Trial area support
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TRANSPORT MINISTER Norman Fowler has said that he expects to have the first application from a county for a "trial area" soon, and one or two others within the next two months.
Speaking to the Eye Constituency Conservative Association at Framlington, he said last week that he would be interested in particular rural transport projects both in the trial areas and elsewhere and "would be happy to be associated with any that break new ground."
He understood that there is some fear of change because of the challenge presented to an established line of thinking but does not believe that efficient operators who provide a good service for passengers have anything to fear.
Mr Fowler also said that the Government was giving "substantial" financial support to bus services in rural areas, despite the need to reduce overall public expenditure on transport. When he comes to fix the grant settlement for next year the Transport Minister said that he would have the importance of finding resources for these services "very much in mind". With the 1980 Transport Act encouraging innovation, Mr Fowler claimed that it is easier for small independent operators to provide a profitable service which would otherwise run at a loss, if run by larger operators with high overheads.