Briggs hit by new repute regs
Page 15
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
IN William Briggs, trading as Briggs Coaches of Swansea, has had his licence revoked for "repeated road traffic offences" under the regulations that came into force last October.
Briggs appeared before South Wales Traffic Commissioner John Mervyn Pugh following convictions for using minibuses without a PCV Operator's Licence and for employing unlicensed drivers.
The Commissioner said that it was a very difficult case as it involved the new law, which laid down that operators repeatedly convicted of road traffic offences would lose their good repute. As the offences in question had been committed on two separate dates, he was bound to fmd that Briggs had lost his repute. The problem was that the regulations were mandatory.
Directing that his decision not take effect until the beginning of October, Mervyn Pugh said that until that time Briggs could only operate the two 25 seaters on his licence.
Any application by Briggs for a new licence would be considered at a further public inquiry.
Norman Lloyd-Edwards, for Briggs, said he had three categories of vehicles; the 25-seaters, two eight-seater minibuses used on school contract work (for which no 0-licence was required) and two minibuses for self-drive hire.
Four offences had arisen in December and five in January when drivers used the 12seaters in error.