Bus operators fail to register services
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• Greater London operators registered 570 commercial bus services in time for the February 28 deadline.
That is only about a quarter of the number of road service licences now held, Traffic Commissioner Ronald Ashford revealed last week. He suggested that there is "not going to be the flood of new operators some predicted".
Ashford told the London Regional Passengers' Committee that he expects either a substantial number of RSL applications before September, just to keep services going or a large number of registrations as the result of tendered services.
Ashford revealed that many applications have been made to vary existing RSLs by the introduction of new stops to bring them within the new 24km (15 mile) rule for local bus services and thus obtain fuel tax rebate. A lot of money is at stake, with 210 million a year paid in the Metropolitan area in rebates.
Ashford said there were currently just over 600 operators' licences held in the Metropolitan area and 25 rit ones have been granted sin the beginning of the year.
None so far has registere any services and suspects they are waiting to bid for local authority tenders.
Eight requests from taxi operators for special PSV operators licences have bee received, six in Greater London and two have now applied for an RSL for a shared taxi service from Euston station to Fleathrow airport. Ashford foresees possible problems from London Regional Transport and the British Airports Authority from the use of ti terminal facilities.
He warned LRI3C memb( that complaints of unrealiabl or unsatisfactory operation have to be followed up "wit: an eye on the enforcement resources available".
A single complaint is not likely to get a great deal of investigation, but several, v documented, will probably g action from enforcement officers and local authorityraised ques lions will be talc., more seriously.