Omnibuses.—The comparatively rapid development of omni bus services is perhaps the outstanding feature of modern land transport. This development is due primarily to (a) the provision of good roads at the cost of other industries and the community at large; (b) the skill of the automobile engineer in producing so efficient a machine; (c) the improvements made in the manu facture of pneumatic tyres; (d) the comparatively low cost of establishing and operating an omnibus service; and (e) the fact that unlike other forms of transport referred to, parliamentary powers are unnecessary to establish a service except in the case of omnibuses owned by municipalities or statutory companies. Motor omnibuses (single- and double-deck types) as at present evolved are now being used to cater for road passenger traffic of practically all classes. The single-deck types are used chiefly for urban and interurban services where the density of traffic is not great, and for touring work, and many regular high-speed services for long distances (so to about ioo miles) have been established between large towns. They are also used in districts where the height of bridges precludes the use of the double-deck type. Generally speaking the double-deck types are used for town services where the traffic density calls for a vehicle with larger seating capacity than can be given by a single-deck vehicle. This is conspicuously so in London where no tramways are laid in the large central area which comprises the chief commercial and shop ping districts, the chief amusements, and some important resi dential districts within the metropolis. On this account the Lon don road transport services are quite special. The economic com petitive aspect of omnibuses compared with other forms of road transport is to some extent influenced by the limitations as to dimensions and weights of vehicles as imposed by the Heavy Motor Car (Amendment) Order, 1927.
Apart from the merits of the two forms of traction for dense traffic conditions, the question of the capacity of the roads in large towns is a very important factor to be studied. Another
important question—national in its bearing—is the fact that practically the whole of the motor spirit used to propel motor omnibuses is imported. It is difficult to realize what the position of road transport in this country would be if there were no electric services and omnibus fuel supplies were for any reason cut off for a prolonged period. The French Government is so concerned at the undesirability of having to depend on imported fuel for transport purposes that they have given much encouragement to the discovery and use of petrol substitutes. On the other hand, the omnibus has the advantage over tramcars in that it can draw up to the side of the road for the convenience of picking up and setting down its passengers. Much confusion of thought on the merits of tramways has been created owing to several tramway systems having been discontinued and superseded by omnibuses or trackless trolley buses. These changes were made mainly be cause the tramways were established to deal with traffic which in these cases never was and probably never would have been sufficiently dense to justify their establishment and continuance. Nevertheless these matters do not detract from the value of tram ways for dealing with dense city and suburban traffic, where the requirements call for permanent way with double track and large capacity tramcars operated at frequent intervals at high speeds. Many of the managers of large road passenger transport under takings, some of whom are responsible for both tramways and om nibuses, have recently expressed the view that on their true merits tramways for dealing with dense city traffic have nothing to fear from omnibuses. Some figures recently published in connection with the Manchester Corporation tramways and omnibus services give the working costs per seat mile as being o• 21d. for the tram ways and o•46d. for the omnibuses. In London the cost of operat ing a double-deck omnibus averages o•263d. per seat mile, and o.19od. for tramways. It is obvious that if tramways were relieved of their onerous obligations referred to above, the cost of opera tion per seat mile would be still more favourable to them. Summary.—Much evidence has recently been given by officials responsible for large combined tramway and omnibus undertakings, to indicate that tramways form an indispensable part of road transport required to cope with the ever-increasing traffic in large cities where, in most cases, by far the greatest proportion of the whole passenger traffic is still carried by tram ways. The London and Home Counties advisory committee, which was set up under the London Traffic Act, 1924, to bring about co ordination of transport systems, confirmed this by expressing similar views. They "consider that tramways are an essential part of the passenger transport system in the metropolis." Several large municipal tramways are being extended into the suburbs with special track construction along new and modern thoroughfares. Summarizing the above it may be said generally that :— (I) Tramways are pre-eminently suitable for main city routes where the traffic is dense.