The owner of a West Lothian coach company has been banned from holding an O-licence for six years, after misleading the regulatory authorities.
In a ruling by Joan Aitken, the Traffic Commissioner for Scotland, John Campbell, who runs Vision Travel, was found to be running more vehicles than he was licensed to. The commissioner said that she believed Mr Campbell had deliberately tried to mislead her.
In January 2015 Mr Campbell was running nine coaches instead of four – after a restriction following a previous Public Inquiry in 2014.
Joan Aitken said in the judgment that she believed Mr Campbell had deliberately tried to mislead the Public Inquiry into the operation of the coach business, and that he had been disrespectful of the licensing regime.
She said he had also failed to observe rules on drivers’ hours and proper record keeping.
The commissioner has disqualified Mr Campbell from the industry for six years, and he is banned from holding an O-licence or being a director or partner in a business with an O-licence.
So that Falkirk Council doesn’t have to find emergency replacement coaches for three school services until the end of the school term, the ban will not be enforced until June 30, 2016.
Joan Aitken commented: “I am in no doubt that Mr Campbell was not truthful at the Public Inquiry and that through poor record keeping he thwarted a true picture emerging of his operation and in particular private hire work.
“I find that Mr Campbell at the Public Inquiry deliberately attempted to mislead.”
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