One Grant—Four Decisions Reserved
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AN unopposed application by Thomas Motor Tours Ltd., of North Muskham, Notts, to run an express service between Newark and Ramsgate was granted dlast week by the East Midland Traffic Commissioners. Decisions on applications by four other coach companies to run similar services between the Midlands and the South East coast were reserved after a four-day hearing.
Two of the applicants, United Counties Omnibus Co. Ltd., Northampton, and East Kent Road Car Co. Ltd., Canterbury, already operate a joint service between Nottingham and Thanet with a change-over point at Victoria Coach Station, London. They sought to run a through service from Northampton to Ramsgate, eliminating the London change-over. Objectors were Provincial Garage (Leicester) Ltd. and Barton Transport Ltd., Chilwell, Notts. Barton also objected to an application by United Counties to operate between Nottingham and Eastbourne and Hastings.
Provincial Garage's application to operate throughout the summer between Leicester and Ramsgate was opposed by East Kent, United Counties and V and M Coaches, Grendon, Warks.
Barton applied to run a Saturday service between Stapleford, Notts, and Ramsgate and Margate during the summer. Objectors were East Kent, United Counties, V and M and Trent Motor Traction Co. Ltd., Derby.
After two witnesses called by Provincial Garage had said they had never heard of United Counties, Mr. J. R. C. SamuelGibbon, for United Counties and East Kent, said it was " most odd" that people had not heard of United Counties, who had served Leicester daily for many years. He said the company had booking agents in Northampton, advertised widely in local papers and carried a large number of passengers from there Mr. Samuel-Gibbon claimed that the proposed service by Provincial would result in abstraction of passengers from his clients. " What they want is to cut up our cake and take a large slice of it for themselves ", be added.
For Provincial, Mr. E. L. Mallison contended that there was such a demand in Leicester and its immediate neighbour hood for facilities to the Kent coast that there was room for both services. Quoting passenger figures produced by United Counties, Mr. Mallison said that about 42 per cent of the passengers on the United Counties service from Nottingham to London were picked up at Leicester last year. It was wasteful, wrong and inefficient for buses to run half empty from Nottingham to Leicester, he added.