Ministry to Study Operators' Plan for Revised Regulations
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THE p.s.v. operators' and manufacturers' standing joint technical committee hopes to discuss with Mr. H. Perring, the Ministry of Transport's chief mechanical engineer, proposals which the committee has put to him for alterations in regulations affecting public service vehicles. The proposals cover all the main regulations: Conditions of Fitness, C. and U., Equipment, and Lighting. This is revealed in the annual report of the Public Transport Association. The proposals are the result of an offer made by Mr. Perring at the S.R.P.T.A. Conference at Turnberry last year, when he said he would gladly sit down with bus operators to discuss changes which might make things easier for them. The joint committee immediately took up the offer and in the ensuing year its major task has been a review of all the existing regulations—from which the new proposals have now emerged. The Ministry confirmed last week that the joint committee's detailed proposals had been received and were about to be studied in detail A spokesman said that until all the suggested changes had been carefully examined it was not possible to say how, the recommendations might be dealt with: it might prove that piecemeal alterations would be the answer, or it could be that a completely new, consolidated set of regulations would be drawn up, though it was not certain that the department would be in a position to take such a major step. Meanwhile, as recorded elsewhere in this issue, Mr. Perring himself has been in Scotland to deliver his paper on p.s:v. developments to the S.R.P.T.A. Conference, which has given him a further opportunity of having informal talks with some operators about regulations. The P.T.A. annual report also records that the joint committee, in commenting on draft regulations for bus trailers, has asked that the permitted speed of a p.s.v. should not he further restricted by the fact that it is drawing such a trailer. The P.T.A. has approached the Ministry on yet another matter—to seek a separate vehicle registration system for buses and coaches from that proposed for all vehicles under recently amended regulations; this is the system by which a suffix letter reveals the year of registration and p.s.v. operators want something without this distinguishing mark. . On rural buses the report expresses—as company chairmen have done recently— doubts about the value of the latest surveys which the Minister has announced, but suggests that members be ready to take part if the proposals are proceeded w:th.
The number of P.T.A. members, as at December 31, 1963, was 415 (429 at the previous year's count) and operating members, excluding those overseas, were responsible for 44,997 vehicles (45,092). The annual general meeting is on May 13 at Harrogate, and the 10 retiring members of the council have been nominated for re-election.