National Bus Company (Hansard, 5 April 1978)

§ 13. Mr. Goodlad
asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he next plans to meet the Chairman of the National Bus Company.

§ 21. Mr. George Rodgers
asked the Secretary of State for Transport when next he expects to meet the Chairman of the National Bus Company.

§ Mr. William Rodgers
Later today.

§ Mr. Goodlad
In view of the proposals in the Transport Bill to transfer certain powers of responsibility to the counties, will the right hon. Gentleman discuss with the Chairman of the National Bus Company the possible advantages of opening to tender subsidised bus routes that at present are operated by the National Bus Company or its subsidiaries?

§ Mr. William Rodgers
The question that the hon. Gentleman has raised goes far beyond the responsibilities of the Chairman of the National Bus Company, whose job it is to run the company according to the broad statutory rules laid down by the House. As the hon. Gentleman may know, we have been discussing in Committee the whole question of improving our public services in rural areas. I see no prospect of the hon. Gentleman's solution producing an improvement.

§ Mr. George Rodgers
When my right hon. Friend meets the Chairman of the National Bus Company, will he refer to the enormous community investment in the bus and truck division of British Leyland and to the public support given to the bus operators, and remind him that 424 in this circumstance it is imperative that it buys British at every opportunity?

§ Mr. William Rodgers
Yes, I fully appreciate the important point that my hon. Friend makes. I think that it is in the mind of the Chairman of the National Bus Company, but I shall remind him of it.

§ Mr. Farr
When the right hon. Gentleman next meets the Chairman of the National Bus Company, will he ask him to explain why he has produced no concessionary fare scheme for pensioners and others travelling on his buses, and ask him at least to match at an early date the successful scheme introduced by British Rail?

§ Mr. William Rodgers
It has been long understood that the responsibility for concessionary fares lies with our local authorities, and that has been made plain to them. As I said in answer to an earlier Question, many of them are still recalcitrant in this respect. I do not see why the National Bus Company should take on responsibilities that are properly those of elected local authorities that are falling down on their job.

§ Mr. MacFarquhar
When my right hon. Friend next meets the Chairman of the National Bus Company, will he encourage him to get the subsidiary bus companies of the National Bus Company to experiment far more than at present—I think it is right to say that we have only two experiments currently in operation—with cut fares to see whether that will give greater encouragement to people to use the buses?

§ Mr. William Rodgers
I entirely agree. In fact, there are three schemes operating at present. One scheme has been less than successful, but two have proved to be useful experiments. I should welcome any experiment undertaken by the National Bus Company that has the effect of reducing fares, where that can be done.

§ Mr. Durant
I think that the right hon. Gentleman has missed the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Mr. Farr). My hon. Friend is asking for special fare concessions, as British Rail offers on the special ticket that is bought annually, so that fares may be paid at a special discount. It is that sort of scheme for which my hon. Friend is pressing, and which I support.

§ Mr. William Rodgers
I should welcome any scheme that the National Bus Company sought to introduce within its requirement to operate within the revenue support available to it from the counties, but there is no point in passing responsibility to the NBC to offer concessionary fares for categories of passenger when that responsibility should fall on elected local authorities.