Two people connected to a Bristol-based operation received very different outcomes at a recent public inquiry
South West operator Altonian Coaches, trading as Transporabus (licence PH1089686, and not to be confused with other parts of the Transpora operation) was called to a public inquiry on 8 August, with Traffic Commissioner Kevin Rooney issuing his written decision on the matter on 14 August. The public inquiry (PI) followed the short notice cessation of services in and around Bristol by the company a few weeks earlier.
At the PI, one director lost his good repute as an operator and was disqualified from holding an operator’s licence for five years, whilst the other’s repute remained intact.
Background
Altonian Coaches held a standard international PSV operator’s licence authorising the use of 15 vehicles from operating centres in Parsons Street, Bedminster and Green Tree Farm, Emersons Green, both in the Bristol area. The licence started in 2009 but there was a change of ownership in February 2022, when public records show that ownership transferred from Derek Wheeler to Philip Higgs. Rhys Hand was appointed as a director and notified as a shareholder in October 2022.
Since then, the company has, in addition to the current operating centres, used sites in Weymouth, Poole, Southampton and Bristol Fruit Market. David Wheeler continued as transport manager following the change of ownership and was joined by Ian Bell in January 2024.
Both Mr Hand and Mr Higgs have, as the Traffic Commissioner (TC) put it, ‘extensive licensing history’; that of Mr Higgs being a matter of record elsewhere, whilst Mr Hand served as sole director of Snowdonia Travel, which was called to public inquiry in 2019 as a result of ceasing to operate registered services without notice. A direction to pay a financial penalty of a nominal £300 to the Welsh Government was made. The TC noted that despite chasing, no payment was forthcoming, and the company was dissolved in 2022.
Mr Hand did not attend the inquiry but provided 10 pages of written submissions.
The TC said it was unclear why the Welsh matter was not identified when Mr Hand was appointed as a director on the Altonian licence in October 2022, his involvement having come to light following a complaint and concerns about the reliability of bus services being provided to Kingston Maurward School in Dorset. The TC’s office wrote to Mr Hand on two occasions, TC Rooney said, asking for an explanation for the failure of his former company to make the payment to the Welsh Government. No response was received and that, along with the concerns relating to the school services, was the initial trigger for this public inquiry. The case was initially listed for 27 June but then multiple further matters came to light, resulting in the change of date.
Problems
A short-notice application for Kingston Maurward School services by another operator brought to the attention of the TC adverse press coverage. There were reports of poor punctuality and buses breaking down. A report dated 12 November 2023 recorded a driver quitting mid-service.
The TC’s office wrote to the transport manager in December to ask about the service operation. The TM put the responsibility on the broker, Kura, however it is incumbent upon the operator, not the broker, to ensure that routes are properly registered and run to the registration.
The DVSA reported a number of incidents, including an encounter with LX09 FZR in the Poole area on 3 June 2023. The vehicle was untaxed; the tax had expired in February. The registered keeper was Manchester Bus Tours. The bus was operating a service for Altonian Coaches. It was later taxed, but only from 1 June, the back-duty going unpaid. ANPR evidence showed the vehicle in use throughout May, the TC found.
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