Transport (London) Bill goes to the Lords
Page 23
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
from our Parliamentary correspondent • The Transport {London) Bill was approved by the Commons this week and now goes on to the Lords. "Good and useful," was how Mr. Richard Marsh, Minister of Transport, described the measure and though the Tories were not quite so certain about all its proposals they did not oppose its passage through the House.
They did, however, make a last-minute attempt to alter some parts of the Bill— concentrating especially on financial matters —but none of these was accepted by the Government and none was pressed to a vote.
One change which the Tories waited in vain for the Government to make would have extended feeder services to cover stage carriages as well as express. Mr. Anthony Berry, for the Opposition, recalled that Mr. Bob Brown, the Parliamentary Secretary, had said in committee that he wanted another look at the matter and Mr. Berry expressed disappointment that a Government amendment had not been.tabled. He was backed up by Mr. Michael Heseltine who said that at present private operators enjoyed the protection of knowing that the LTE had to go to the Traffic Commissioners for permission to run feeder services. If the definition of stage carriages were changed there could be a general permissiveness for the LTE to operate express feeder services without application to the Traffic Commissioners.
Mr. Brown gave assurance that the LTE would behave reasonably, if only for the sake of continuity, since it would have to co-operate in reaching agreement to allow any operator to continue running his feeder services, at any rate for the time being on the present basis. If the limit were altered, even to 5s, then not many express services would change to stage carriages.
• Increases in London Transport bus and Underground fares will probably become effective "sometime in September", Mr. Marsh told the Commons on Monday.
Noel McDonald, who on Monday took up his new post' as general manager at Sheffield, succeeding C. T. Hum pidge, is seen here appropriately with a Sheffield Adantean and a Fleetline from Coventry—the undertaking he has just left. Mr. McDonald was visiting the Allesley plant of Jaguar Cars Ltd., in company with a party of LUTP Congress delegates. A special display of AEC, Daimler and Leyland buses was among the British Leyland group xhibits shown to the visitors.