Reporting in east central Scotland
Page 17
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I WISH to make a complaint oncerning the accuracty and bias of new items in Commercial Motor.
Firstly, I would refer you to the itern on page 18 of the June 12 issue where it is stated that Lothian Region are to raise their bus fares for the first time since 1976. This is not so. Lothian increased their fares in October 1981 following the widely reported wrangle with the Secretary of State for Scotland over spending cuts. On several occasions over the past few years, Commercial Motor has printed incorrect details of developments in east central Scotland. I have been aware of this through knowing the stories concerned first hand. If this is the general standard of reporting, what faith can I have in news items from other parts of the country?
My second complaint, that of bias, concerns the news item dealing with the National Bus Company's annual report which appeared on page 20 of the June 19 issue. It was stated here that NBC made a profit of £26 million. If this had been a British Rail report I am sure great play would have been made of the amount of subsidy involved, yet no mention is made in your report of the level of local authority subsidy received by NBC which, although I cannot accurately estimate, must be substantial. A similar report was made when the Scottish Bus Group annual figures were announced although to be fair to you a later report on page 19 of the June 12 issue pointed out that their profit of £7.4 million was achieved through local authority subsidies of £8 million.
I do accept that in these cases it may be that the operators concerned have attempted to disguise the level of subsidy and lumped it all in under the heading of income, but I would have thought that your reporters should know enough about the industry to question such things. D. E. D. BLADES General Manager Ayrshire Bus Owners (Al Service) Ltd Ardrossan, Ayrshire THE passenger transport editor replies: Mr Blades has misread the report. It states "... are to be raised substantially for the first time since 1976". The operative word is "substantially".
The October increase to which Mr Blades refers was five pence and applied to minimum and maximum fares only, after a confrontation with the Secretary of State.
I was reporting the statement of NBC's accountants in their annual report on June 19. This was not my opinion. However, comment is now necessary.
The NBC subsidy is not a direct Government subsidy but a business arrangement between NBC, SBG and counties, After taking into account the subsidy and income from fares, NBC does make a profit.
Mr Blades's reference to BR's subsidy prompts me to make the point that despite the subsidy BR does not make the targets set by the Government and makes heavy losses every year.
Mr Blades fails to make the point that independent operators have been subsidised through 50 per cent bus grants. He does not refer to the "socially desirable" services provided by independent operators which are subsidised by local government.