No New Service from Corby: Joint Application Fails
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IN a reserved decision, the East I Midland Licensing Authority has refused applications by Barton Transport, Ltd., Chi'well, and Robin Hood (Coaches), Ltd., Nottingham, to operate jointly a new express service between Corby and Blackpool.
The two companies had applied to run the service, with picking-up points at Market Harborough and Leicester, daily from Whit Saturday or the first Saturday in June until the last Saturday in October, also at Easter and Christmas.
Objectors were Yelloway Motor Services, Ltd., Trent Motor Traction Co., Ltd., North Western Road Car Co., Ltd., British Railways, Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., Lancashire United Transport, Ltd., W. C. Standerwick, Ltd., and Scout Motor Services, Ltd.
Robin Hood at present operate a service between Nottingham and Blackpool, and Barton's run a half-hourly service between Leicester and Nottingham. Fourteen witnesses gave evidence in support of the application at the
hearing last September (The Commercial Motor, September 23). Announcing the Authority's decision, the chairman, Mr. A. G. Curtis, said
there was no evidence of need in respect of the proposed picking-up point at Market Harborough.
Evidence called by the applicants as to the need for a new service from Leicester was unconvincing. Three of them said they would prefer the existing Barton-Robin Hood service via. Nottingham to any new service from Leicester operated by other companies. There was little difference in the mileage by the existing Barton-Robin Hood services, compared with that of the proposed new service as between Leicester and Blackpool.
"Grant of The application so far as Leicester is concerned would result in abstraction of traffic from rail and from the existing London-Blackpool service of the Yelloway company, causing wasteful and uneconomic 'competition," Mr. Curtis added.
It was admitted that Leicester was to be the major point on the proposed new route, and although the applicants had indicated they would still desire to operate from Corby, even if the other picking-up points were refused, the Authority did not consider there was 'sufficient evidence to jnstify a CorbyBlackpool service on its own.