Dereg Euro-cash
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THE EEC may intervene in the Government's deregulation plans to allay fears that safety standards might fall.
EEC transport commissioner Stanley Clinton Davis — a former Labour MP — voiced concern that privatisation could hit bus maintenance and safety standards.
He told transport officials and trade unionists in West Yorkshire that he may put forward a plan to make bus companies give cash bonds similar to those in aviation to guarantee safety standards.
Mr Davis said after talks at West Yorkshire PTE in Bradford: "It was alleged that one of the consequences of the British Government action could be lower standards of safety arising for two reasons.
"First, smaller operators would emerge, perhaps subject to financial pressures that don't apply to larger firms. Safety might be one of the first things to go — or at least to be impaired.
"Second, it may prove impossible for the Government inspectorate, which is to be reduced in size, to examine with sufficient care maintenance standards which apply to vehicles on the road under this new system.
"I have no comment on the meat of the Government's proposals — but I do have to take seriously questions of safety.
"My intention is to improve safety standards throughout Europe and to use the framework of 1986 as EEC Road Safety Year to give a further impulse to road safety," Mr Davis added.
He added that putting up cash bonds could deal fairly with the prospect of small operators coming into the busi ness.
The position is comparable to aviation where operators are required to enter into bond with the Civil Aviation Authority to secure their financial viability and ensure their aircraft are maintained.
Barry Seal, West Yorkshire's MEP, declared his support for the cash bond scheme.
He said: "Nightmare accidents happen all too often. Privatisation will play into the hands of cowboy operators and put even more lives at risk.
"The experiment in bus privatisation at Hereford proves that this policy can bring only chaos to the roads of Britain."