Easy for Manxtree

18th October 1980, Page 26

18th October 1980

Page 26

Page 26, 18th October 1980 — Easy for Manxtree

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THE DECLARED aim of the 1980 Transport Act is to "make it easier for applicants to obtain a Road Service Licence", and the first RSL application public sitting since the Act came into force on October 6 vividly demonstrated this, reports DAVID WILCOX.

Manxtree Ltd, trading as Bexhill Town Bus Services, had its application for eight stage licences granted with relative ease by the South-eastern Traffic Commissioners in Bexhill last Wednesday.

The four ex-Maidstone and District Motor Services busmen who are the Manxtree directors had applied for eight stage-carriage routes in Bexhill replacing previous M&D services withdrawn in April when East Sussex County Council cut the NBC company's annual subsidy from £68,000 to £15,000.

Traffic Commissioner's chairman Randal Thornton referred to the way in which the Act has shifted the burden of proof from the applicant to objector — M&D would have to prove that the proposed services were against the public's interest.

Said Mr Thornton: "We are all new to this Act. I must point out that there is no onus on Manx tree to establish anything. We simply want to know what you are applying for."

M&D had previously planned to object, but with the applications being considered under the new Act most of the objections became invalid. Manxtree and M&D had reached an agreement before the sitting, amending two of the routes and agreeing to parallel fares and agreements, and with the other M&D objections withdrawn Manxtree's application was unopposed.

Manxtree's counsel, Adrian Thomas, had merely to outline the routes and point to the "overwhelming public support" for the proposed private enterprise services, indicated by the crowded and sometimes noisy public gallery.

For M&D Douglas Walker emphasised that nobody should make any false assumptions about the withdrawal of objections — it did not mean that the company or any other NBC subsidiary would offer no opposition to future similar applications.

Mr Thornton concluded by saying that the last-minute withdrawal of objections meant that "we are still ignorant of what is or is not in the public interest — that is to be decided elsewhere."

One of Manxtree's directors, Malcolm Christmas, told CM it hopes to have the routes operating well before Christmas, using five second-hand Leyland Nationals which it is about to buy for a total of £20,000. Manxtree has a backer and does not intend to apply for a revenue subsidy.