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osy view of plans met with concern
Page 23
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OSY picture of deregulated bus and coach operation was ted last week by Association of District Councils passenger rt operators committee chairman Councillor Norman S.
peaking at the committee's a ual conference at Torquay, h said that the licensing syste has protected the ineffi • ent, as well as the efficient o rators, and that it has gi en customers a raw deal. e sees the deregulation of co ch operation as an ideal o ortunity for municipal o rators to break into the co ch market, and added that as one had said this was out of th question.
Let us seize any initiatives w ich come our way in the ne few months," he told dele ates.
n a more emotive note, AIiC chairman Councillor Ia MacCallum spoke of the " onopolistic grip" which N tional Bus, in his view, h ds over the country, and ca led for this to be broken. orth West Traffic Comm ssioners chairman Roy Hutchings said he felt, on balance, that the Traffic Commissioners agreed with the Government's proposals, and suggested that at least one municipal operator should volunteer to take part in one of the trial schemes in which all regulation goes.
This appeared to be a call for an operator to volunteer for early and instant death. I-le agreed with Lincoln City Transport manager Peter Sephton who predicted that smaller operators would cream off the best routes in the area, and would leave him with a heavily uneconomic network.
Mr Hutchings said he did not know what would happen to the dismembered networks in such a case, but added: "That is something for the supporters of deregulation of the stage network." Other delegates showed a surprising lack of concern about the possibility of a freefor-all on stage routes, and some preferred to talk at length on peripheral matters.
But, privately, delegates talk in less vague terms, and some are concerned that a small municipal in a trial area could be swamped by the might of a National Bus "mopping up" exercise, if NBC chose to throw its weight into the competition.
On the other hand, some delegates in non-operating district councils seem to want an end to local monopolies and may be more tempted to call for their inclusion in a trial scheme.