Tours ruling
Page 18
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CHARGES against Wallace Arnold Tours, alleging the operation of stage services without a road service licence because the company offered optional excursions to passengers on a 10-day inclusive tour, have been dismissed by Battle, East Sussex magistrates.
The court was told the charges related to excursions to Battle Market on two days in July offered to passengers from Scotland on an inclusive tour to Eastbourne. Evidence was given that the excursions were sold to the passengers by the driver/ courier and were not included in the inclusive price of the tour.
The prosecution argued that because they were not within the inclusive price they did not form part of the tour. As they were services under 30 miles in length a road service licence was required.
For Wallace Arnold, it was maintained that optional excursions declared to be available to their customers were part of the whole holiday and ought not to be separated and treated in isolation as a stage carriage operation. They were an integral part of the package offer.
Dismissing the charges the chairman of the magistrates said that they accepted that the excursions were part of the total holiday tour and a licence was not required.
The prosecution is considering appealing against the magistrates' decision.
Later, a spokesman for Wallace Arnold said he understood the summonses had arisen from complaints made by Eastbourne excursion and tour operators to the South Eastern Traffic Commissioners.