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Municipals urged to sell
Page 23
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• The big municipal bus operators such as Merseyside, Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire are being urged to follow the example of Portsmouth City Transport, Taff-Ely Transport, Yorkshire Rider and Grampian Regional Transport by selling their operations. All have been ordered to submit plans to Transport Secretary Paul Charmon, who will decide whether to split them up as a prelude to privatisation.
Last week a number of municipal operators attended a seminar entitled Publicly Owned Bus Companies — The Approach To a Sale. They included a large group of London Buses managers and a team from Tayside Regional Council and Tayside Public Transport.
"It's too early to say we are thinking of taking action," says Tayside Council managing director Sandy Strachen, although he adds "let's say that things are changing fast."
London Buses says it sent managers following Transport Minister Michael Portillo's statement that the company is "likely to be privatised".
Other participants included Northampton Transport, Preston Borough Council and Transport, Southampton City Transport, South Yorkshire Transport, Merseyside Transport, Blackburn Borough Transport, Bournemouth Borough Council, Eastbourne Buses, Halton Borough Transport, Blackpool Transport Services and Hyndburn Transport.