COMMENT
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Parliament is considering suggestions from the road transport industry on proposals from Brussels to raise the financial requirements for operators applying for 0-licences. Brussels is suggesting £7,500 available capital for the first vehicle and £5,000 for 1111 each subsequent vehicle.
There has been a long-held belief in many sections of the industry that the financial requirements for an Operator's Licence are not strict enough. It is not so frequently alleged that it is too easy to keep one—the sting in the tail of the Brussels proposal is a suggestion that there should be a five-year financial review.
How many operators would like to have to prove every five years that they had available capital and reserves of £7,500 for the first vehicle and £5,000 for each subsequent vehicle?
If the proposals are adopted and rigorously enforced, how many operators will be able to survive without increasing their rates? And how would that affect inflation?