TC: ‘S19 and O licences don’t mix’
Wales Traffic Commission revokes CTO’s permits because it also has O licences
South Wales community transport operator, DANSA, has been given until the New Year to convert its entire operation to O licensing.
Traffic Commissioner Nick Jones has told the CTO that running Section 19 and 22 permits alongside O licences is not possible. DANSA appears from records to have four O licences: ‘There has been a material change in that the operator is the holder of a PSV operator licence – and additionally- is also the holder of section 19 and 22 permits, which is not allowed,’ says the TC in Notices & Proceedings.
Effectively barring DANSA from using permits, the formal warning says: ‘A formal warning is given in respect of the operator’s licence. For the avoidance of doubt, if the use of permits continues then there should be an expectation that there will be an additional hearing with view to a potential finding of loss of repute and revocation of the operator’s licence.’
The TC has revoked all 18 Section 19 permits held by DANSA, and 14 Section 22 community bus permits, effective at the turn of the year to allow time for the CTO to apply for O licences. The TC said that the deadline would be extended should the O licence application be received but not processed.
The Neath-based CTO was last year fined £600 by South Wales Police for using two Section 19 buses on a local authority school contract.
Two vehicles used at Blaendulais Primary School in March were found to have S19 permits although DANSA had won the contract at tender. At the time, the Vice-chair of CPT Cymru’s bus commission, Bev Fowles, commented: “At the end of the day, running a Section 19 vehicle on a commercial contract is illegal.”
DANSA is an amalgamation of the former DVPCT (Dulais Valley Community Transport) and BWSTLER (serving the Swansea area). DANSA (Dulais, Afan, Neath, Swansea and Amman valleys) is a membership based not-for-profit organisation and operates cars, MPVs and minibuses. Vehicles are driven mainly by paid staff, who are MiDAS trained, but it also uses volunteer drivers.
Both the Traffic Commissioners Office and DANSA were contacted but had not replied before we went to press