Opposition to deregulation
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HAVING read the article (CM, July 28), regarding the White Paper, I would like to express my total opposition to the deregulation of stage carriage services.
We operate buses in a rural area of North Wales and I am convinced that it is the rural services that would suffer most under the proposed legislation. The present co-ordination of travel services will disintegrate, making long distance travel at best difficult and arduous and at most impossible.
Surely there is no need to interfere with the profitable services. The present legislation allows for competition on routes, if it is "in the public's interest". (This test would disappear under the new legislation.) The area that needs attention is that of the subsidised service. My opinion is that the present road service licences on subsidised routes should be in the hands of the relevant county council and should be let on a competitive tender basis for a period of three years. With this system we would maintain our existing travel network and we would leave the responsibility of coordinating services with the county council.
The de-regulation aspect of this White Paper appears to me to be a political "smoke screen" to hide the privatisation of another nationalised industry. It is having the effect, however, of bringing together yet another group of people to fight against the Government.
I will be drumming up as much local support as I can in the hope that common sense will prevail.ltrust that your views coincide with the rest of the industry.
S. R. BRIGHT Purple Motors Gwynedd North Wales