ARE THEY TOURS OR EXPRESS SERVICES?
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AN interesting point in connection with applications for tour licences was raised by the deputy town clerk of Scarborough, when the Traffic Commissioners for the Yorkshire Area sat in that town.
The municipal official said that he noticed some of the applications related only to local services, and particularly to trips around Oliver's Mount. In some instances, operators asked for permission to run what they celled a tour of the town, the application being made under the heading of "tours or excursions."
On June 5th last the Yorkshire Area Commissioners defined an excursion as "a journey to and from a specified district completed in one day at an excursion fare—in other words, a day trip.' No passenger shall be carried on the return journey other than a passenger who, on the same day, has travelled on the outward journey on the licensee's vehicle." According to the Road Traffic Act, an express carriage is a motor vehicle carrying passengers for hire or reward at separate fares (none of which is less than Is. for the single trip, or such greater sum as may be described).
The deputy town clerk said that, in some cases, he thought the charge made on local tours would be about is., and if not less than is. he understood that they could come under the heading of "express carriages." He asked if the Traffic Commissioners would give an idea as to whether the class of service in question comes under the heading "tours or excursions," or whether it would be more correct to apply for an express-service licence.
He presumed that if these services were classed as express services the
operators would have to run their vehicles to a time-table. He thought that it would be most unfortunate if, when the applications came to be considered, they were found to be in the wrong category.
Mr. J. Ferndale, the chairman of the Commissioners, said that it was a new point and would have to be considered before hearing the applications, but no declaration could be made before then.
During the course of his remarks the deputy town clerk mentioned that in the past, if operators felt that they would be ill-advised to run an excursion into the country, their vehicles were frequently transferred to short routes in the town. In this way the control of local transport at times became practically impossible, there being considerable congestion caused by all these extra buses.
The Traffic Commissioners would, of course, have to endeavour to ensure that this state of affairs was not repeated.