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Enterprise for all
Page 4
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The president of the Confederation of British Road Passenger Transport, Mr Ian Cunningham, defended the status quo on road licensing at the Confederation's conference last week.
It was unlikely, indeed impossible, for him to do otherwise. As leader of that prestigious body, Mr Cunningham could not be expected to adopt any other attitude than the official "Confed" line. The Government's proposals, although not unknown to Confed, had been released officially only a few days before the conference.
No doubt before the proposals become effective, the Confed members will have taken time to consider them carefully. Hopefully, by then they will be ready to accept that the present system is out of date and that the industry could benefit from an infusion of fresh thinking, if not fresh blood.
Mr Cunningham suggested that a busman's Freddie Laker could be damaging by creaming off the best routes and leaving established operators to service the non-paying routes or abandon services.
If the scheme produces a Freddie Laker-type operation the travelling public will show their gratitude by travelling by coach in increasing numbers. Of course there will be problems and upsets during the settling-down period, but surely long-established operators have nothing to fear from new boys.
If we want a free-enterprise society which rewards the industrious, we cannot choose to free only the sections that suit our own ends.