Decision deferred after Wallace Arnold objection
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• After hearing evidence concerning an intricate set of road service licence applications made by Happiways Tours Ltd of Manchester and objected to by Wallace Arnold Tours Ltd of Leeds, the chairman of the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners, Maj-Gen Sir John Potter, reserved his decision in Leeds last week. But whatever the outcome, applications which had not drawn objections would be granted, he said.
Happiways. which is authorized to operate a feeder service on express licence from Bradford, Halifax and Todmorden connecting with tours departing from Manchester, sought to add to the licence the facility to carry those passengers into Manchester who wished to take advantage of the five-day Christmas and four-day Easter holidays already approved by the North Western Traffic Commissioners.
Also applied for were extended tours to Bournemouth and the Isle of Wight and Margate which were not objected to, and :he introduction of sevenor eight-day tours :0 Hastings and Whitby. In addition, Happiways wished to amend its vehicle illowance to one vehicle on any day of the week and alter the originating point in 14anchester to the White City Stadium.
Representing Happiways, Mr J. A. Backhouse said it was felt that any tours ;hould be open both to customers in the North-Western and Yorkshire traffic areas; t was also desirable to bring the Yorkshire icence into line with the North-Western one Ind that certain anomalies regarding the rehicle allowance should be overcome. On he existing licence there were three days a veek when Happiways could not operate a service and of course, Christmas fell on a different day each year.
Mr Peter Fingret, for Wallace Arnold, said the objectors operated extended coach tours at Christmas and Easter from the three picking-up points applied for; any new similar services would abstract passengers.
Mr S. B. Lowe, director of Summerway Tours Ltd, a Bradford booking agency, said there had been big demands for Happiways Christmas and Easter tours in Bradford but they would not be met because of the lack of authorized picking-up points.
Mr T. O'Connor, of Scotts Travel Service of Halifax said that there was a shortage of the type of holiday Happiways proposed to operate. However, there was not much demand in Yorkshire for the proposed Whitby tour.
The last witness, Mr W. Ratcliffe, representing the Edgar Marshall Travel Agency, Todmorden, also felt there would be little response to the Whitby Holiday. But he agreed that there was a demand for the Christmas and Easter tours.
Mr J. Carey, general manager of Happiways Tours Ltd, said: "We feel that if we are making a variation of tours it should apply to the Yorkshire passengers as well."
Mr David Wilcox, the licensing officer of Wallace Arnold Tours Ltd, said his company had some short duration tours on its licence which were not offered in its 1971 brochure.
However, if the applications were granted and Wallace Arnold again decided to use the short-term holidays, there would not be sufficient call for both companies' tours.