SDO's licence alert
Page 12
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• West Midland Traffic Commissioner John Mervyn Pugh has renewed the six-vehicle Passenger Service Vehicle Operator's Licence held by Solihull District Omnibus Company only until the end of October this year with a warning that it Will lose its hcence should there be a further immediate prohibition, or a further justified complaint about the way the company operates its local services.
Operations director David Jewkes accepted that there was cause for complaint over the way the services had been operated as a result of a shortage of vehicles. Some of the five vehicles in possession were not fit for service and the company will be hiring in to cover its services.
The intention is to acquire additional vehicles to give them spare capacity. He assured the Commissioner that in future the services will be operated in accordance with their registrations. For the company, Michael Carless said it had bitten off more than it could chew. A number of prohibitions were placed on vehicles in December and after a meeting with the West Midland PTE various routes were surrendered with their consent. The company was now back to a more manageable size.
After hearing evidence from passengers Mervyn Pugh said it was clear that the conduct of the company in the running of its services, the maintenance of its vehicles, and in the amount of complaint had been "enormously bad". It was equally clear that the people of Solihull wanted the company's services, but they wanted them run properly.
Mervyn Pugh renewed the licence on condition that the company produce a contract for the inspection and maintenance of its vehicles every seven days by the Carlyle Works of Midland Red within a week of the hearing.