496 History of Inland Transport 



Dealing, in this connection, first with personal travel, we 

 find that the main competition with the railways proceeds 

 from (i) omnibuses, motor or otherwise ; (2) electric tram- 

 ways, and (3) private motor-cars. 



An omnibus, whether of the horse or of the motor type, 

 is the equivalent of the carrier's van or of the old stage-coach 

 in so far as it has the complete freedom of the roads. The 

 electric tramway, while having to keep to a certain route, 

 and involved in greater capital expenditure by reason of its 

 need for rails, overhead wires and power stations, may, 

 if owned by a local authority, still be materially aided, directly 

 or indirectly, out of the local rates. Thus the omnibus and the 

 electric tramway may both be able to transport passengers 

 at lower fares than the railways, which, as regards the muni- 

 cipal tramways, may even be called on to pay, through in- 

 creased taxation, towards the maintenance of their rivals. 



In London itself the motor-omnibuses have undoubtedly 

 abstracted a considerable amount of short-distance traffic 

 from the Central London Railway, which, however, still has 

 the advantage in regard to longer distance journeys. 



That electric tramways and motor-omnibuses have also 

 diverted a great deal of suburban passenger traffic from the 

 trunk railways is beyond dispute. But here the companies 

 are seeking to meet the position (i) by operating their own 

 suburban lines by electricity, giving their passengers a quicker 

 transport than they would get with tramways or motor-cars 

 stopping frequently, or held up by traffic repeatedly, on the 

 roads or streets ; or (2) by offering to town workers greater 

 facilities for removing from homes in the inner to homes in the 

 outer suburbs, if not in the country proper or even on the 

 coast itself in other words, to such a distance that they 

 would naturally be dependent on the railway and the business 

 trains that are now run thereon from the places in question 

 to meet their special convenience. 1 



1 A good example of these tendencies is offered by the Southend district, 

 situate at the mouth of the Thames, a distance of 35 miles from London. 

 Season tickets between London and Southend are issued by the railways 

 at a low rate, and on the London, Tilbury and Southend line there are 

 6000 holders of these tickets. In the special interests of wives and 

 daughters cheap tickets to London by an express train are issued on 

 Wednesdays to allow of shopping in, town, visits to the theatre, etc., and 

 by this train there is an average of from 600 to 700 passengers, consist- 

 ing almost exclusively of ladies. 



