McGill
Page 19
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yes and no Clayton Jones
bounces back
CLAYTON JONES Coach Tour: WESTERN SMT has withdrawn its objections to the use of two articulated buses on five stage services operated by Barrhead independent McGill's Bus Service, but McGill still faces a legal challenge to the future of its Barrhead-Glasgow service.
McGill applied for authority to use the articulated buses on a local service in Paisley, and on services from Barrhead to Glasgow, Renfrew Ferry, and Paisley.
Western was concerned initially because it felt that the Leyland-DAB articulated buses would increase the problems of congestion at bus stops in Paisley. These problems have been apparent for some time as the stops are used by the Western, McGill and Grahams Bus Services.
McGill started using the articulated buses two months ago under dispensation from the Scottish Traffic Commissioners, and experience has shown Western's fears to be unfounded.
Consequently Western has withdrawn its objections to McGill's application, but Western is to keep a close eye on the situation and it hopes that any problems can be solved by talks between the operators.
McGill has leased two of the five DAB artics which were built for South Yorkshire PTE's shortlived trials with artics, and is using them with conductors.
They are painted in a special version of McGill's red and grey livery and are to be kept for an indefinite period.
Apart from fuel consumption of less than 5mpg, the buses have given relatively troublefree service.
Meanwhile, Strathclyde PTE had decided, after all, to challenge former Transport Secretary David Howell's decision to grant McGill its licence for the Glasgow-Barrhead service (CM, March 19). Mr Howell over-ruled his inspector, Amos minibus inquiry inspector Geoffrey Holden, who recommended that the service should not be run as it threatened the future of a parallel rail service.
Strathclyde is appealing in the Court of Session against Mr Howell's decision, and expects the hearing to take place early next year.
This is the first time that a post-1980 Transport Act ruling has been challenged in the Scottish courts, and it will be seen as a similar test case to the Yeowart's Coaches case in the English Court of Appeal which led to the withdrawal of licences for competitive stage services in Whitehaven earlier this year.