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Defects defeat WVT expansion
Page 22
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• Maintenance problems led to the refusal of a bid by the Midland Fox subsidiary, Wreake Valley Travel, to increase the authorisation on its PSV operators licence from 11 to 20 vehicles. The company appeared before Eastern Traffic Commissioner Brigadier Compton Boyd on 12 April.
Vehicle examiner John Leyland said that an immediate prohibition had been imposed on a double-decker involved in an accident in December in which pedestrians were injured. Records showed the vehicle had only been inspected twice since April 1988, and that it had failed its annual test in August. Six vehicles were examined at a subsequent check in January. One immediate prohibition, one delayed prohibition and five defect notices were issued. The inspection records showed that the defects noted had not always been remedied. Five vehicles were inspected on 7 April, resulting in the issue of one immediate prohibition and four defect notices.
For the company, Geoffrey Jones said the faults were accepted and appropriate remedial action had been taken. Wreake Valley had been acquired by Midland Fox in January 1988.
It subsequently acquired the assets of Astill &Jordan and part of the business of County Travel. The intention was to merge those acquisitions with Wreake Valley, and the company moved to the former County Travel premises at St Ives Road, Leicester.
While the condition of the Astill & Jordan vehicles had been fairly good, those of County Travel were in an almost unbelievable state.
For the future, all inspections would be carried out by Midland Fox. The singledeckers would then go to a commercial garage to have defects repaired, before returning to Midland Fox to be cleared for service. Both the inspection and the repair of the doubledeckers would be undertaken by Midland Fox.
Taking no action other than to admonish the company, but refusing to grant any additional vehicles, Boyd said the maintenance system had fallen apart at the seams. Management had clearly identified the reasons for that collapse and had taken steps to introduce a strong system.
However, before he granted any additional vehicles, he would like to see how the new system was working.