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Yorkshire first?
Page 58
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David Scott Hellewell, South Yorkshire PTE's controller of operations and planning, is hoping that they will be able to get approval to introduce a trial service with articulated buses. This would be a tremendous feather in everyone's cap," he says. I hope he gets permission.
At present, artic buses are illegal in Britain because the law prohibits passengers being carried in a psv in a "trailer". However, the Ministry has now told the PTE that holders of ordinary psv licences will be allowed to drive artic buses, so the way is clearing to consider a full experiment, which could lead to the law being changed.
The Executive has been trying three types of artic buses — a Leyland DAB, a MAN and a Volvo. From the outset of the trial last summer, it was obvious that driving an artic is no different from driving an ordinary bus — because the trailer unit is steered automatically and follows precisely the track of the tractive unit, which is no longer than a conventional British bus.
But so far, of course, none of the PTE drivers has been allowed to handle one of these versatile vehicles on public roads. Two thousand members of the public have tried them and 95 per cent said they are a good idea. They're used extensively on the Continent.