Tour firms compete for new West Yorkshire run
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APPLICATIONS to offer extended tomfacilities direct from the Birstall area of West Yorkshire, have been made by a number of tour operators.
This follows the failure of the small independent, Gordon Lumb, trading as Nova Coaches, to obtain a licence to operate tours from the town.
Wallace Arnold Tours Ltd, National Travel (North East) Ltd, Shearings Holidays Ltd, Pleasureways (1955) Ltd and Happiway Tours (Manchester) Ltd all lodged applications.
The first to come before the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners was that of Wallace Arnold, at Leeds last week.
Wallace Arnold was seeking to add a picking up point in the town on its existing Huddersfield to Leeds feeder service. National, Shearings and Plea sureways opposed.
Geoffrey Steel, a director of Wallace Arnold, said the company had been concerned to protect its interests in Birstall over the last two years in the face of applications by Nova Coaches.
Since the last hearing, in July, 1976, Wallace Arnold had looked closely at the way people from Birstall travelled to join its tours, and it appeared sensible to improve the convenience to the public by offering a direct facility.
Peter Green, operations manager central, of National Travel (North East), said at present the public of Birstall had a choice between the existing operators, who were competing on common ground.
If the Wallace Arnold application was granted in isola tion, it would put the other operators at a disadvantage and in time would lead to abstraction. '
Geoffrey Carey, a director of Shearings and Pleasureways, said he did not recognise that any single operator had the major share of the traffic from the area.
The balance between the operators should be maintained.
The chairman of the Commissioners, Maj-Gen V. H. J. Carpenter, said the margin of difference between the parties appeared to be relatively small and agreement would appear to be possible, with a little goodwill from all sides.
The Commissioners reserved their decision until the outstanding applications by the other operators have been heard.