Tyne and Wear silence
Page 14
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
THE BURNING ROW in Tyne and Wear over the Northern Traffic Commissioners' decision to grant Low Fell Coaches a permanent road service licence for its cross-Tyne route is ignored in Tyne and Wear PTE's latest annual report.
While the PTE is now planning to appeal against the licence being granted (CM, September 17), the annual report for 1981/82 — just published — says that no significant Traffic Commissioners' decisions were taken in light of the 1980 Transport Act's provisions.
"The County Council and PTE remained concerned, however, that the Act takes little account of integrated transport systems and the consequent interdependence of the bus and rail modes so clearly established in Tyne and Wear," it says.
The report concentrates on the major advances made in extending the Tyne and Wear Metro in that period, and the changes made to over 150 bus services in the area to integrate the system. That the feeding of buses into Gateshead Metro station left the way open for Low Fell's service will probably be left for the next annual report.
The PTE made an operating surplus of £644,000 in 1981/82 (1980/81: £2.7m loss).
Metro traffic was greater than expected, while there has been an inevitable reduction in the number of passengers travelling by bus. PTE journeys fell from 138.8m to 129.7m, Northern General from 124.7m to 120.1m, and United Auto from 25.3m to 23.5m.
The report shows that, in real terms, PTE bus operating costs per mile fell, while the two National Bus subsidiaries' costs rose, but they are still significantly lower than those for the PTE.
• Tyne and Wear is likely to run free services on Christmas and New Year's Day when it will only provide six buses for hospital visitors. Last year, they cost £910.60 to provide, with 300 passengers contributing £32.45 revenue.