M eyes on N.Wales
Page 18
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.L EYES are on North Wales where the latest independent atTIM to break into stage carriage operation is at a crucial stage.
The North Western Traffic ,mmissioners have reserved cision on a bid by Les Hughes ansport Services for four stage rvices competing with Crosle Motor Services' National Is network in Clwyd.
In April the Commissioners anted a six-month licence for a cular service in Colwyn Bay to a whether Hughes's much ntested plans would generate w business or take traffic from osville (CM, April 30).
A previous bid by Hughes to lerate five services was turned wn (CM. July 27, 1982). The esent proposals are for the ilwyn Bay service, a circular rvice in Denbigh, a service beeen Pensarn village and Preswen Sands, and a service beteen Ryhl and Ysgol-yeuddyn.
The applications were op)sed by Crosville, Clwyd )unty Council, Cheshire )unty Council, Glyndwrr strict Council, Denbigh Town iuncil, Wrexham Trades Coun cil, and the Buckley and Mold Trades Union Council.
Thomas Harrison, Crosville's traffic manager, said it estimated that abstraction of traffic by Hughes's Colwyn Bay service would cost Crosville £27,224 in lost revenue in a full year. In addition, season ticket revenue over the whole of the Crosville routes affected was 14.9 per cent down on the previous year.
He said Hughes's service had not always operated in accordance with the timetable, that additional unauthorised journeys were operated, that it did not always stick to the authorised route, and that on occasions tickets were not issued.
Cross-examined by John Backhouse for Hughes, Mr Harrison agreed that Crosville had reduced fares to meet the competition from Hughes, but was unable to say how far this accounted for the projected lost revenue, but denied it was wholly attributable to the fares reduction. He felt that revenue on two Crosville routes had reduced by 32 per cent as a result of Hughes's Colwyn Bay service.
The Commissioners' chairman, Roy Hutchings, commented that there were very few firm facts available to the commissioners and far fewer than they had thought there would have been when they authorised the experiment.
Clwyd said that no more revenue support in real terms would be made available to Crosville next year. If the applications were successful there would Ilhave to be substantial service cuts.
Mr Backhouse said that Crosvilla had admitted it would have to make service cuts whether or not the applications were granted. Unless independent operators were encouraged to come in by being allowed to compete on remunerative routes, they would not be in a position to fill the gaps.
There had been very substantial benefits to the public from the operation of the Colwyn Bay service, there was a more frequent and cheaper service and more passengers were travelling.
In reply, Michael Waller for Crosville said the company could lose as much as £233,000 a year if all the Hughes services were authorised, with devastating results.