This is a question about normal, commercial services, not tendered
ones. (And definitely not London ones!)

Round our way, a few routes have changed hands lately. What appears to
happen is that one operator decides to give up on a route but another
operator takes it on immediately. Operator A finishes on the Saturday.
Operator B starts on the Monday, with much the same timetable (same
route, same headway, similar running times, just a few changes at
start and end of the day to reflect the change of depot).

How is this arranged, in the brave new world of cut throat
competition? Does Operator A phone up Operator B and tip them off?
Does Operator B just hear something on the grapevine? Or does Operator
B just notice that A has given notice to the Traffic Commissioner, and
hurriedly puts on a new service? Do PTEs and local councils get
involved?

Minimum notice period to the TM is 6 weeks, I think, when you're
dropping a service. How much notice do you have to give for starting a
service? Can your average bus company organise a whole new route, with
(say) half a dozen additional vehicles and a dozen new drivers, in
less than 6 weeks?
--
Pat Ricroft, City of Salford, UK
================================

On 4 Apr, 14:11, "Pat Ricroft"  wrote:
 How much notice do you have to give for starting a
> service?

**56 days unless covered by one of the exceptions shown on
**http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/repository/Supplementary%20Form
%20(PSV%20350A).pdf
**which includes replacing or substantially replacing a service being
withdrawn by another operator - in which case you can simply state
**your desired starting date.


 Can your average bus company organise a whole new route, with
> (say) half a dozen additional vehicles and a dozen new drivers, in
> less than 6 weeks?

**Larger companies have done so on occasion. Smaller companies would
possibly struggle unless they had just lost a similar workload in,
say, contracted services.

--
gordon

Apologies - link broken on previous message.

Go to http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/index.htm

Click on Forms then Bus Service Registration Forms then PSV350A Form.

Hope this helps.

--
gordon

On 4 Apr, 23:03, "tshan...@aol.com"  wrote:>
> Go tohttp://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/index.htm
>
> Click on Forms then Bus Service Registration Forms then PSV350A Form.
>
> Hope this helps.

Much obliged, ta!
--
Pat Ricroft, City of Salford, UK
================================

On 4 Apr, 14:11, "Pat Ricroft"  wrote:
 How much notice do you have to give for starting a
> service?

**56 days unless covered by one of the exceptions shown on
**http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/repository/Supplementary%20Form
%20(PSV%20350A).pdf
**which includes replacing or substantially replacing a service being
withdrawn by another operator - in which case you can simply state
**your desired starting date.


 Can your average bus company organise a whole new route, with
> (say) half a dozen additional vehicles and a dozen new drivers, in
> less than 6 weeks?

**Larger companies have done so on occasion. Smaller companies would
possibly struggle unless they had just lost a similar workload in,
say, contracted services.

--
gordon

Apologies - link broken on previous message.

Go to http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/index.htm

Click on Forms then Bus Service Registration Forms then PSV350A Form.

Hope this helps.

--
gordon

On 4 Apr, 23:03, "tshan...@aol.com"  wrote:>
> Go tohttp://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/index.htm
>
> Click on Forms then Bus Service Registration Forms then PSV350A Form.
>
> Hope this helps.

Much obliged, ta!
--
Pat Ricroft, City of Salford, UK
================================