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Commissioners turn down Berks appeal
AN APPEAL by Berkshire County Council against a 25 per cent fares increase approved by Traffic Commissioners within the county last April was rejected by the Secretary of State for Transport.
London Country fares in all counties other than Berkshire rose by only 15 to 16 per cent when the National subsidiary company increased fares to account for continually rising costs and interest payments on the company's annual deficit.
To reduce the anticipated shortfall a 25 per cent increase in revenue had to be found. All counties in LCBS operating area agreed to increase the revenue support for bus services — except Berkshire.
Berkshire opposed the 25 per cent fares increase last year on the grounds that they were unwilling to provide increased revenue support without a guarantee of increased service reliability. The increase was however granted.
The county appeal was on three grounds, first that the Metropolitan Traffic Commissioners had ignored their evidence of LCBS's failure to provide reliable services; second that LCBS figures at the hearing were inadequate and third the Commissioners had established a dangerous principle inviting slack management.
The Secretary of State's inspector found no validity in any of these three points and noted an LCBS promise not to seek further rises until spring 1979 unless the economy worsened. The company had kept this promise with a 1979 fares increase only designed to yield around 8 per cent revenue increase.