AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

Green Paper on Transport

23rd April 1976, Page 23
23rd April 1976
Page 23
Page 23, 23rd April 1976 — Green Paper on Transport
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

What the doctor ordered

THE GOVERNMENT'S Green Paper on with bus and coach operators many of Is everything that they hoped for. Transport scored a hit whom think the paper National Bus chairman Mr Freddie Wood commented : "We didn't expect anything else. There has been a considerable shift in the opinion of the decision-makers to thinking that the bus now has more going for it.

" The bus represents value for money and it is now thought that a lot of the money going on rail subsidies is subsidising well-off business travellers," said Mr Wood.

He said that the paper's thoughts on councils' control of the loss-incurring bus routes was "a human aspect." The NBC had no mandate to operate loss-incurring services. "When we have got one we must take it off or go to the councils and say how much are you prepared to pay to keep this service?

"There is no criticism in the paper. Any changes in the structure of the company are likely to cause more problems," said Mr Wood. He was referring to the proposals in the Green Paper which suggest a bigger share in the running of the NBC for the metropolitan councils.

Reaction from the Confederation of British Road Passenger Transport was one of relief. Their director-general Mr Denis Quin said this week: "Where it goes beyond asking questions and indicates Government thinking it is a relief to find that there is a recognition for the need for a two-pronged policy involving bus priorities and reimbursement of social costs."

He was sceptical on the problems of reorganisation mentioned in the paper. "The paragraphs on reorganisation, licensing and control of bus services are controversial and will need careful study," he said.

But Mr Quin commented: "Most, though not all, of the non-metropolitan or shire counties still lack knowledge or understanding of the overall implications of public transport."

He points out that the paper ignores the coach as a means of public transport in express services, contracts and excursions.

"The role of the coach as a currency earner in tourism is forgotten as also is the fact that the coach helps 'those who need help'—the less welloff and those without access to a car," says Mr Quin.

" The humble but comfortable coach seems only to be saddled with higher taxation and thereby made less attractive to the public when it is a valuable tool in the economy," he said.

Mr Tom McLachlan, general manager of Grey Green Coaches, one of the larger independent operators, sees little joy in the paper. "We are not expecting any benefits from the review," he said.

" I don't think the longdistance express coaches are mentioned in the paper, but I think we are progressing towards a similar situation to that in America where there are few long-distance rail routes subsidised by the government.

" In this country people travel long distances by train, short distances by car and where they don't want to travel a distance by train they use a coach. On a 120-mile route if we start and finish loaded only a few of those passengers are the same ones who started the journey," said Mr McLachlan.

"We have just had 21 per cent added to our costs with the diesel tax so we are not expecting any benefits from the policy review," he said.


comments powered by Disqus