Conductor "Aids and Abets" Over-loading
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1 r an excess number of standing passengers is carried on a bus, the conductor cannot be charged with a substantive offence, but with aiding and abetting an offence by the owners of the vehicle. This ruling emerged on Tuesday from the Queen's Bench Divisional Court.
Mr. Robert Spiers, South View, London Road, Peterborough, appealed against a conviction by Huntingdon magistrates. He had been fined £5 for permitting an excess number of standing passengers to be carried on a bus of which he was conductor.
The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Goddard, said that the relevant part of the Public Service Vehicle Regulations was difficult to understand. He supposed that the offence committed was in carrying passengers exceeding the number allowed. Who did the carrying, he asked. It was not the conductor or the driver, but the owners of the vehicle, in this case the Eastern Counties Omnibus Co., Ltd.
If permitting an excess number of passengers was prohibited, there would be a substantive offence, but his Lordship could see no prohibition against a conductor's doing this. A charge against the conductor should be "aiding and abetting." The appeal succeeded.
Mr. Justice McNair said that the Regulations did not make clear upon whom rested the obligation to prevent the carriage of an excess number of passengers. It would be wrong to charge the conductor as the principal offender on the allegation that he permitted the offence.
Mr. Justice Jones agreed.
CEYLON'S BUS INDUSTRY TO BE NATIONALIZED
ONE of the first tasks which will be undertaken by the new Ceylon Government is the nationalization of passenger transport. This was one of the main planks in the election campaign of the People's United Front party, which had a large majority in the recent general election.
Bus operators will not oppose the nationalization scheme. They are reported to be prepared to hand over their fleets for adequate compensation.
An expert from the United Kingdom is to be invited to examine and submit proposals for the scheme.
REVOCATION INQUIRY IN NORTH
A GATESHEAD haulage firm, in. Messrs. j. Golden and Son, 30 Burn Street, are to be called before the Northern Licensing Authority on May 14 to show cause why three
B licences held by them should not be revoked or suspended because of alleged non-compliance with the conditions.