HE INTRODUCTION to Britain of EEC drivers' hours egulations for
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psv would disrupt operations and lead to Icreases in cost. So says the Confederation of British Road 'assenger Transport (CPT) in its reply to the Government Green 'aper on Transport.
But despite specific objecions, the bulk of the CPT's eply is favourable.
"There can be no doubt," it ays, "that the consultation locument shows a marked :hange in Government thinkng in its acknowledgement hat the nation's transport ystem has become road based ind is no longer rail orientat But the Green Paper over-1 :oneentrated on the social thjectives of bus travel. Sertices should be developed as in acceptable alternative to he car, where congestion and )arking problems made inrestrained use of cars undeirahle The Confed is against any plans to alter the organisation of the psv industry relative to local government. The need was to improve the way in which •the present system worked rather than seek changes in organisation. And it wants to retain the present TPP system.
The Traffic Commissioners should also be kept although the licensing system should be rationalized to abolish the "artificial distinction between stage and express services."
The declaration of intent by the DoE to reduce support for public passenger transport by 10 per cent over the next few years, says the CPT, is "con trary to the spirit of the rest of the consultation document." Some statistical confusion in the DoE document has also been picked up by the CPT.
Although the DoE says that "coach services have either maintained or increased their share of the market," the published statistics showed a reduction of 26 per cent in stage passenger journeys and 24 per cent in express passenger journeys.
The CPT criticises impending EEC legislation. TO satisfy those requirements the psv industry would need to recruit many more drivers to maintain its services, inevitably increasing costs and therefore fares.
The cost of applying this legislation might well be mor tham E100m a year withou compensating benefits i safety.
The Government shoul financially compensate th industry for any burde imposed on it by Governmer acceptance of EEC propose laws.
The CPT is in favour c experiments with unconver tional services so long a these are operated within th present legislative framewor and by established operators.
All public transport shoul also be in an organise framework — even if ther was room for flexibility.
Greater control of bus sei vices by county councils : also unpopular.