Yorkshire-South Coast Appeals Fail : Law on Linked Services
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WITH one small exception, the Minister of Transport has upheld the Yorkshire Traffic Commissioners' decisions on a number of applications for express services from Yorkshire to the south coast. The controversial question of linking was raised in the case. of services to Torqpay and Paignton. The Minister refrains from commenting on the desirability or otherwise of the practice, but points out the requirements to be observed.
The main group of appeals was heard at Leeds over six days last September (The Commercial Motor, September 13 and 20.) They were as follows: (1) By the Yorkshire Pool (West Yorkshire Road Car Co., Ltd., Yorkshire Woollen District Transport Co., Ltd., Yorkshire Traction Co., Ltd., East Yorkshire Motor Services, Ltd., and East Midland Motor Services, Ltd.), Yelloway Motor Services, Ltd., Hebble Motor Services, Ltd., and the British Transport Commission against the grant of a Leeds-Paignton service to Wallace Arnold Tours, Ltd., and a Bradford-Torquay service to J. W. Kitchin and Sons, Ltd. (Kitchins were granted Paignton as an additional destination, although they did not ask for it.)
(2) By YeIloway and the B.T.C. against the grant of a HuddersfieldTorquay Service to Hanson's 'Buses, Ltd.
(3) By Yelloway and Hebble against the refusal of a Bradford-Torquay joint service, and by the Yorkshire Pool against the refusal of a Keighley Torquay joint service.
Paignton Deleted All.these decisions were upheld, except that Paignton has been deleted from Kitchin's licence. The Minister has accepted the recommendations of Mr. A. N. C. Shelley, who heard the appeals.
He agreed that limited additional road facilities at peak holiday periods are necessary to supplement the railway services. In view of evidence of increasing holiday traffic between West Yorkshire and Torquay and Paignton, he does not believe that the Commissioners' grants will abstract traffic from existing services.
The applications of Wallace Arnold, Kitchin and Hanson, which were to be preferred, were virtually restricted in purpose to providing services between West Yorkshire and Torquay and Paignton, whereas Yelloway and Hebble avowedly wished also to provide facilities to other places in the south, for which no need or desirability had been established.
Yorkshire Pool's application was said to adjust an existing service without increasing capacity, but the Minister is not satisfied with the supporting evidence.
Commenting on a suggestion made during the hearing that linked services were established without reference to the licensing system, he points out that the existing linked services were not before him on appeal. The matter could be raised when the licence renewals came up. Operators of linked services had • to observe the Public Service Vehicles (Licences and Certificates) Regulations concerning hired vehicles, and the conditions of their road service licences. Responsibility for complying with them rested on the o'perator who held the public service vehicle licence, and was the holder of the road service licence under which the vehicle was running at the material time. Enforcement was a matter for the Traffic Commissioners.
The other appeals, which have also been dismissed, were by Wallace Arnold against the refusal of an express service from Bradford to Bournemouth, and lay the Yorkshire Pool against the refusal of a joint express service from Keighley to Bournemouth (The Commercial Motor, September 20).
The Minister says that, having in mind the rail facilities between West Yorkshire and Bournemouth, the need or desirability for a new road service, as proposed by Wallace Arnold, was not established. He was not satisfied with the evidence produced in support of the application by Yorkshire Pool, which was represented as being, in effect, one for an adjustment of an existing service.
OBJECTORS AND U.A.S. AGREE
AFTER a meeting with the objectors, Transport Motor Services (Bishop Auckland), Ltd., J. Jewitt and Son, W. Emerson and Son and E. Howe, renewal applications by United Automobile Services, Ltd., Darlington, for excursion and tour licences from Spennymoor, Bishop Auckland, Crook Shildon, Coundon and Eldon Lane, listed for hearing at Durham on May I, were postponed.
The objectors accepted United's agreement to withdraw applications for additional excursions to Seaton Carew, Seaburn, Redcar. and races at Newcastle, Stockton, York, Serigefield and Doncaster.
The only modification in the renewals is now a fare increase. The applications arc unopposed and will be listed later.
PROFIT FOR GRIMSBY
APROFIT of £3,521 was made by Grimsby and Cleethorpes joint transport undertaking last year, the first full year since the two systems were amalgamated. Previously they had incurred total losses of £139,651 in 10 years.
Reporting the profit, Cllr. I. P. Murphy, chairman, said when full accounts became available it might be shown that the profit 'resulted from the amalgamanon. The outlook was fairly good.