Midland Red 'takeover' scare
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• Hundreds of employees of the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co Ltd have joined in a campaign to save the undertaking from what they believe to be an imminent takeover by the West Midland Passenger Transport Authority. The busmen see the talks between the PTA and National Bus Company—which are being conducted as a direct enactment of the provisions of Section 24 of the Transport Act 1968, calling for negotiations between PTAs and NBC subsidiaries for some form of integration of services inside a PT Area—as takeover talks following recent criticisms of Midland Red by MPs of both major parties.
A spokesman for NBC suggested that statements concerning an imminent takeover by West Midland PTA were exaggerated. An acquisition of services within the PT Area was only one of many possible solutions to achieve an integration of services. The suggestion that a takeover agreement was imminent was certainly untrue, he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Walter Womar, Midland Red's director and general manager, has called upon employees to "rally round and get the company out of its present financial trouble. We need every penny we can get from every fare, and to carry every passenger possible and also to make every possible saving in cost". he added.
Mr Womar added that it had always been his feeling that it would be possible to reach a pooling or agency agreement with the PTA which would allow Midland Red to retain its identity.