• Northern Roadways "in the Wars" Again
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APPEALS against the grant enabling Northern Roadways, Ltd., to run coaches direct from Glasgow to Bournemouth from June-September were heard by Mr. J. G. Leechman, Q.C., a Ministry of Transport inspector, in Edinburgh last week. The appellants were the Railway Executive, Scottish Omnibuses, Ltd., the Western S.M.T. Co., Ltd., W. Alexander and Sons, Ltd., David Lawson, Ltd., Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., and other road operators.
The Scottish Licensing Authority permitted 12 vehicles to be run and stipulated that only return passengers should be carried, at a charge of £4 for the round trip. Coaches leave Glasgow on Fridays and Saturdays and return on Saturdays and Sundays.
Mr. R. P. Morison, Q.C., for five State-owned Scottish undertakings, submitted that the limited licence granted was in itself an indication that there was no need for the service. The route was adequately served by existing operators and even if this were not so, the difficulties arose only on the London-Bournemouth section.
Mr. T. P. Macdonald, Q.C., for the railways, asked whether-it were enough for the Authority to say that existing facilities were inadequate because it was necessary for a passenger to make one change in a 453-mile journey. Mr. F. D. Walker, for Ribble, contended that the present operators could meet all demands and were prepared to make improvements.
Northern Roadways, Ltd., he said, claimed that it could complete the journey from Glasgow to Bournemouth in 21 hours 55 minutes—three hours less than the fastest existing facility. This was a small consideration in view of the distance. On the Ribble route, passengers had to change at Preston, Liverpool and Cheltenham. One of these changes could be eliminated if desired.
• Mr. F. A. Stockdale, for Northern Roadways, Ltd., described the nationalized concerns as "Rip van Winkles" and commented that his client was always waking them up. He recalled evidence given at the original hearing, of passengers' inconvenience in changing coaches, and said that there was a real need for a direct service. The time had come for the Scottish transport monopoly to be broken.
Mr. Leechman will report to the Minister.