Commissioners reply over monopoly' allegations
Page 20
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THE South Eastern Traffic Commissioners, in a written decision, have replied to "monopoly" allegations made on behalf of Summerbees Excursions and Tours Ltd, Southampton, following the refusal, for a third time, of its application for a licence for Continental tours and picking up and setting down points. (CM May 21.) They say that the evidence did not establish any need for another licensed service of Continental tours from Southampton or that the route was not already adequately served.
It had been argued that because nearly 1,000 people went on the company's tours to Paris in 1975, in spite of having to join them at the Normandy Ferries terminal, was in itself cogent evidence of need. It was said to be selfevident that in the light of the inconvenience and additional cost involved in taxi fares or car parking charges, the applicant's customers would greatly benefit.
The absence of public witnesses was explained by saying they would prove nothing except a preference for either Summerbees or the objector, Excelsior European Motorways Ltd. If Excelsior could rely on the number of vacant seats on its own coaches and its ability to meet any further demand, the implication was it was now impossible for any new applicant to get a licence.
The Commissioners say they have some sympathy with these arguments, in so far as customers coming in cars would prefer to park them free at Summerbees' garage and those coming by train would like to be picked up at the station. They did not accept, however, that bare facts and figures amounted to adequate proof of need or desirability in the public interest.
The applicants arguments were double-edged, tending also to show that its customers were not, in practice, deterred by the inconvenience on which reliance was placed to prove need.
In any event, the Commissioners could treat the evidence as relevant at the very most to the tours to which it was related—long and short weekend trips to Paris. They did not agree it would have been useless to call public witnesses as they might well have established a particular need or gap in the services already provided.