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BR now to run
Page 30
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bus services?
BRITISH RAIL chairman Sir Peter Parker was principal speaker at the conference, and played on CPT's intitial to speak on Towards a Commonwealth of Public Transport.
''Today this might be regarded as a summit meeting of all the Commonwealth leaders: I think probably the first, but I hope not the last, for surely there is scope for partnership in seerving the public interest while still meeting our separate and often quite different objectives."
He said that the two modes have much in commonthe energy shortage, growth in leisure time, and the changing attitude towards maintaining a highquality environment.
Referring to the Fowler proposals for decontrol of road service licensing, Sir Peter reminded delegates that BritishRail needs no licence to operate its services, but that it has a staturoty right to object to coach operators' plans.
-For my own part. I have said that our permanent way is nothing to do with Divine Right, and that the railways have got to fight for their corner in the market place to prove their right to exist."
He raised the possibility of British Rail beginning its own bus services in place of highcost branch lines. Marketing would be BR's responsibility, but the services would be run by existing bus operators on its behalf.
"If licensing is to be relaxed, there must be an argument that BR should be given the scope to develop bus services where it is essential
He praised the efforts of the PTEs over the last decade. Sir Peter described them as ''the Magnificent Seven-, and suggested that there is scope for the co-ordination lessons of the metropolitan areas to be taken into less densely populated conurbations.
Sir Peter referred to the failure of the Corby-Kettering bus/ rail link ,but told delegates that a new service between Peterborough, Corby, and Kettering is in the pipeline for May 1980.
Sir Peter asked how a mutural understanding of road and rail's relative roles could be established, and wrote off any idea of a monolithic National Transport Authority.
"That would be a quango of awesome proportions, and as quangos go, that one has gone."
He suggested the establishment of an economic development committee which could bring all of its commonwealth of public transport on to neutral ground in which the allocation and development of national resources can be considered.