LONDON'S BUS WAR

Shannon News, 28 May 1926, Page 4

LONDON'S BUS WAR

"PIRATES" ORDERED OFF. BUT CONTINUE RUNNING. Unlike the street transport fight in New Zealand, which is between trams and buses, that in London is between the buses themselves, that is, between rival bus lines. Recent advices state that the "war" is getting livelier. The buses are being 'regulated," just as our own are, but, as the regulations are more of a local than a national character, the bus owners are able to show a considerable '• amount of fightf in opposing their * operation. Recently the traffic advisory committee of s London decreed (hat GSO of the buses running on the metropolitan streets should be ■eliminated, leaving only 4350 buses running, thus to this extent relieving traffic congestion. But some bus owners decided to continue running their vehicles, trusting to win out in the, Co m-ts. The Ministry of Transport, having approved the traffic committee's recommendations, has now washed its hands of the matter, declaring it purely a matter for the police. So Londoners are wondering whether the "elimi-. nated" buses will continue running ] ' indefinitely or whether the police will, hale their owners, driver/! and conductors into Court. Many of the banned buses are still running, despite the order. They belong to the so-called 'pirate com-, panies that run in competition with i the big London General Omnibus Com- j pany, which controls nearly all the London bu«--: traffic. The latter com-j pany has agreed to the committee s I ruling that two of its buses shall be: eliminated for every "pirate veJncJc.| but the pirates object strenuously to, the decision. | One pirate chief announces that ma.

company and others affected have a fund of several thousands for fighting the order to remove their buses from the streets.