Coach operators knowingly disregarded the law
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• Two Scottish coach operators had their licences curtailed under Section 127 of the 1960 Road Traffic Act by the Scottish Traffic Commissioners in Glasgow last week, following the use by both of vehicles without road service and psv licences. In both cases it was stated that the operators were aware that they were breaking the law and they had already been convicted and fined for illegal use offences.
The first case involved Robert Shaw and Sons of Hamilton, operators of three minibuses and four coaches, who had been carrying building workers and, since an application had been pending on November 20, had been carrying passengers free.
Mr Robert Shaw said he had been operating for five years and he admitted convictions for illegal use in 1969, 1971 and this year. Mr A. Campbell, a vehicle examiner, said he had told Mr Shaw on many occasions that he was breaking the law but he continued to do so.
The chairman of the Traffic Commissioners, Mr A. B. Birnie, said there had been a quite deliberate and continuing disregard of the law and he decided to curtail the licences to two vehicles only.
The second case concerned Mr A. Wales, of Burnbank, who admitted offences committed with his three vehicles without road service licences. Mr Wales said that he understood that there was little prospect of being granted a licence on a route controlled by an established operator but he did not want to give up his services for financial reasons. He knew he was breaking the law, he said, but if he gave up another operator would step in and do the same.
The Commissioners decided to reduce the licences to one and the chairman, referring to the fact that there appeared to be a significant number of people operating illegally in the same way, warned that officials would investigate apparent abuses. Mr Birnie also said that if there was a public need for these illegal services he would be most interested in the attitude of the established operators and to any applications which might come from them.