Though issuing Pickering-based East Coast Travel and its transport manager (TM) and director Douglas Hayes with a formal warning, Traffic Commissioner (TC) Tim Blackmore increased the company’s licence authority from one to three vehicles.
The firm, with a one-vehicle international licence, had been called before the TC at a Leeds Public Inquiry following an unsatisfactory maintenance investigation after it applied to increase its licence authority to four vehicles.
The TC said the fact that the company was seeking an increase on the back of the unsatisfactory maintenance investigation did not sit easily.
The Vehicle Examiner (VE) found a number of shortcomings in relation to driver defect reporting and vehicle inspections. The inspection records were not being completed properly and there had been a number of prohibitions last year listing defects that were driver reportable. In one case the six-weekly inspection period in relation to one vehicle had been stretched to seven weeks. The annual test record at the time was also not brilliant.
For the company, Laura Hadzik said that Mr Hayes had since been on a TM’s refresher course. The vehicle that had the stretched inspection period had been off the road during that period. It was not believed that the annual test pass rate reflected the actual annual test history as it included a vehicle that the company had not had for years.
Mr Hayes said that everything had been changed since the VE’s visit. Fresh defect sheets were in use and he personally watched the drivers undertake their walk-round checks.
The maintenance provider had been changed, brake tests were carried out at every inspection and tyres were checked by an outside agency every four weeks.
Mr Hayes had arranged for a systems audit to take place shortly. He recognised there was an age issue with the buses and he had reduced the inspection period to four weeks. Going forward his intention was to acquire newer vehicles, changing one a year if possible or one ever two years.
The TC said that he did not expect to see driver reportable defects on vehicle inspection records. The company was clearly spending the money. Driver training was important as drivers would always let operators down.
Asked about a licence held by his father on which he was the TM, Mr Hayes said that his father had been unwell and currently did not have any vehicles. His father had not been using any of his four vehicles.
Agreeing that he had resigned from being TM on a licence held by Ian Wilkinson, Mr Hayes said he had done so after asking Mr Wikinson what he was doing and receiving no reply.
Ms Hazik said that the two vehicles inspected during the VE’s visit had been free of defects. The shortcomings in the systems had principally been due to Mr Hayes not being up to date and that had been addressed by the attendance on the TM’s refresher course.
Granting two additional vehicles, the TC said that the fourth vehicle would be granted following a satisfactory systems audit and further financial evidence by the end of March.
