Long-Distance Services from Catterick Refused
Page 36
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A-DECISION in the case of a number of northern operators who wished to run buses at . week-ends from Catterick camp was given by the • .• Northern Licensing Authority, last Week.. He listed a number of points for Which he was not prepared to authorize .road services.
Applications were made by 13 opera:nrs after a High Court decision that he use 'Of contract carriages by 'soldiers
• going home. on leave was illegal and that road service licences were required. Messrs. Sunter Bros., Messrs. M.
Meisrs. F. Scott. Percival Bros., Ltd.,and United Automobile Services, Ltd.. made a joint application. embodying a eornmon schedule covering 41 destination's.
Applicants and Destinations
The other applicants and the destinations to which they wished to run were as follows: Messrs. Taylor Bros., 12 pOints ;including Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Hull, Edinburgh, Glasgow and London; Layfield Motor Services, Ltd., nine points including Edinburgh, Birmingham', Leeds and Newcastle; Hall Bros., Ltd., Coventry via Doncaster, Leicester and Nottingham: Messrs. J. O'Neill, Glasgow; Messrs. N. Todd, Birmingham and Nottingham; MeSars, D. W. Voy and Sons. Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and London; Bee-Line Roadways, Ltd., nine points including Lonclon, Birmingham and Manchester; Messrs. W. Haithwaite, Darlington and Birmingham.
During the hearing of the applications, which took place on several days in the past few months, many soldier witnesses gave evidence of the convenience of coach travel and the difficulties of going horde by rail. Brig. Gilmour, . Catterick camp personnel officer, said that the military authorities strongly favoured road transport. It was their policy to allow National Servicemen to get home as often as possible and it was desired that the cheapest and hest facilities should be made available for them.
Excursion Trains
The Railway Executive led evidence. that special excursion trains were running from Catterick Bridge and Richmond each week-end to York, Peterborough, London; Newcastle, Edinburgh. Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Huddersfield, L i v er p o o I, Rotherham, Derby, Sheffield, Burton, Cheltenham, Gloucester and Bristol. It was hoped to have trains running -direct from the military railway station.
In his decision, the Authority stated that it would not be in the public interest to stop all road, traffic, as there should be facilities alternative to rail. He indicated the destinations which might well be served by road, taking the length of the ,journeys concerned into account, and then enumerated the points for which be was not prepared to license vehicles. These were Birmingham, Bristol, Chester, 'Chesterfield,
'R2 Crewe, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Stoke, Northampton, Wolverhampton and Newcastle.
With regard to the joint application by the five operators, he authorized them to run services with an aggregate of 46 vehicles to a number of towns in Yorkshire and Lancashire, and Grimsby in Lincolnshire.
Messrs. Hall Bros. were permitted to run six vehicles to Doncaster, Leicesterand Nottingham; Bee-Line Roadways, Ltd.. to five iaces applied for that remained after the towns to which trips would not be authorized had been deleted, and Messrs. Layfield two vehicles to four points after a similar deletion had been made.
Messrs. Taylor Bros_ were allowed to operate four vehicles to points in Yorkshire and Lancashire.
The applications of Messrs. O'Neill. Messrs. Voy, Messrs. Todd and Messrs. Haithwaite were refused.
Copies of the index to "The Commercial Motor," Volume XC111. February 2-July 27, 1951, are available from Temple Press Ltd., Bowling Green Lane, London, E.C,1, at is, 2d.. postage included.