Half-day tours character change alleged
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• Wallace Arnold Tours Ltd. was seeking to alter the entire character of the half-day excursion and it should put the case before the Yorkshire Regional Fares Committee, said Mr. W. R. Hargrave for four objectors at a public sitting in Leeds on Wednesday_ Wallace Arnold and associated companies were applying to commence their half-day Sunday excursion tours from Bradford, Shipley and Bingley at 10.30 a.m. instead of 12 noon. This said Mr. J. E. Hanson, for the applicants, was to gain additional daylight running without increasing the tour duration and to obtain more variety in the destinations they could offer. They had a hardcore of 34 to 36 passengers, mostly elderly, who travelled every Sunday on these excursions.
One of the main reasons for the application, said Mr. W. J. King, Wallace Arnold licensing officer, was that tours starting at noon meant an arrival time of approximately 2.30 p.m. which made it difficult for passengers to obtain lunch, but a 10.30 start would give a 1 p.m. arrival time.
Because of the restricted conditions on their half-day excursion licence, they had only a limited number of permitted destinations and last year they had to repeat tours. Under art old licence they could operate half-day tours to other places since no duration was specified thereon but the fare was fixed and a half-day tour at such a high cost was not acceptable. They wish to operate the earlystart tours to 35 further destinations.
Mr. Hargrave asked Mr. King: "Are you aware of any other licence which permits a half-day excursion operator to start before 12 noon?" Mr. King said their own Western licences were not so stipulated. Mr. Hargrave said the Commissioners must know how many vehicles were going to be let loose to run half-day excursions from 10_30 a.m. He asked Mr. King whether he was prepared to go to the regional committee since this application considerably affected the fares position.
The chairman of the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners, Mr. H. E. Robson, cautioned Mr. King to think carefully since, unless they maintained that Bradford was a special case, it would seem that a point of principle was involved.
After an adjournment the applicants
amended their application to restrict operatior to Sundays and two vehicles from the fou companies only to operate from 10.30 a.rn They also said they would not object to ; similar application by West Yorkshire Roar Car Co. Ltd. The Commissioners granted z further adjournment for negotiations to tale place.