§ 41. Mr. Hannamasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the effect of liberalisation of licensing of coach services on the number of services available to the public since the Transport Act 1980 became law.
§ Mr. FowlerThe removal of licensing restrictions had led to a dramatic growth in the number of coach services available to the public. Both the private and public sector have taken up the challenge of deregulation with enthusiasm. From notifications of new services sent to traffic areas I estimate that about 50 new daily long-distance services have started, about 60 new long-distance services on a less than daily basis, and about 20 new services aimed primarily at commuters. Notifications are still coming in for summer seasonal services, and I expect at least 70 to operate. This summer there will therefore be about 200 new services; last summer there were 35.