Duplicate, says dereg review
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• Bus operators should be allowed to duplicate services on sections of their routes, instead of having to run them along the whole length of the route as at present, says the Department of Transport in its newly-published Review of the Operations of Deregulated Bus Services under the Transport Act 1985.
The consultation paper proposals are in response to feedback from the first year of deregulation and are designed to simplify the working of the system and provide greater flexibility. There are no proposals for changes in the Act itself.
The document suggests that the period between registering new services, changing existing services or withdrawing services and the registration taking effect should remain at 42 days. It also proposes that the period for registering new services should run from the date on which an application is received in the Traffic Commissioner's office, with the period for changes in existing services or service vdthdrawals remaining from the date on whiefillie registration is finally accepted by the Commissioner.
Operators can currently withdraw services on bank holidays without notice: the document suggests that operators should be presumed to be running a Sunday service on Bank Holidays unless they vary their registrations at least 21 days in advance.
The registration system might also be simplified by releasing operators from the requirement to provide maps, register excursions and tours, give details of proposed reversing manoeuvres and provide information about the size of their vehicles.
The Dip also proposes to allow Traffic Commissioners more discretion in approving early registration of services where they believe it would be in the interests of passengers, or where it would assist the maintenance of adequate local transport services.
Organisations, including those representing disabled passengers, have been asked to give their comments to the -DTp by 11 March.