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PASSENGER
Objections hit Oxford cutback plan
OXFORD-South Midland plans to cut services and save 17 buses and £300,000 over the year came under attack before the East Midland Traffic Commissioners last week.
Most services leaving Oxford had already been revised and rationalised but changes to Woodstock and Carterton services came under fire from Worth's Motor Services and Carterton Coaches. And Oxford-South Midland found little joy in the two-day hearing. The Commissioners adjourned the hearing for at least a month. They are to consider the company's submis sions that parts of the 40-service application for variations should be granted pending the resumption of the hearing.
For Oxford-South Midland, Mr Waller told the Commis sioners that all the other revisions had already been carried out and he criticised the decision of the Oxford County Council in not supporting the bus company with subsidies.
"Anything would help in the current economic situation," he told them. " If services have to be withdrawn then so be it," said Mr Waller.
"The county council take the subsidy off the buses and then see what can be done afterwards. We are now in a desperate financial position and we have extra expense in running services while we wait for the council to make up its mind," he said.
Staff shortage
He said that in the meantime Oxford-South Midland was faced with a critical staff shortage. They could not employ more staff who would shortly have to be made redundant. They also had to keep 12 old and non-standard buses that they wanted to dispose of.
Worth's Motor Services were worried that the service revision which involved a joint service to Woodstock from Oxford had been planned without consultation.
For Worth's Mr Eeley said that Oxford-South Midland had merely handed a copy of a timetable that they suggested be operated and given the company three weeks before applying to the Traffic Commissioners.
Worried
Carterton Coaches were concerned that a through service from Oxford to Swindon or Cheltenham was being used to substitute for existing services. For them Mr Kenworthy-Brown told the Commissioners that Carterton Coaches were worried about abstraction of passengers from their established services.
The Commissioners adjourned the case for at least a month so that they could look into the granting of applications for unopposed services and dispensations to operate the disputed services.