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Commissioners Warn Private-hire Operator About "Hidden" Fares

21st November 1958
Page 37
Page 37, 21st November 1958 — Commissioners Warn Private-hire Operator About "Hidden" Fares
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

BUS operators who hire vehicles to building contractors must have a road service licence if workers pay for their travel by having cash deducted from their lodging allowance. This ruling was made clear by the Northern Traffic Commissioners, last week, when they refused licences to two private hire operators who had been running illegal works services.

Joseph Clark, Consett, and Thomas Gillingham, Catchgate, both sought licences to carry contractors' employees from Newcastle and Gateshead to sites at the Consett ironworks. They were opposed by the Northern General Transport Co., Ltd., and Venture Transport Co. (Newcastle), Ltd.

Mr. Clark said in evidence that his proposed non-stop service would take 30 minutes for the 124-mile route, compared with 65 minutes by the existing stage services. He had no road service licences but operated two coaches on private hire.

Replying to Mr. J. Croft, for Northern General, he agreed that his coaches operated the service irregularly, carrying passengers at separate fares.• The contractors had told him that they were not prepared to hire coaches themselves as the men were paid a lodging allowance. Several other operators were still carrying workmen in a similar manner.

His proposed return fare of 3s. was the existing charge and was not intended to cut the stage carriage fare of 4s. Northern General's charge between Newcastle and Consett for private hire was 2s. 10d.

Refused Last February Mr. Croft pointed out that an identical application was refused last February on the ground that existing stage services were adequate.

Mr. J. A. T. Hanlon, chairman, said contracts with employees for free transport to and from work involved art element of hire or reward. It was wrong that workmen should be carried in vehicles which had no public service licences or certificates of fitness. A grant was no more justified than on the last occasion.

Opening -Mr. Gillingham's application, Mr. B. G. Montgomery said that circum-. stances were totally different. A vehicle had been operated since October, 1957, and at first Mr. Gillingham was paid by separate fares. However, since the visit of an enforcement officer it had been run as a genuine contract service.

Mr. Gillingham said he originally approached a foreman while working on the Consett site as a haulier last year. He was now paid monthly by cheque.

Answering Mr. T. H. Campbell Wardlaw, for Venture, he agreed that the money was deducted from the men's lodging allowance, but denied that the arrangement was a deliberate attempt to deceive.

Mr. Croft said Northern General ran two special early morning buses to Consett on which 84 seats were available. Since August the highest number of passengers had been 24. Neither they nor Venture had been approached by the contractors.

Mr. Hanlon declared that the industry would be back to pre-1930 if every owner of a coach was allowed to hawk it about. Mr. Gillingham had drawn more than £2,000 while operating an irregular stage service to the detriment of the licensed operators.

It was announced that Northern General and Venture would provide an early morning service and a dispensation was granted for the Gillingham bus to be replaced.

B.T.C. REVENUE £32.6m. DOWN

RECEIPTS from the British Transport Commission's passenger and goodscarrying activities in the first 44 weeks of this year were £32.6m. lower than in the corresponding period last year. They fell from 1590.3m. to £557.6m. The railways' total freight receipts dropped by £24m. from 1297.2m. to £273.2m.

The Commission's provincial and Scottish bus undertakings increased their revenue in the 44-week period from £49.2m. last year to £51.4m. this year. Mainly because of the London bus strike, London Transport's road-service revenue declined from £50.3m. to £40.2m. London Transport's rail-passenger revenue increased from 119.5m. to .120.5m.

FIVE-LORRY TRANSFER GRANTED 1-1 A TAKE-OVER application by the Bridgwater Haulage Co., Ltd., for five vehicles (154 tons unladen) operated under B licences by R. Wynn and Son has been granted by the Western Licensing Authority.

One of the lorries is limited to general goods within 20 miles. The other four are allowed to carry road and building materials within 40 miles, agricultural produce and requisites within 20 miles, and refuse for Clarks, Bridgwater, to a local pit.

406 Long-distance Hauliers Listed

THE second edition of the "Long

distance distance Hauliers' Directory " was published this week by the Road Haulage Association. It lists 406 members " substantially engaged in the long-distance carriage of general merchandise, who are in a position to offer and/or accept surplus traffic and/or provide terminal services."

' Each member whose name and address appear in the directory has signed, and indicated willingness to observe, the code of conduct of the Association's long-distance hauliers' functional group.

Apart from the addresses of the 406 members, 127 extra depots are listed. The names of 20 clearing houses also appear.

The directory is arranged alphabeticidly under towns, with a separate section for Scotland. Depots are shown separately under the appropriate towns, with a cross-reference to the member's main depot. Details are given of transhipment facilities—whether open or closed and supervised or not.

A specimen vehicle report card is included in the directory. It contains space for the name and address of the operator, and a note of the registered number of the vehicle concerned, its description (flat, sided or van), body length, and construction of the body (wood, steel or light alloy), The telephone number and the driver's name are also entered.

The form enables the operator to indicate that the vehicle will be available at a certain place and time for a return load and that the driver will apply for one.

I he directory can be purchased by traders at 2s, 6d. per copy.

M.A.N. ENGINES FOR INDIA

AN agreement has been entered into between the Indian defence ministry and MAN., Munich, Germany, whereby M.A.N. multi-fuel oil engines will be supplied to the Indian Army.

This decision has been reached following extensive research by the Indian authorities. At first, engine parts will be supplied from Germany, but within five years it is expected that the engines will be 90 pe.c cent. Indian made.


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