AN INTERESTING PLYING - FOR - HIRE CASE.
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Swansea Police Court Considers the Unusual Circumstances of Operation of Some Local Bus Services.
• A N interesting "test ease" was 21.heard at Swansea Police Court recently when three bus proprietors who operated vehicles in the Swansea district were summoned for what was alleged to be illegal plying-for-hire, that is, operating in Swansea without licences issued by the local authorities. The parties concerned were Messrs. W. Griffiths, and .Son, Mr. V. E. Jones and Mr. Johnrfarria. '
The method of operation employed by Messrs. Griffiths, and Son was to issue pro-contract tickets 'outside the area of the jurisdiction of the SwanseaCouncil. Their service was operated regularly between Swansea and Craig Cefn Pare, Glais and Ystalyfera, and six vehicles were employed. Tickets were not issued to the public and no money was taken inside the borough. Time-tables were exhibited at the firm's office and garage
at Swansea, and -outside .the 'borough four types of ticket were issued.
Counsel for Messrs. Griffiths. and Sou submitted that, in -law, there was no case • to answer, because the term "omnibus ".. in the Act, which. requires that vehicles should 'hold licences to ply for hire issned by the local authorities, had no reference to Mises run in the circumstances. stated from outside the borough. Counsel stated. that it had been held that picking up passengers within a prescribed areaand carrying theni to the boundarY free of charge and then issuing :tickets available from the outskirts of, the borough to the destinetron was equivalent to plying for hire. Messrs. Griffiths and, Sou had not done this in -that they only carried those with
• whom they had made, outside the borough, a pre-contract for conveyance. The decision was reserved.