MMC gives LT the works
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LONDON TRANSPORT's b maintenance activities are to put under the microscope of t Monopolies and Mergers Co mission, and a report is pected by the end of this year.
As with last year's investic tion of four provincial bus L dertakings, this is a joint exi cise on behalf of tl Departments of Trade al Transport and is made in t terms of Section 11 of the 19 Competition Act.
Commenting on the inqui Transport Secretary Day Howell said last week: "Land, Transport's bus maintenance big business. It costs abc £80m a year to maintain 1_7 fleet of over 5,000 buses.
"Since over half the total cc of LT's bus operation is cover by subsidy from taxpayers al ratepayers, the public is entitl, to know if it is getting best val for money," he added.
The inquiry has been spark, off in part by concern about Li maintenance standards, ar whether these are more ac quate than they were in the pE when some vehicles were co sidered to be in poor conditic particularly in the early mont of 1979 when winter conditio were severe.
"I do know that LT has ma substantial improvements. Bu know we can look to the Cot mission to provide an indepe dent assessment of the progre LT has made and to identify al residual problems," Mr Howl added.
The inquiry is being confirx to LT's bus maintenance act+ ties, and will not examine oth areas of operation such district management which being strengthened in pia drawn up recently by LT.
• West Midlands PTE hr agreed an average wage i crease of 4.8 per cent with its 91 craftsmen, thus meeting MN criticisms of the planning ar control of its bus maintenarx systems contained in the proyil cial report.
INTEX UK, which traded as C Cotta Coachmasters and sold Cotta Apollo and Diana coachl in Britain, went into liquidatic this week.