Coaches win fares drop
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SPECIAL coach fare reductions in the South-East, aimed principally at fighting off the British Rail challenge in the day and weekend excursion market have been put on a permanent footing.
A joint decision was made by the Metropolitan, South-Eastern, and Eastern Traffic Commissioners sitting at Acton last week.
Coach fares from the London suburbs to the coast have recently crept above the rail fares for similar journeys, putting National Travel (South-East), Grey-Green, Norfolk Motor Services and other express services operators in a difficult position. The coach fare reductions of about 20 per cent will apply mostly to journeys which have spare capacity.
The operators were first given permission in April 1975 to lower fares for specific marketing promotions, but as this was too late to be fully implemented in the 1975 season, experience was only gained in the 1976 season.
While British Rail has always been free to set its own excursions fare levels, coach operators were previously bound to abide by published fares, thus allowing BR frequently to undercut them.