Man Needed Licence To Drive Friends To Work

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27858, 5 January 1956, Page 9

Man Needed Licence To Drive Friends To Work

(Rec. 10 p.m.) LONDON. January 4. For several years. Reginald Broad has picked up four friends at the Red Lion pub at. Ilmington. in the Cotsv/olds, at 8.30 a.m.. driven them to work at Stratford-upon-Avon, and brought them home again at 5.30 p.m He would not take payment from his friends, but four of them, two men and two girls, took turns to buy him a gallon of petrol. Then someone told the police Mr Broad was charging for giving lifts. He was warned that he was acting against the law. Police told him that although thousands of • motorists throughout Britain took their friends to work in return for a contribution towards th*? petrol, it was illegal without the appropriate licence. So Mr Broad, at a cost to himself

of £3O. applied successfully to the West Midland Licensing Authority in Birmingham for a road service licence to legalise his daily journey at a cost to each of his passengers of 7s fld a week. “It was out of a spirit of good neighbourliness that I wanted to help my friends.” said Mr Broad. “We live in a village without transport and I can’t feel very happy about taking an empty car to Stratford when other people are in difficulty.” Mr Broad has found one snagunder the terms of the licence his car must run dailv from Monday to Saturday. Even if he is ill. his car must make the journey. He hrs now arranged for one of his passengers to take over the wheel any time be can- I not go himself. j