Clause 13
Local Transport Bill [Lords]
1:30 pm
Ann Winterton (Congleton, Conservative)
This is how we envisage the quality partnerships: the local authority will say that it wants to set up a scheme—for example, to introduce a bus corridor or to have better information at bus stops, which might mean real-time information—and that it is prepared to put in the investment. It will then probably specify that it wants whoever uses the route to have a particular standard of bus. In future, it will also be able to say that it wants services to run at a particular time and frequency, and that there could be a maximum fare imposed.
One or two bus operators might agree to participate in such a scheme. What we do not want is to allow another operator to disrupt the scheme if that will be detrimental to passengers and the scheme. We are saying that, given that the authority will have laid down registration criteria, the traffic commissioner will be able to refuse a registration if involving another operator would disrupt the scheme .