§ Mr. Traceyasked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has reached a decision on the appeal by Associated Minibus Operators Ltd., AMOS, against the refusal of London Transport to grant a London bus agreement to them.
§ Mr. RidleyI have decided to dismiss the appeal by AMOS and have today sent the company a letter conveying my decision. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
The AMOS proposal contains many innovative and ingenious ideas for the provision of new kinds of public 208W transport services in London. However, the proposal is based on the use of leasing associates who would operate the minibuses on routes allocated to them by AMOS. In order for the proposed services to be operated within the terms of the law, the individual leasing associates would each require London bus agreements. Any agreement granted to AMOS would not of itself empower the provision of the proposed services. I have therefore concluded that I cannot properly require London Transport to enter into an agreement with AMOS.