Council seeks survival plans
Page 17
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BUS OPERATIONS in Lowestoft run by Waveney District Council Transport look more likely to survive, following a council meeting last week.
The council threw out plans proposed by the National Bus Company to give the NBC a complete say over fares and levels of service in Lowestoft, should the council hand the service over to the NBC subsidiary, Eastern Counties.
It looked at one stage as though the council would agree to a take-over, without retaining a say in the operating conditions, by merely holding a watching brief on a joint committee with Eastern Counties.
Now the whole question has been deferred, awaiting new proposals from the NBC on the conditions of the take-over.
If the NBC does not come up with a scheme acceptable to the council, the council may resurrect its appeal to the Secretary of State for Transport to overturn last year's decision by the Eastern Traffic Commissioners.
The decision robbed Waveney Transport of participation with Eastern Counties in joint services to new residential areas of Lowestoft, which led to 40 redundancies last March in the staff of Waveney District Transport.
The change in heart of the Waveney Council seems due to two factors. Firstly there has been an upturn in the finances of Waveney Transport, and secondly pressure from the Association of District Councils against handing over the transport undertaking to the NBC.
Child fares
Some Waveney fares are at present 4p below the Eastern Counties fare scale, but revenue is increasing.
Children's fares are still available in peak periods and this is thought by Waveney Transport Manager, Cyril Theobald, to bring in more money, . especially in holiday times.
The five-stage carriage buses still operated by Waveney earn 61p per mile, as opposed to 49p per mile before the joint service was lost. Mr Theobald told CM that with a 12-bus service and lp fares rise he thought the undertaking could break even.
The new stand taken by the Council has gathered support from Tory councillors, who previously favoured handing the service over to Eastern Counties.