Midland decision delayed

Press, 21 May 1982, Page 3

Midland decision delayed

Plans by the Christchurch Transport Board to take over Midland Coachlines’ bus services to Rangiora, Halswell. and Southbridge have been delayed for a month. The Transport Licensing Authority hearing into the proposed transfer of the licences for the services was adjourned yesterday to June 21, so that the Authority, Mr D. L. Hogan, could hear applications by two private bus companies for the routes. The Authority said that it would not be “in the best interests of the public” to decide on the application by Midland and the board until he had considered the applications by Travelfar Coaches, Ltd, and Holiday Tours and Travel.

Travelfar Coaches has applied to run a service from Latimer Square to Rangiora with extensions to Woodend, Kairaki Beach, • Waikuku Beach, Spencerville, Brook-

lands, and Stewarts Gully. The company -intends to carry mail, parcels and newspapers on the service. It has applied to run a Rangi-ora-to-Christchurch service down the Main North Road and Marshland Road. Holiday Tours and Travel has applied to run return services from Christchurch to Southbridge, Springston to Christchurch, and Christchurch to Halswell. The adjournment would give the board time to prepare an objection. It would save the board summing up its case only to go over the same ground at a later hearing, the Authority said. Mr H. C. Keyte and Mr J. R. Woodward,' counsel for Midland and the board, opposed the adjournment. The licences were not “up for grabs,” since Midland had applied to transfer them only to the board, said Mr Keyte. If the transfer was refused

Midland would still hold the licences. “I want to make it abundantly clear that Midland is not withdrawing. You (the Authority) would be undertaking the task quite wrongly if you were to look upon the board, Travelfar, and Holiday Tours and Travel as competing applicants,” he said.

“You have been asked to grant or refuse the application. If you refuse Midland is still the licensee. To suggest that the licences and routes are up for grabs is to say Midland has no rights in the matter.” It has been said in evidence that Travelfar would need $500,000 and subsidies to use the licences and that the company would employ between four and six fulltime drivers out of 13 to be affected by Midlands giving up the services. The board had agreed to employ all

full-time drivers affected. The position of the drivers should not be overlooked, Mr Keyte said. Midland and the board had placed “considerable importance” on the welfare of the drivers during their negotiations. Mr Woodward said that the objectors were of “no relevance at the hearing."

The Authority said that transport licences were subject to assessments and reviews by the licensing authority. By offering the licenses for transfer Midland had said that it could no longer run them successfully. “If I were to grant the application today I might later come to the conclusion that a much better service is available to the public. I .would then have to review the licences.” He did not want to have to go through review procedures and delay the matter further.