Railway Bid to Restrict Coach Services Fails
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IF the existing vehicle allowance were increased, the number of unrestricted vehicles per destination should be reduced. Otherwise, the use of additional restricted vehicles would free the applicants to concentrate their present unrestricted allowance on popular resorts to the detriment of British Railways.
This was submitted to the North Western Traffic Commissioners, at Manchester last week, as a principle to be adopted to protect rail traffic to the Lancashire and North Wales coastal resorts, when Yelloway Motor Services, Ltd., applied for increased vehicle allowances on their excursion licences from Rochdale, Oldham and Bacup.
Mr. F. D. Walker, for Yelloways, said the Rochdale licence was the key; it allowed all-the-year-round operation. The others were _only for holiday periods. At Rochdale. they were asking for vehicle increases from 9 to 14 at Easter, 45 to 21 on Whit Friday and Whit Sunday, and from 20 to 25 on the Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday , of the second week of Rochdale holidays. At Oldham and Bacup, an iocrease of two vehicles on four weekdays during the holidays was sought. • The application rested on their, figures, which showed they had received dispensations for additional vehicles to be operated at all these periods in she past two years.
Questioned by Mr. J. Booth for the railways, Mr. Hubert Allan, general manager, said the main reason for the application was a big demand for afternoon and evening country excursions. They were prepared to have the coastal resorts excluded for the new vehicles, but would not agree to additional restriction of existing vehicles.
This could well be a test case, and 'the prelude to applications, for increases by all the operators in the area. said Mr. Booth. If additional vehicles were granted, they would free existing ones to concentrate on the Lancashire coast and North Wales, where the railways were vitally interested. The granting of dispensadons gave objectors no opportunity of testing need.
Yelloways were seeking to improve their licence, and the Commissioners should have in mind their operations in the past. Six or seven Unrestricted vehicles instead of, nine should now be adequate; this would protect the railways without causing hardship to the operator. With 100 destinations on the licence, not all the vehicles should be used to a few popular, resorts. An increase was only justified for reasons of variety.'
Mr. Walker said the railways were entitled to fair protection, but this was going beyond the bounds of reason. They were seeking to impose restrictions which had not hitherto existed; it was a principle he could not remember aer being adopted before. Unlike some other operators, Yelloways hid always used their destinations selectively.
Granting the applications, the chairman, Mr. F. Williamson, said they did not propose to restrict the vehicles the company could at present operate: B.O.C. FOLLOW MONOPOLY REPORT
SOME of the recommendations made by ihe Monopolies Commission in their report about the British Oxygen Co., Ltd. (The Commercial Motor, January 11) have been accepted by the company and are being applied at once. Talks are continuing between the company and the Board of Trade.
Mr. J. S. Hutchinson, chairman of the company, said last week that the existence of a Monopolies Commission was a reflection of public opinion. "The duties of the Commission involve examination and criticism. These are welcomed by British Oxygen, But the completeness of the case involves some considered response by the company.
"A further statement will be made when our talks with the Board of Trade have been concluded." he added.