THREE FARES DISCUSSIONS ON ONE DAY
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Regional Committee Conveners' Meeting, No. I Committee Meeting and Southern Fares Inquiry
AS indicated in last week's issue, Wednesday of last week was "fares day" in the south of England. The conveners of the Regional Fares Subcommittees met in London on the morning of December 14, whilst No. 1 Regional Fares Sub-committee met in the afternoon. At Salisbury, the Southern Traffic Commissioners concluded their fares inquiry, which commenced on the previous day.
At the conveners' meeting, the widely varied opinions of the Regional Committees on the standardization of coach fares in London were collected and a report on these views is to be presented to the Traffic Commissioners.
1338 It was decided to make strong representations to the railways, in order to obtain some form of agreement between road and rail on the question of fares.
At the meeting of No. 1 Regional Fares Sub-committee, the Motor Coach Owners Protection Association, representing small operatoes in the East End of London, advocated certain reductions in fares, particularly in respect of dayreturn tickets, in order to equalize
the competition between road and rail.
When the question of voting on the matter was raised, Mr. E. Monkman (Keith and Boyle (London), Ltd.) maintained that the votes should be awarded in proportion to the size of each concern represented at the meeting, but the Motor Coach Owners Protection Association objected to this procedure. The representatives of these important undertakings, which comprised the London Coach Owners Federation, then withdrew from the meeting. Eventually, however, it was decided to recommend to the Commissioners certain reductions in day-return fares. At the Southern Traffic Commissioners' fares inquiry, all the important operating concerns in the southern counties were represented, including Bristol Tramways an-d Carriage Co., Ltd.; Natiormi Omnibus and Transport Co., Ltd.; Thames Valley Traction Co., Ltd., and other concerns of the B.A.T. combine; London General Omnibus Co., Ltd.; and London General Country Services, Ltd.
Mr. A. A. Guilmant, general manager of the Ledbury Transport Co., Ltd., Reading, attended on behalf of his company and the Motor Hirers and Coach
Services Association, Ltd. A considerable number of private operators was also represented at the sitting.
In connection with concession tickets, the consensus of opinion of the "corn
bine " undertakings appeared to be that the wide divergence existing in various districts and on different routes should be allowed to continue. The railway companies urged that no extension of concession-ticket facilities should be allowed, because they would involve uneconomic competition with the railways.
Mr. Guilmant put forward the view of the M.H.C.S.A. that some standardization of practice in connection with concession tickets should be possible throughout the country. He urged that any general arrangement made should be permissive rather than compulsory, and that all possible encouragement should be given to operators to meet the requirements of the public, so far as they were able, provided that they did so On an economic baste.
Mr. Guilmant showed that the suggestion of the railway companies that they were being compelled to reduce their fares below an economic standard, owing to competition from road transport, was ill-founded, and he gave instances of cases where the railways were issuing cheap return tickets at less than half the return rate' for a similar journey by road.
Major-General Sir Reginald Ford, chairman of the Commissioners, expressed himself as well satisfied with the conference, which had been productive of useful results. He said they considered that the large measure of agreement already existing between the operators in various localities could be extended.