Coniston Coaches loses licence

Traffic Commissioner, Nicholas Denton, has revoked the licence of Keith Taylor and Kevin James Taylor, trading as Coniston Coaches.

The Stourport-on-Severn-based firm’s Transport Manager, Kevin James Taylor, has lost his repute and is disqualified from holding that role for five years. Both Kevin and James are disqualified from holding or obtaining any form of operator’s licence and from being directors of any company holding or obtaining such a licence.

Coniston Coaches was called to a public inquiry with the Traffic Commissioner after a DVSA vehicle examiner had a number of concerns over vehicle inspections. It was found that the operator had incurred prohibitions, which were evident in two of the three vehicles inspected by the DVSA examiner. The operator failed to fulfil its promise that vehicles are given a six-weekly inspection. Many of the safety inspection sheets given to the DVSA examiner were discovered to be false documents.

It was noted in the Traffic Commissioner’s decision that both partners in the business had suffered from health issues and that the absence of some maintenance documentation was down to the actions of a disgruntled employee.

It was found the operator had failed to fulfil its undertaking to keep vehicles in a fit and serviceable condition. All three of the vehicles seen by the DVSA examiner had numerous defects.

Traffic Commissioner, Nick Denton, said: “Failing to ensure that vehicles are given safety inspections at the promised six week intervals is bad enough. Even worse is to try to cover this up by creating false records and continuing this deception at the public inquiry. Against this, I found little on the positive side of the balance.”

In February this year it was reported the company had made some drivers redundant after it had terminated bus contracts with Worcestershire County Council.