No Surrender Unless Excursion Duplication is Allowed
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BECAUSE duplication was not authorized when the North Western .[raffle Commissioners granted, last September, a licence for a new joint Colne-Llandudno express service to be run by Ribblesdale Coachways, Ltd., .1. Wearden and Sons, Ltd., and Bracewells (Colne), Ltd., they could not comply with an undertaking given to surrender day returns on excursions to Rhyl, Colwyn Bay and Llandudno.
Mr. H. Backhouse made this submission on their behalf at Manchester, on Tuesday, at an inquiry into the Commissioners' proposal to vary the Rib blesdale and Wearden excursion licences in accordance with the undertakings given.
Facilities Reduced The question of duplication was not argued at the orignial hearing, said Mr. Backhouse, and the limitation imposed of one vehicle per departure normally was not equal to the excursion facilities offered previously.
They had been prepared, on the basis of unlimited duplication, to give up day returns to these destinations while the express service was in operation. It could not, however, now be run as a true express service, because all seats would have to be pre-hooked, or else the coaches would be full before reaching Accrington, Darwen and Blackburn. They were willing to comply with the undertaking if granted sufficient duplication to carry their existing passengers, on the basis of their 1955 figures, otherwise they would find themselves in grave difficulties.
No Protection On the question of fares, other excursion operators in the area wanted parity with the day returns, but the applicants were not willing to negotiate, because it would be •unfair to be compelled to charge an artificially high figure to protect excursions. They were prepared to give up six period-return vehicles on each Saturday of the Blackburn holiday—when the express allowance was 14-20-14----as suggested in the Commissioners' proposals.
Mr. James Booth, for British Rail. ways, submitted that the licence should be granted for one year only.
The objectors should not lose their right of appeal. If this was done, they would not object to the day excursions being left untouched. They did not agree on the figures for a reduction of period-return vehicles..
On the 1955 figures the allowance should be 11 for the first week, 22 for the second and 13 for the third. Otherwise, these vehicles would be freed to compete on other services.
The hearing continued.