Leicester City loses out
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LEICESTER CITY Transport has lost its fight to retain the early stop sign restrictions that have protected the undertaking's operations since the thirties. (CM February 18 and March 24).
The Eastern Traffic Commissioners have granted an application by Midland Fox, the former Midland Red (East) company, for service revisions in Leicester which include the removal of the early stop sign picking up restrictions.
Leicester feared the effect on revenue and has itself lodged a series of applications to increase its competitiveness with Midland Fox. However, consideration of this application has been deferred pending discussions with Leicestershire County Council.
In a reserved decision, the commissioners refer to evidence from the county that they would guarantee revenue support in affect for five years at a time to offset losses estimated at be tween £300,000 and £710,000 if the proposals were granted.
In these circumstances, said the Commissioners, the interests of the public as a whole outweighed those of the undertaking's passengers and the public of the city of Leicester which in total was slightly less than one third of the population of the county.
The guarantee of revenue support would reduce the need for Leicester City Transport to seek fare increases; reduce peak hour services; review a £50,000 a year cross subsidy to services for the disabled or convert further services to one-manoperation, contrary to the City Council's policy of voluntary redundancies only in order to meet the feared revenue loss.