halms threatens legal action
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Legal action is being eatened by Thames Transit s Harry Blundred against ford Bus Company (OBC) .tr the city council's subsidy OBC's park-and-ride -vices.
The park-and-ride services re introduced some years 3 to alleviate chronic congesn in the city centre, and !re operated exclusively by Eford Bus Company. Thames ansit has established a rival rvice to the Redbridge car
park, but gets no subsidy.
Blundred points out that, under the 1985 Transport Act, it is illegal to favour one operator in this way.
The sum involved is substantial, believed to be around 2140,000 a year, but the city council is unrepentant, saying that the agreement was signed before the Transport Act came into force.
Another bus war between Oxford Bus Company and Thames Transit, this time in Torquay, has ended in defeat for Oxford.
The company pulled out of its free sea-front operations after only 11 days. It had been hoping to run for six to eight weeks. The joint seafront attack was launched by Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach Holdings of Scotland following the announcement that Thames Transit was to expand into Basingstoke.
Hampshire Bus, another former National Bus Company subsidiary, now owned by Stagecoach Holdings, has a firm base in the town.