Catch22Bus continues operating

The Upper Tribunal has quashed a decision by the Senior Traffic Commissioner to revoke the operator’s licence of Oakwood Travel, a local bus operator in Blackpool that trades under the name Catch22Bus. The decision is effective from 15 April. The move follows the intervention of the Government Legal Team, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport that proposed that a Consent Order is agreed between the parties to dispose of the proceedings, using Rule 39.

It was agreed that the delay between the final hearing of evidence at the public inquiry and the issue of the Traffic Commissioner for the North West of England’s decision dated 30 June 2015 amounts to, in the circumstances of this case, an unfairness in the process of the inquiry that is subject of the appeals. The matter has now been remitted to the Office of the Traffic Commissioner for re-hearing and determination at a new public inquiry before a different Traffic Commissioner or Deputy Traffic Commissioner. The decision of the Traffic Commissioner will form no part of the evidence or documentation to be considered during the new public inquiry.

MD of Catch22Bus Ltd, Philip Higgs said, ‘This is good news for our 25 staff, our customers and the future development of the business.’

Catch22Bus is the trading name of Blackpool based Oakwood Travel. The operation initially had its licence revoked with effect from 31 July 2015. Philip Higgs was disqualified with effect from 31 July 2015 for a period of seven years.