Dispute on Fantail Tours : Fares Same from All Departure Points
Page 48
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
I F the application were granted it would be going against the fantail tour principle laid down by the Minister of Transport in 1937, when it was said that that type of service competed
unfairly with express services. Such tours had never been granted merely on evidence that customers wanted a change of destination.
This submission was made by Mr. W. Blackhurst, for the main objectors, before the North Western Traffic CornmissionerS. at Manchester, last week, at the resumed hearing of an application by Pleasureways (1955). Ltd., to add four new fantail tours to their Manchester licence (The Commercial Motor. August 10).
Commenting on evidence by Mr. H, Allen, for Yelloway Motor Services,
• Ltd., that approximately 5,500 passengers were carried out of Lancashire to Cheltenham each Saturday during the height of the season in 1955, compared with about 1,000 in 1938, Mr. H. 13ackhouse, for Pleasureways, suggested that the majority of these passengers went on to the popular fantail destinations, and that as far as the Minister sought to protect the railways, he had failed. Competition of express services had increased by leaps and bounds.
Until now, British Railways were reduced to objecting to a mere switch of extended tours, becauSe if there was any interchange of passengers they would go to the express services and not 10 the railways.
Mr. Blackhurst said the proposed Dimoon tour would affect the Scottish excursions of Ribble Motor Services, Ltd, and those to Clacton, Penzance and Tenby would abstract from Yelloway's and Associated Motorways' London and Torquay services. The
applicants had said they were not concerned about the journey fares,. butonly with the inclusive fares. The road fares submitted, which were cheaper . than anyone else's, were arrant nonsense, and were the same from all departure points.
The independent objectors, Shearings Tourt (Manchester), Ltd.; Happiway Tours, Ltd.; Robinsons (Great Harwood), Ltd.; Stanley Spencers Tours (Manchester), Ltd.; and Florence Motors, Ltd., submitted that similar applications in the past had been refused. New fantail tours should not be granted except on an exchange basis.
Mr. Backhouse said that long-estah. lished operators were entitled to improve their licences from time to time, otherwise the smaller firms would gradually go to the wall as the big companies expanded. Ribble's attack on the road fares came ill from a company who charged the same fare from Liverpool and Preston to Glasgow on their excursion licence.
Pleasureways had put the question of fares in the hands of an expert, and had rightly said they were interested only in the economics as a whole. The fares were adequate and worked Out at just over ld. per mile.
No other licence in the area had 12 coaches to only three destinations. They were only asking to use part of the existing vehicle allowance to serve four new tours.
Decision was reserved.
NEW DIVISION
A N " automotive division," embracing 1-1 the Daimler and Carbodies companies has been created within the ,B.S.A. group. Managing director of the new division is Mr. Edward Turner.