Appeals allowed —closure delayed
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THE Minister of Transport has decided, on the recommendation of an independent Inspector, to allow the appeals of local authorities against the grant of licences for extra bus services between Bletchley and Bedford and to dismiss the appeals by local councils against the grants for Oxford-Fenny Strafford and Bedford-Cambridge bus services.
The running of these extra bus services was one of the conditions laid down by the previous Minister in agreeing to the Railway Board's proposal to withdraw passenger services on the Oxford-Cambridge line.
In allowing the appeal the Minister concluded that because of a bus staff shortage at the Bletchley and Bedford depots of the United Counties Omnibus Co. Ltd., there was a reasonable doubt whether the company could run these new services to sufficiently high standards. and without detriment to other services. There was evidence of irregularity of services already operated by the company.
The statutory consent to the closure of the railway passenger services remains unaffected. But since the Railways Board cannot comply with all the conditions upon which consent was given, rail passenger services over the whole line must continue for the time being.
The Board could, however, ask the Minister to vary the conditions of consent so that part of the rail services could be closed and replaced by buses.