ANOTHER G.W.R. INTER-AVAILABILITY SCHEME
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Initial Stage of the Company's Co-ordination Programme now Completed ANEWscheme of inter-availability of return tickets was introduced by the Great Western Railway Co. in the Oxford area yesterday (August 31st). Motorbus return tickets between Oxford and certain towns in the neighbourhood are available for return by rail on the day of issue only, and cheap day tickets, for rail travel between these points, are available for return by the road services. operated by City of Oxford Motor Ser
vices, Ltd. The towns surrounding Oxford which are concerned in this arrangement are Abingdon, Banbury, Eynshatia, Littlemore, Radley, Thame, Tiddington, 'Wallingford, Wheatley and Witney.
/338 In making the announcement,. the G.W.R. states that this marks the COMpletion of a system of co-ordinated road-and-rail bookings throughott the. entire G.W.R. system, and that, the first stage in co-ordination being now reached, further extensive developments will be proceeded with. It will be remembered that already the parcel service of City of Oxford Motor Services, Ltd., is linked up with that of the railway company. The G.W.R. was one of the pioneers of motorbus services in the British Isles, for it instituted a service of this kind between Helston and the Lizard on August 17th, 1903. The company also claims to be the first railway company to introduce inter-availability of road and rail tickets and draws attention to the scheme introduced between Corwen and Llangollen in July, 1927. The railroad service between London and Cheltenham (London-Oxford by rail, OxfordCheltenham by road) introduced in October, 1928, is said to be the first rail-road service to have been commenced after the passing of the Railways Road Power Act. Incidentally, the popularity of this particular route now necessitates the employment of four motor coaches daily.
The three systems of rail-and-road co-ordination which are now in force at more than 170 points on the company's system are as follow :—(1) Railway tickets available on the road, or vice versa, principally in connection with short-distance journeys ; (2) rail-road services as on the London-Oxford-Cheltenham route, referred to earlier ; (3) road tickets available on the railway in connection with long-distance journeys, such as between Londen 'and Minehead, Plymouth and Penzance, as well as other places in the west of England ; this system is increasingly popular with the general public, partly because it enables people on holiday to remain at a holiday resort until the last possible minute, then returning by express train.
It should be noted that the G.W.R. now has co-ordinated services with the following motorbus companies :----Bristol Tramways and Carriage Co., Ltd. ; City of Oxford Motor Services, Ltd.; Western Welsh Omnibus Co., Ltd.; Western Transport Co., Ltd., Wrexham ; Western National Omnibus Co., Ltd.; Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd. (jointly with L.M.S.) ; Devon General Omnibus and Touring Co., Lid.; and Thames Valley Traction Co., Ltd. (both jointly with the Southern Railway).