Appeal by Mountain Goat fails
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LAKELAND minibus operators, Mountain Goat Services, have had an abstraction appeal to the Secretary of State for the Environment turned down. They disputed the decision of the Traffic Commissioners to allow Mr Donald Blezard, of Windermere, to operate minibus tours to Buttermere via Ullswater and to Tarn Hows via Havvkshead.
The appeal inspector recommended to the Minister that the Buttermere tour would cause little abstraction to the appellants but that permission for the Tarn Hows tour should be withdrawn as it had the same destination as the Mountain Goat service.
However, the Secretary of State has decided that there appeared to be additional scope for minibus tours arid Mr Blezard's long experience of private hire in the Lake District entitled him to a share in an expanding business.
Mr Blezard's licence was also 'limited to one minibus on not more than three tours a week over each route, not a significant threat to the business of Mountain Goat.
Mountain Goat appealed in February on grounds of abstraction from their stage services to Ullswater and from Windermere Ferry to Hawkshead and Tarn Hows, arguing that maximum tourist business was needed to subsidise the Winter service for local people.
Mr Blezard had stated that he had to hire minibuses to Mountain Goat on occasions.