"Hit and Miss" Methods in Tours?
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1-11.JRING the hearing of an application 1-1 on Monday for four extended tours from London by Wallace Arnold (Tours), Ltd., Leeds, Mr. C. J. Macdonald, Metropolitan Deputy Traffic Commissioner, said that the processes by which it was decided to introduce certain new extended tours savoured of the "hit and miss" variety.
Three of the applications—to Blackpool and Scarborough, to Cornish and Devon coast resorts, and to North Wales, Snowdonia, English Lakes and Scotland —were granted. The remaining application for an extended tour to Devon and 'Cornwall, was opposed by the Western National Omnibus Co., Ltd., and the Southern National Omnibus Co., Ltd., and_was refused.
In his evidence on behalf of Wallace Arnold, Mr. J. M. Barr, assistant managing director, said that they had to refuse many bookings for their existing 19 services. The overall loading figures had increased from 81 ber cent. in 1956. to 91 per cent. last year.
Touring business was still in a period of expansion and that was wfiy other operators were not objecting. It was imperative. continued Mr. Barr, that Wallace Arnold should be allowed to carry the overspill of passengers.
Mr. Macdonald asked whether people had approached the witness and said, " Why not put on such-and-such a tour?" Mr. Barr replied that it was a question of making suggestions to the public and creating business, rather than of waiting for the public to make suggestions.
Mr. C. H. Preece. commercial traffic manager of the objecting companies, said that their objection was to the tour to North and South Devon, which was too dose to the type of serville provided by an express operator.
Mr. Preece recalled a statement of the Minister of Transport to the effect that extended tours competed with express services.
There was no objection to the demand for an extra vehicle in this case, so long as Wallace Arnold did not introduce a tour that was closely competitive to the service already operated by the objectors in North and South Devon.
Jr[• his submission for Wallace Arnold. Mr. F. S. Marshall. said that if the objection were allowed, it would be an inroad into the rights of extended tour Operators, and give a lever to express operators to object to genuine extended tours.
Mr. Macdonald said Wallace Arnold had called no evidence except that concerning existing services. It did not constitute evidence by itself that unsatisfied needs existed elsewhere. The application for four services to be added to 19 existing services was a substantial increase.