"Accept Southdown Hire Offer"— Mr. Thorn A N application by Smith's

8th November 1957, Page 104

8th November 1957

Page 104

Page 104, 8th November 1957 — "Accept Southdown Hire Offer"— Mr. Thorn A N application by Smith's

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Luxury Coaches (Reading), Ltd., for permission to operate week-end summer express services from Reading and Bracknell to Hayling Island, was refused by the South Eastern Traffic Commissioners last week. • Mr. H. J. Thom, chairman, said Smith's should accept an offer by Southdown Motor Services, Ltd., to take Smith's vehicles on hire from their present terminal at Havant, so that they could run through to Hayling without passengers having to change to Southdown stage services.

Mr. Frank Masser, Smith's traffic manager, said that on nine Saturdays in July and August, passengers from Hayling had failed to reach Havant in time to catch the Reading-bound coach. On occasions his company had sent cars to pick up stranded passengers, and they had refunded rail fares.

Several passengers gave evidence of difficulties they had encountered this summer in changing to Southdown double-deck 'buses at Havant.

At a previous hearing, Mr. Gerald Duckworth, Southdown's traffic manager. said in five years the company had lost £100,000 by maintaining the stage service between Havant and Hayling. Revenue in winter months was still little more than half the operating costs, and he looked to summer services to help make good the loss.

Mr. Frank Beetham, for the Thames Valley Traction Co., Ltd., said if the application were granted they might lose half their excursion revenue to Hayling, which was their most important excursion route.

For the Aldershot and District Traction Co., Ltd., Mr. A. I. Evans said a grant would have serious repercussions in the area, as every other operator would want similar facilities.

Other objections on the grounds of potential abstraction of traffic were lodged by Brimblecombe Bros., Wokingham, and Kent's Coaches, Basingstoke.

Mr. M. A. B. King-Hamilton, for Smith's, submitted that the primary concern of the Commissioners should be public interest, and on those grounds the application should he granted.