Bee-Line gets Luton airport service
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• The Secretary of State for the Environment has reversed a decision of the Northern Traffic Commissioners refusing Bee-Line Roadways Ltd a licence for an express carriage service between Newcastle upon Tyne and Luton Airport. At the same time a decision to grant United Automobile Services Ltd a similar licence has been allowed to stand.
Bee-Line originally had a licence which allowed the company to carry only passengers of Clarksons, the tours operator, between Newcastle upon Tyne and Luton Airport. In his decision on the appeals of Bee-line reversing the Traffic Commissioners' decision, the Secretary of State said that evidence in favour of Bee-Line's application from substantial tours operators had been dismissed. In addition Bee-Line had been in a position to conclude arrangements, whereas United had yet to operate a service under a licence granted two years ago. Bee-Line will begin to operate its new service, on which it is hoped to carry 10,000 passengers annually, in 1973.
A similar tussle for a route between Newcastle and Teesside Airport has been resolved in a decision by the Secretary of State concerning an appeal from each of the two companies. The decision means that both companies will continue express services "in the public interest".
Bee-Line had obtained a licence from the Traffic Commissioners for an express service between Newcastle and Sunderland and Teesside Airport for passengers prebooked on Clarkson holidays. Subsequently United was allowed to revise the route and also provide additional picking up points on its own express services between Teesside Airport and Newcastle.
The Secretary of State said that he agreed with his Inspector that the Traffic Commissioners were entitled to take account of the advantage not only to United in developing its existing services for the general public, but also to Clarksons' passengers in using the same operators' facilities from the outset of their journey. The Commissioners were correct in granting both firms the licences and the appeals were therefore dismissed.