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Welcome for Freddie Laker bus operators
Page 6
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TRANSPORT Minister Norman Fowler touched on the Freddie Laker aspect of his proposed new passenger licensing system when speaking last week at the Conservative Party conference In Blackpool.
In his speech he gave a sneak preview of his Transport Bill "which is shortly to be published" — almost certainly in the next couple of months.
"We intend to encourage competition not discourage; we intend to scrap restrictions, not impose them; to help new services, not stand in their way," he said.
Elaborating on these points Mr Fowler referred to the "vitally important changes" in his plans for changing the psv licensing system. He thought the current system was plainly out of date, dating back as it does to the 1928 Royal Commission on Transport when there was an over-provision of bus services.
"I do not find that that is one of the complaints I receive today," he said. He promised that under the new licensing system new operators will find it much easier to initiate services and the expense and delay of applications will be removed.
Referring to the accusations that reforming passenger licensing could lead to Freddie Laker-style operations Mr Fowler said he wondered whether that was a threat or a promise.
He believed that transport should be run not for the benefit of the big operators but for the customers. "It is the passenger who comes first." At Blackpool Mr Fowler also said that he intended to "push back the public sector."
As an example, he could see no reason why the National Freight Corporation should be nationalised and said that the road haulage industry is one that should be completely returned to the free enterprise economy.
He stated categorically that the Transport Bill will do this.