Excelsior loses, loses licence
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le Financial and maintenance problems have led to the revocation of the seven vehicle held by Excelsior Coachways (Telford) and the refusal of West Midland Traffic Cornmi; sioner John Mervyn Pugh to issue the company with a fre: licence.
Mervyn Pugh was sitting with a financial assessor appointed by the Secretary (il State for Transport. They were told that the business h: been sold by A R Price to Ronald Burns and his wife Mary in August 1982. Heavy losses followed the operation high-specification vehicles on Continental work in the name of Solitaire. That operation ha been abandoned in 1985 and the Burns had concentrated a stage carriage. Mary Burns had looked after the office sid and the maintenance, and her husband the commercial side. In May 1987 she had become ill, and died in February 1988. Her illness had deprived the company of its management a: Burns had felt he had to nurse his sick wife.
For the future, maintenance would be carried out on a monthly basis by British Road Services, backed up by the company's own two mechanics carrying out running repairs.
Mervyn Pugh commented that the maintenance had ben appalling when a fleet check had been carried out in March. Four vehicles had been examined: three vehicles had been given immediate prohibitions and one a delayed prohibition. These defects had indicated that either insepection: had not been carried out at all, or that they had not been carried out properly.
Bums said there had been some laxity due to the whole combination of events at that time. He agreed that no audited accounts had been produced since 1983.
Mervyn Pugh said that he was revoking the existing licence on the grounds that the vehicles had not been kept in a fit and serviceable condition. He was also refusing the renewal application, having been advised that the company did not meet the requirement in relation to sufficient finance.