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Blundred says: Aereg properly'
Page 19
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• The Department of Transport has been advised to "deregulate and not just reregulate" the UK's bus services.
Devon General's bullish chairman and managing director Harry Blundred believes the DTp should "do away with the bureaucrats' charter and truly free the industry for the benefit of the passengers".
Blundred's particular concern is the current requirement to register new or altered services 42 days in advance of their introduction.
Such a notice period makes the expansion of services very difficult, he says, as starting dates cannot be forecast accurately because of delays in delivering vehicles and training and testing new staff.
He is calling for a seven-day notice on publication for service alterations — and where services are increased, or proposed changes are not radical, Blundred says there is no need for a notice period.
Where services are to be drastically reduced or discontinued altogether, he proposes that county councils should be able to negotiate replacement facilities within 14 days.
"While it may be necessary to disclose details where tenders have to be sought, commercially-sensitive information should not be leaked to other interested parties," he says.
Blundred believes that there is too much emphasis on cbunty council intervention: "The system encourages inefficiency," he claims, "and will only perpetuate the need for increasing levels of subsidy."