Extend bus fue rebate scheme
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THE GREEN PAPER poses a number of questions about how the bus industry should be dealt with without making specific proposals.
These questions include 0 The possibility of directing subsidies to specific welfare and social purposes;
-Li Priority to be given to the industry and which sector should have the greatest priority;
0 The discretion of local authorities on concessionary fares, peak and off-peak fares; E Relaxing licensing regulations to encourage experiments; [] Restraints on private cars; Li Closer county council involvement including responsibility of elected representatives; [2] And the possibility of merging local undertakings with the National Bus Company.
While we -recognise t relevance of all these questior it is felt that many of the matters can be delegated attention to the National TrE sport Council which the C vernment is proposing establish.
In the short term and wh close examination is given the points raised, the Govei meet should adopt measures help the industry now.
Therefore, it should extei the fuel rebate scheme nc applied to stage carriage si vices to all bus operation. Ti will compensate, in some mc sure, for the proposed .phasii out of the bus grant in t comparatively near future.
It should phase out the b grant as planned. This grant h militated agamst the best int' ests of the operator in ma respects by encouraging him buy vehicles conforming to b grant specification though th ight not be vehicles he would ?ely choose to operate on age carriage services.
It has involved the operator administrative work in record .eping and inhibited the flexle use of vehicles by insisting at only vehicles with a record 50 per cent stage carriage ork are eligible.
Further, we suggest that the overnment take steps to. tionalise the express carriage :twork by allocating routes Aween bus operators and Ash Rail on a sensible basis. should, for example, reserve
the West and East Coast routes for British Rail, long-distance passenger services from London to Scotland and withdraw licences for express carriage services from others, including the National Bus Company.
To the bus operator it should allocate the short and middle distance passenger services from London as far as, say, the Midlands.
By this means, it can eliminate wasteful competition. But it must also have strict control over fares where it grants.
monopolies. CM