London-Luton Airport Services Granted
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I THINK there is room for competition
I in an expanding market and the right course is to licence all four operators," was how Mr. D. 1. R. Muir, the Metropolitan Traffic Commissioner, decided the strongly opposed applications by four operators to carry passengers between London and Luton Airport.
In a written decision, Mr. Muir granted express licences to Hillside Coaches, Ltd.. of Luton, Charles Rickards (Tours), Ltd., of London, Seamarks Bros., • Ltd., and Samuelsons New Transport Co., Ltd., both of London, to carry passengers travelling by air using Luton Airport and airport 'staff with a London terminal at the Stephen Court Hotel in Paddington.
Summing up his reasons for allowing the grants, Mr. Muir said that he considered there was a need for services between the two points; the need was likely to grow; no one operator could claim a right to a monopoly of such services; until it could be shown that a free choice of operator by the customer was against the public interest, it would be wrong to apply the " curbs " which the licensing system provided.
As was strongly argued during the long hearings—the existence of. special facilities for one operator at a picking-up point was not a reason to deny that picking-up point to other operators.