Altered Schedules Introduce Bus-service Rivalry T HE suggestion that buses on
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the Hereford-Abergavenny road wereracing and overtaking each other, was made at an informal public inquiry, held jointly by the Traffic Commissioners of the West Midlands and South Wales, at Hereford, last week.. This inquiry followed counter applications by Red and White Services, Ltd., and Messrs. Wye Valley Motors, for permission to increase services on the Hereford-Pontrilas route.
On behalf of Messrs, Wye Valley Motors, the Commissioners were also asked to review, or reconsider, a decision of the South Wales Commissioner, made in May, granting extra timings to the Red and White company on • its Tredegar-Hereford route (via Aberga.venny and Pontrilas). It had been found that these brought the departure times, for Pontrilas to Hereford, to within 2 mins. of those of the buses of Messrs. Wye Valley Motors, The case for the Wye Valley firm was that, whilst their vehicles were now timed to start 2 mins. before those of the Red and White concern, the latter company frequently ran relief buses, just in front of the Wye Valley buses, with the result that racing and overtaking took place.
For Messrs. Wye Valley , Motors it was said that no notificatidn had been received, either from the South Wales Commissioner or the Red and White concern, that the application for additional timings was being made, On behalf of the Red and White company it was said that, when the additional times were suggested, they were put forward because they met the needs of its service as a whole, and not at one particular point. The Wye Valley times were not considered because this firm's buses were operating only on Wednesdays and Saturdays, as a market service. The whole of the daily services on the Hereford-Abergavenny road, for over 20 years, had been run by the Red and White concern, and there had been no complaint. During the war, services had been curtailed, but prewar frequency was resumed when permission was given to do so, and it was told that duplication of buses was in order, The company was now applying for permission to run these additional services, and it was contended that the Red and White concern, and not Messrs. Wye Valley Motors, should be granted such permission.
Before the inquiry closed, the views of the G.W.R. and the Midland Red" concern were placed before the Cornsioners'; and a resolution from the Here, fordshire C.C., calling attention to the inadequacy of rural services, was _read. The Commissioners announced that their .decisions would be made known at an early date.