New Excursions Strongly Resisted
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THE Yorkshire Traffic Commis' sioners reserved decision, at Leeds last Friday, after a two-day inquiry into applications by L. W. Kitchin and Sons, Ltd., Stanningley, for additional excursions and vehicle allowance on their licences from Pudsey, Stanningley and Bradford.
British Railways; S. Ledgard (Bradford), Ltd.; Feather Bros. (Tours), Ltd.; Wallace Arnold Tours, Ltd.; Farsley Omnibus Co., Ltd.; West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd.; and Wardways, Ltd., Bingley, objected.
Mr. I. Evans, for Kitchins, said the applications were: to amalgamate their two Pudsey licences, and increase the vehicle allowance to two on any day to any destination; to link the three licences for more economical operation; to add 21 destinations and increase the vehicle allowance from five to eight on the Stanningley licence; and to add 20 excursions, and increase from two to three the vehicles on the Bradford licence.
It was submitted for Ledgard's that there was little demand for excursions from Pudsey, where they had a vehicle allowance of 10. Never more than one vehicle had been operated in 1955-56.
Mr. J. W. Lawrenson, assistant traffic manager of West Yorkshire, said increased vehicles in Stanningley and Bradford could only be to the detriment of other operators in the Leeds and Bradford areas. They particularly objected to proposed new excursions to Whitby, Homsea and Saltburn.
For Wallace Arnold, Mr. J. Malcolm Barr said there was already a large number of vehicles licensed in Shinningley, and the number of people travelling declined in 1956. They objected particularly to the 12 football destinations from Bradford. Kitchins had not operated to football destinations for seven years, whereas Wallace Arnold had always done so.
They had run regular excursions in 1956 to Bridlington, Hornsea, Redcar and Saltburn, Whitby and Chester. Receipts had dropped all over the West Riding, and they were £4,00045,000 down in Bradford alone.
Mr. Evans submitted that because of the lack of operation in Pudsey during the post-war years the figures were not a reliable guide. The population of Pudsey had increased by 6,000. He could not understand why Ledgards were using a hired operator and losing profit if they had vehicles available.
By linking in the summer, West Yorkshire and Wallace Arnold were carrying many excursion passengers on stage and express services. Half-day excursions to Whitby, Bridlington, Saltburn and Hornsca tapped a totally different source of traffic from the objectors' full-day excursions.