of a joint committee representative equally of both interests. Under the proposalS, the net ,picirfitis on the' svitem would -he e4uallyAared, hut,'
. before Elle company took its proportion, the corporation would make provision for charges_ in connection'with the abandoned trams.
Net profits would be the balance of the gross receipts remaining after meeting operating'cpsts, preyiding adequate renewal and reserve funds,paying a man'igernent_lee to the 'eompany based on an agreed percentage of the gross receipts and interest on any capital picvided by either party.
In the first two months of the current financial year, Newport's bus receipts increased by £383 over those of last year RAILWAY CO. SEEKS PROTECTION FROM CORPORATION.
AT a sitting of the North-Western Traffic Commissioners, in Liverpool; on Monday, the Mersey Railway Co. objected to some of Birkenhead Corporation's bus fares, on the groundtba that they were inequitable.
=iThe company complained of the exceptionally low fares charged to per,.
sons using the combined bus and ferry tickets available between Liverpool. and Woodside and Rock Ferry. The strong preferential rate given to persons who travelled via the ferry, as compared with the bus fares to the railway company's stations, amounted to a free journey across the ferry.
The railway company required some protection. It suggested that, in principle, there should be a maximum difference in fares between the _two undertakings of 2d. In some instances, there was at present a difference of fkl.
The hearing was adjourned.
MIDDLESBROUGH INTERESTED IN TEES BOARD'S PROPOSAL.
IN connection with the decision, re ported in last week's issue, of the Tees-side Railless Traction Board to approach Middlesbrough Corporation and United Automobile Services, Ltd., to ascertain on what terms they would be prepared to acquire the Board's motorbus undertaking, Middlesbrough Corporation's transport committee has appointed a sub-committee to investigate the proposal.
TUNNEL TOLL ANOMALY.
THE road transport section of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce has had before it a complaint regarding an anomaly in Mersey Tunnel tolls on coaches. It is stated that when vehicles travel empty through the tonrid they have to pay about twice as much as an empty goods vehicle of
similar weight. Apparently, the toll for a passenger vehicle is determined according to its seating capacity.
RIBBLE TO ACQUIRE CADMAN'S?
I N pursuance of its policy of absorb
ing smaller interests, Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., has applied to the North.Western Traffic Commissioners for permission to transfer the licences of Cadman's Services, Ltd., in respect of several stage-carriage services in the Wigan •diettict
CARDIFF SEEKS M.O.T. TESTS.
ASTEP which will be noted with interest has been decided upon by Cardiff Tragsport Committee, on the recommendation of the general manager. It has been decided to apply to the Ministry of Transport for the Ministry, to conduct tests of all persons employed or proposed to be employed by the department as motor drivers.
42 A.E.C. OILERS FOR LIVERPOOL.
LIVERPOOL City Council has now 1-4confirmed the recommendation of the transport committee for the purchr.se of 42 A.E.C. Regent oil-engined double-deck buses.
Messrs. James Browning and Sons, Whitburn, who for many years have operated a bus service between Whit. burn, Armadale and ' Battrgate, have sold their business to the Scottish Motor Traction Co., Ltd.
I.F.S. BUS RETURNS HIGHER
CTATISTICS issued by the Irish Free State Government, dealing with bus operations during May, reveal the fact that the strike of busmen employed by the Dublin United Tramways Co., Ltd., which lasted from March 2 until April 17, caused a drop of £109,124 in the receipts during the three months March-May.
During April, buses in the Dublin city and suburban areas ran 729,000 vehicle-miles, carrying 2,586,000 passengers, and yielding £22,910 gross receipts, as compared with 1,515,000, 5,981,000 and £51,813 respectively during April, 1934. On the same services, 3,629,000 vehicle-miles were travelled and 14,626,000 passengers carried during the five months from January-May, this year, as compared with 7,235,000 and 27,471,000 respectively last year. The receipts have dropped from £232,612 to £126,584.
The returns for other wholly internal services show a general increase in vehicle-mileage and passengers carried, with a slight decrease in the gross re ceipts. During May last, 1,028,000 vehicle-miles were run and 2,068,000 passengers carried on these services, representing an increase of 6,000 and 109,000 respectively on the figures for May, 1934, whilst the receipts decreased from £43,790 to £43,404., Buses on these services covered 4,903,000 vehicle-miles, carried 9,596,000 passengers and earned £205,551 receipts during January-May, this year, as compared with 4,856,000 vehicle-miles, 9,024,000 passengers and £196,020 receipts last year.'
On cross-Border services, whilst the number of vehicle-miles, at 131;000, showed a decrease of 4,000 on the figure for May, 1934, the number of passengers increased. Receipts, however, decreased from £4,832 to £4,740. During the first five mouths of 1935, buses on these sbrN•rict.,-; -ran 616,000' vehicle miles carried 746,000,.passengers and earned £22,183 receipts..
CHILDREN'S FARES RULING SUBJECT TO APPEAL DECISION.
BEFORE the North-Western Traffic Commissioners, at Liverpool, on Monday. Birkenhead and Wallasey Corporations and Crosville Motor Services, Ltd., made a joint application to standardize certain conditions governing the carrying of children on their buses.
At present it was remarked, confusion existed on the joint services of the three undertakings. because in Birkenhead Children up to three years of age were carried free, whilst in Wallasey and on Crosville buses they were carried free up to the age of five
years. The application was granted for children up to the age of five years to be conveyed free by the three undertakings. The Commissioners reserved the right, however, to vary their decision, if they desired, when the result of a certain appeal is known: