Relying on OCRS data when Looking for hauliers to use is a flawed idea
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I'M WRITING to you in relation to the Operator Compliance Risk Score (OCRS) (Customers demand to see OCRS figures' CM 18 September).
I'm a committee member of the Northern Region of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, which represents bus and coach companies.
Over the past 12 months, we've been approached by members in Yorkshire, who were having a similar same problem. North Yorkshire County Council wanted to insert a condition in contracts saying that operators had to produce their OCRS records. Since these records are known to be inaccurate, both by Vosa and the operators, concerns were raised that OCRS was being used in a way they were never designed for, and this data was been given to council officials who didn't understand what they were looking at. Naturally, operators feared they could be excluded from council contracts over merely headlamp aim.
At a seminar, I had the chance to raise this with Kevin Rooney, head of passenger services from Vosa. His reaction was this data is not to be used for this purpose, and a meeting was arranged in North Yorkshire in which Rooney attended. As I understand it, this condition was dropped.
It is understandable customers want to know the operators they employ are safe, but to base decisions on OCRS data, which may or may not be accurate, is going to be problematic.
Ian Ashman Committee member
Northern Region of the Confederation of Passenger Transport