§ Mr. Lennox-Boydasked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has yet approved the application from Cumbria county council for the designation of an experimental area under the Passenger Vehicles (Experimental Areas) Act 1977.
§ Mr. FowlerYes. I very much welcome the initiative taken by the county. I have approved this application and the order designating the experimental area has been laid before Parliament today. The order will enable Cumbria county council to develop a shared hire car service, carrying passengers at separate fares, in the parishes of Sedbergh, Dent and Garsdale. I wish the scheme every success.
I believe that imaginative and innovatory projects of this kind can do much to provide economic and efficient ways of meeting those transport needs of rural areas which cannot be met by conventional bus services. I hope that other counties will be encouraged to experiment with similar schemes.