THE MOTOR BUS

Southland Times, Issue 19277, 23 June 1924, Page 5

THE MOTOR BUS

AN EXPERT’S VIEWS. (By Te’egTaph—Press Assn—Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) NEW YORK, June 20. In view of the discussion on transport problems in various Australian cities, especially Adelaide and Melbourne, with reference to the practicability of motor buses, Mr R. E. Fielder, general manager of the Fifth Avenue Bus Company, and a leading American authority on this question was interviewed.

Mr Fielder said: “I understand that the Australian highways, especially in the suburbs, are inferior to those of the United States in finish of surfaces, but this is easily counterbalanced by their width, which assures reduced running time. “The successful operation of buses depends principally upon the use of a standardised type of vehicle, and any of a dozen reputable types is likely to give good results on the Australian roads, provided that the bus has a sufficiently long wheelbase io distribute the shocks more evenly. It is more important to employ a standardised type, even at the risk of the buses being imperfectly adapted to colonial roads, than to use a variety of buses of relatively higher quality. The latter require the maintenance of a multiplicity of repair stocks, which eats ruinously into the profits. Mixed types, moreover, necessitate the instruction of drivers to operate different buses, while employment of a standard type permits a driver to grow quickly accustomed to its operation, eventually enabling him to often make his own repairs while en route, and increasing the active earning power of the vehicle.”