Five Standing • • • • Public Protest
Page 34
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THE National Union of Ratepayers' Associations are strongly objecting to the new permanent regulations controlling the number of standing passengers in buses which have been drafted by the Ministry of Transport to replace the Standing Passengers Order, No. 845, of .1948. Under the new regulations only five standing passengers would be permitted at peak hours, against eight under the existing ruling.
. The N.U.R.A. said last week that, at a time when bus fares were rising all over the country, pressure was being brought to bear by certain organizations on the Ministry of Transport to reduce the. number of standing passengers allowed on provincial buses.
. If this proposal were put into force, passengers would have to wait at stops even longer than at present, and/or a substantially greater number of vehicles and crews, with their high running costs, would have to be used to carry
the same number of passengers. The vehicles would be idle for the rest the day. The proposal would be bout to lead to yet further fare increases.
A spokesman of the Ministry denii that the new regulations were the rest of pressure from "certain organiz tions." He pointed out that it w Government policy to replace all t1 temporary. • Defence Regulations, which that was one, by permanent reg lations.
• , Buses with ,large standing capaci are also covered in the draft, whii proposes that a number equal to n more than half the seating capaci should stand. It is feared that this, a certain extent, would destroy f purpose for which such buses a intended.
Aid. John Rafferty, chairman Leeds Transport Committee, said th it was difficult to reconcile the propos to reduce the number of standing pz sengers with the application f increased wages by platform staffs. A reported last week, Leeds Transpc Committee have invited tenders for ti supply of eight single-deck buses f 34 Seated and 24 standing passengers. the regulation on standing passengers altered, it will be impossible to ri these vehicles.