The Contract-carriage Question Eased?
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AFTER three years of uncertainty, during which period many coach operators have been prosecuted for the breach of regulations that have puzzled even leading members of the legal profession. the Minister of Transport has announced his intention of introducing procedure for the licensing of contract-carriage work, with the object of alleviating the difficulties under which such business is at present carried on. The sections of the Road Traffic Act, 1930, governing the operation of contract carriages have, it is estimated, been the subject of about 50 per cent, of public-service-vehicle litigation.
A Compromise—Not a Complete Solution.
Any attempt to clear the ground will, therefore, be appreciated by the coaching industry, although the Minister's proposals, which are explained elsewhere in this issue, are obviously only a compromise and cannot be expected fully to solve the present problems. Only the amendment of the Road Traffic Act can achieve that object.
The Minister has issued a draft memorandum explaining his proposals to the Traffic Commissioners and organizations of public-service-vehicle operators, and he is prepared to consider representations con-. ceming the subject. He does not propose to issue the memorandum in substantive form before January 31, 1934. The scheme appears to remove still further our hopes of amending legislation in the comparatively near future.
It -is proposed that, in normal circumstances, the applications for licences to cover the operation of a service for one day should be listed in tabular form in "Notices and Proceedings," the rate obtained for the hire of the vehicle as a whole or per person being included. Whilst the Commissioners will apparently have power to refuse an application if the fare be unreasonable, there is a possibility that the publication of the charge may lead to under-cutting.
Furthermore, operators who would otherwise be inclined to seek the cover of a licence for their contract work may be deterred from doing so by reason of -the possibility of objections from other concerns. If it be necessary to engage counsel to argue a case in the face of opposition from, say, another operator working a regular service over the route in question, the contract may well prove to be unremunerative. Will the Commissioners dispense with objections, or will they limit them in some manner?
Can the Proposals Succeed?
There is the fear that many coach proprietors may consider the trouble and' expense of obtaining a licence not to be commensurate with the remuneration for their work, in which case they may either refuse to carry out small contracts, thus depriving the public of a desirable service, or may run the risk of prosecution for unlicensed operation. If either course be adopted to any extent, the new proposals will fail in their object, and our contention that the only satisfactory solution of the problem is the amendment of the Act will be proved.