ONE-YEAR GRANT FOR EXCURSIONS
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rrHE newly formed combine of five Shropshire operators, Wrekin Coach Services Ltd., applied to the West Midland Traffic Commissioners at Birmingham last week to group together 10 period excursions to seaside destinations already licensed to one or more of the operators, and transfer them to express service operation on seven licences.
For the applicants, Mr. H. Tranter said it would have the effect of rationalizing the period excursion operations of the five member firms and prevent their coaches leaving the same catchment area bound for the same destination lightly loaded.
The applications were granted for one year with certain modifications to meet one of the objectors, H. Brown and Sons, who later withdrew their objection when Wrekin agreed not to pick up at certain points on the Bournemouth and Skegness excursions.
Ribble Motor Services and Associated Motor ways withdrew their objections part way through the proceedings after a private agreement had been reached that Wrekin would make an early application to return to period excursion operations.
Wrekin are to run the services on four Saturdays in July and August, returning seven or 14 days later. The destinations include Scarborough, Boumemouth, Southsea, Torquay, Ilfracombe, Skegness and Weston-super-Mare., Mr. Trenter said that for some years there had been considerable differences of opinion between operators in the Wrekin area, which had resulted in a great deal of wasted time at public sittings. This was an attempt to eliminate that sort of thing and to give a better service to the public.
The effect of the applications, if granted, would be a slightly extended catchment area but a considerable reduction in picking-up points, said Mr. Tranter.
In no case was an extended period of operation or an additional vehicle being asked for, and in some instances the overall vehicle allowance was being reduced. However, on the Torquay destination an extension of route at the terminal end was applied for so as to take in Paignton.