B.R. Appeal Against Coach Grant
Page 42
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N inspector appointed by the Ministry of Transport heard a British Railways appeal at Leeds last week, against the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners' grant to Wallace Arnold Tours, Ltd., of 14 additional destinations from Bradford .for football matches.
Sixteen destinations. were listed on the original application which was objected to in its entirety by the railways. The West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd., opposed Keighley and Leeds, whilst Leeds Corporation also objected to Leeds.
The Commissioners refused both Keighley and Leeds without hearing the objectors' evidence about the two points, but despite the railway objection the other 14 destinations were allowed with a maximum of nine vehicles to be operated on any one day.
At the appeal hearing, Mr. T. B. Atkinson, for the railways, 'submitted that there had been no concrete evidence of a demand for road facilities—the company's only witness had been their assistant managing director, Mr. J. M. Barr. The Commissioners' observations showed quite clearly that their decision was based on a wrong interpretation of the figures presented by Wallace Arnold and British Railways.
The grant would mean, abstraction from the railways, who were already serving supporters of the Bradford clubs extensively and satisfactorily.
For the company, Mr. F. S. Marshall described the railway appeal as flippant because the grant was neither big nor important. Wallace Arnold were the main football coach operators in Bradford and he agreed . with the Commissioners when they said the average football supporter preferred to go by road rather than use -the railways.
The travelling public, he added, were entitled to the measure of convenience offered by a through service as compared to the railway service which involved two or three changes.
The inspector, Mr. P. H. Harold, said he would make his report to the Minister as soon as possible.
• TRANSFER GRANTED
A SUCCESSFUL application for the 4'1, transfer of two articulated outfits from special A to A licence was made at Glasgow, last week, by Isaac Barrie (Transport), Ltd., Glasgow.