The "Phantom Coach" in Yorkshire
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AN application by a Minibus operator for a licence to operate a series of excursions and tours from Skelton-inCleveland, Yorkshire, to Butlin's Holiday Camp at Filey, on Saturdays during the holiday season, was held at Skelton last week to enable the applicant, Kenneth Hutchinson, of North Skelton, near Saltburn, to call witnesses from the area without causing undue inconvenience to them.
Mr. T. H. Campbell Wardlaw, for Hutchinson, said his client was asking for three picking-up points in the area and proposed to charge a fare of £1 2s. 6d. He owned two minibuses which he had operated for some years on private hire. In addition, he held a contract with the North Riding County Council to carry handicapped children to school. Two previous applications for similar facilities had been refused.
Public Support Mr. Wardlaw said it was very safe to say that the application had the over whelming support of the public. The journey between Skelton and Filey was only 47 miles, but to cover that distance by the stage-carriage services operated by United Automobile Services, Ltd., and East Yorkshire Motor Services, I.td. (who were both objecting) took four hours, with the vehicles stopping and starting throughout the length of the journey. There were three changes—one of them, in Scarborough, entailed a wait of 40 minutes.
Eleven witnesses were then called in support of the application. Mr. I. Robey, for the objectors, asked each witness in turn whether they realized there was a duplicate bus operated on the Scarborough service of United, starting from Skelton at 9,8 a.m., which had never been fully utilized. All except one witness had no knowledge of this bus.
Mr. Wardlaw, re-examining one of the witnesses, referred to the vehicle as a "phantom coach," and said that it was strange that no one living in the townships knew of its operation.
The application, before the Northern Traffic Commissioners, was adjourned.
RENAULT IN AFRICA THE French goods vehicle ufac
1. Savicm, a Renault subsidiary, is to open a goods vehicle assembly plant in Tunisia. The plant, which will cost some £200,000 and which will start production next spring, will be operated by a French-Tunisian company in which the Tunisian Government will have a majority holding.
G.E.C. TAKE OVER TROLLEY FIRM
'THE General Electric Co., of New I York, have taken over a majority holding of the Italian trolleybus firm, Compagnia Generale di Elettricita (CGE), of Milan.