Ceasing to trade and abandoning 13 local bus services without notice has led to the revocation of the licence held by Wrexham-based David and Gary Jones, their disqualification from holding a PSV O-Licence indefinitely and the imposition of a penalty of £10,450.
The Traffic Commissioner (TC) Nick Jones also disqualified Gary Jones from acting as a Transport Manager indefinitely.
The Partners, trading as D Jones & Son Bus & Coach Travel, with a 19-vehicle national licence, had been called before the TC at a Welshpool Public Inquiry (PI).
After the TC had said the firm had abdicated its responsibility as an operator, Gary Jones said he had closed the business due to ill health as he had been suffering from anxiety and stress in trying to maintain the contacts they had had.
They had lost some drivers and a supervisor due to stress and they had been unable to recruit suitable replacements. Another operator had also contributed to their problems. They had operated reliably for 31 years, but his health came first. He had always been committed to the operations and he had gone out of his way to keep going despite the problems.
The TC pointed out that Bus Compliance Officer (BCO) Nesta Jones had identified previous failings, including running early and drivers turning early at the end of journeys, though those failings did not result in a PI. She had stated that on 16 December it came to her attention through social media that the firm was ceasing to operate that day because of staffing difficulties, giving Denbighshire and Wrexham Councils less than 24 hours’ notice. Tickets had still been being sold the previous day and it led to whole communities being stranded as in many rural villages there were no other services. According to the two councils, it would be mid-January before some of the services would be replaced.
In reply to the TC, Gary Jones said that a recording made showing him making obscene comments to drivers had been cleverly edited. He had complimented the drivers although he did have issues with some of them. He had said certain things, but the recording made him out to be somebody he was not. When a large operator ceased operating they had gone out of their way to cover those areas. They did not consider profit and just go for the core services but had considered the community.
“A lot of money has been spent by the Welsh Government and local authorities because of your selfish attitude in closing down bus services without notice, affecting a considerable number of communities and causing considerable problems,” the TC told Gary Jones. “It was a totally selfish act, irresponsible and unprofessional.”
Making the revocation and disqualification orders and ordering the partners to pay a penalty of £550 per authorised vehicle, the TC said that it was utterly disgraceful that they had ceased to operate the services without notice causing massive inconvenience to passengers and the local authorities.
