Municipals v dereg
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A LESS REGULATED bus industry will not be allowed to become a less safe one, Transport Minister Lynda Chalker told guests at the opening of London Country's new bus garage and maintenance depot at Slough in Berkshire.
Mrs Chalker stressed that the White Paper proposals for the removal of quantity restrictions would not be allowed to affect the quality of services in terms of vehicle roadworthiness and driver behaviour.
The management of the National Bus Company and other managers within the industry are "eager to accept the challenge" that deregulation and privatisation offer, she said; their enthusiasm is good news for the industry and its customers.
But two municipal operators sound less enthusiastic about deregulation. Nottingham City chief executive and town clerk Michael Hammond has warned of deregulation leading to 29 to 30 per cent of the route miles run by the Nottingham municipal bus fleet being lost in a battle to cut costs and defeat competition from other operators.
He said that moves to encourage new operators to start picking up passengers in Nottingham might lead to lower safety standards as they would want to run buses at least cost and maximum profit. Plymouth City general manager Peter Sephton (soon to move to South Yorkshire PTE) is forecasting the complete disruption of the passenger transport network throughout the city if the deregulation proposals become law.
Plymouth is already staging an anti-deregulation talk illustrated with cartoons to explain inaccuracies of the White Paper and its probable local effects should it become law.
Copies of its views are being sent to local MPs and members of the House of Lords.
According to Plymouth, implementation of the White Paper proposals would increase its rates support bill from £350,000 to £700,000 to protect the present service level.
Withdrawal of cross-subsidy would cut peak-hour services, weekend and evening services, eliminate child fares at peak periods, eliminate off-bus ticketing, and kill off comprehensive timetable guides and bus stop publicity.
It wants the Audit Commission to investigate its records to establish that its service is innovative, reliable, integrated and efficient and, in the event of this being agreed by the Commission, for the Government to exclude Plymouth from its deregulation proposals.
Should deregulation come to Plymouth, it wants to know the structure, powers and responsibilities of the council-owned limited company which will take over its services.
It wants the operating company to have a "high degree of autonomy" to enable it to take quick decisions in the face of competition, and for that company to take over the services in the city which at present are provided by NBC's Western National.
• The impending legislation to turn the White Paper proposals on bus deregulation into law have prompted a redistribution of responsibilities at the Department of Transport.
Junior Transport Minister David Mitchell has had bus policy (formerly the responsibil ity of Transport Minister Lynda Chalker) added to his portfolio, and he will be assisted by newly promoted Junior Minister Michael Spicer. Mr Spicer will also be responsible for aviation, driver and vehicle licensing, and DTp manpower, and will assist Mrs Chalker on road matters.
• Strathclyde Region has also changed its political team's responsibilities to help it fight the White Paper proposals.
Highways and transportation committee chairman Malcolm Waugh has taken over the chairmanship of the public transport sub-committee from his vice-chairman, James Cannell, who has taken over Mr Waugh's chairmanship of the highways sub-committee.
Mr Waugh is also chairman of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities' highways and transportation committee.