Objections to 20-year-old Services
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AN unusual situation arose at Leeds last week when Doncaster Corporation and T. Severn and Sons, Ltd., objected to joint renewal application by Samuel Morgan, Ltd., and R. Store, Ltd. Both applicants wished to renew their current licences without modification, some covering services which had been in existence for 20 years.
The objectors were concerned with various services carrying schoolchildren and workmen, which they claimed should be put under separate licences.
Mr, F. Marshall, for the applicants, said that they carried schoolchildren on ordinary stage carriage services, along with other passengers, but they paid the recognized lower fares for scholars. They did not want to operate special schoolchildren services, as they could be uneconomic.
Similarly, workmen from the local factories, together with miners and farm hands, all used the early morning services. If a special bus were operated for employees of one particular organization, other workers would be without transport upon which they had come to rely.
Mr. E. Scholey, transport superintendent of Doncaster Corporation Transport Department, claimed that the services in question abstracted traffic from those operated by the Corporation. He added that some of the stage carriage services which carried schoolchildren deviated from the authorized routes. Service vehicles were being piloted for special scholars' services and therefore they should be on separate licences.
Mr. Marshall asked why they were trying to force the applicants to have separate licences when they knew this could be an uneconomic form of operation. Mr. Scholey replied that such services should not be subsidized at the expense of the Corporation when they carried scholars at low rates on the same vehicle dealing with ordinary adult fares.
Managing director of T. Severn and Sons, Ltd., Mr. T. Severn, told Mr. Marshall that his company had no separate licences for scholars, but their vehicles did not deviate from the stage carriage routes. Mr. Marshall replied that Morgans and Stores were being forced into running special school services which could he uneconomic. Their licences had been in existence for 20 years. so why had the objectors not interfered before?
The Chairman of the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners, Major F. S. Eastwood, reserved his decision.