Minister Can't Stimulate Bus Traffic
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APLEA for some assistance to be given to local authorities so that they could run necessary bus services where private enterprise companies were unwilling to provide them, met with a plain " No " from Mr. John Hay, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, in the Commons last week.
He told Mr. Donald Box (Cons., Cardiff North) that the Traffic Commissioners were always ready to consider applications from anybody, whether local authorities or private people. The difficulty in many parts of the country, including South Wales—which Mr. Box had mentioned specially—was not the absence of powers, but the absence of passengers. There was nothing the Minister could do to stimulate traffic either for the buses or for the railways.
MORE SERVICES SOUGHT AS "CRUMB OF COMFORT" A N Aberbeeg bus company applied last week to increase their services to aid thousands of people who will be hit by the coming Monmouthshire rail closures. Two other bus firms opposed the move.
The South Wales Traffic Commissioners, sitting at Newport, were told that the Jones Omnibus Co., of Aberbeeg, wished to increase their services "as a small crumb of comfort" to those affected by the rail cut. The firm sought permission to increase their services in the county by 16 buses a day, and to have a half-hourly service, instead of the present hourly one. The application was opposed by the Western Welsh and the Red and White bus companies.
"A Reasonable Step" Mr. Ronald Jones, manager of Jones Omnibus Co., said that in view of thc rail closures at the end of April, "the application was a reasonable step to cope with the increased traffic." He had received numerous complaints about the present inadequate service.
When Mr. Len Price, of Red and White, asked if he had anyone in court to testify to the inconvenience of the present service, Mr. Jones said he did not, nor had he any complaints in writing.
The Commissioners adjourned the hearing for "probably three weeks."