Transport Act 1985

81 Provision, maintenance and operation of bus stations. E+W+S

(1) A Passenger Transport Executive for any passenger transport area shall have power—

(a) to provide bus stations and associated facilities at any place in or in the vicinity of their area; and

(b) to maintain, repair and operate bus stations and associated facilities provided under paragraph (a) above or under their former powers.

(2) Where a council who, at the time when section 66 of this Act comes into force, are providing a service for the carriage of passengers by road which requires a PSV operator’s licence, have ceased by virtue of subsection (1) of that section to have power to provide such a service, that council shall have power to maintain, repair and operate bus stations and associated facilities provided by them under their former powers.

[F1 (2A) Where, immediately before 1st April 1996, a council (the “former council”) had power, by virtue of subsection (2) above, to maintain, repair and operate a bus station and any associated facilities, that power is, on and after that date, exercisable—

(a) where the bus station and any such associated facilities—

(i) was or were, immediately before 1st April 1996, situated wholly within the area of the former council, and

(ii) is or are, on and after that date, situated wholly within a single Welsh county or county borough,

by the council of that county or county borough; and

(b) in any other case, by such Welsh county council or county borough council as the Secretary of State may by order designate.]

(3) Any charges for the use of accommodation for public service vehicles at any bus station provided by the Passenger Transport Executive for any passenger transport area or provided by any other person under any agreement entered into by any such Executive under section 10(1)(xv) of the 1968 Act (contracting-out powers) shall be reasonable.

(4) Subsection (3) above only applies where the charges are made by the Executive in question under section 10(1)(xiii) of that Act or by a person who is operating the bus station under any such agreement otherwise than as agent for the Executive.

(5) Any such council as is mentioned in subsection (2) above shall have power—

(a) to make reasonable charges for the use of accommodation for public service vehicles at any bus station provided under their former powers; and

(b) to make reasonable charges for the use of, or let on hire to any person, any associated facilities provided by them in connection with any bus station so provided.

[F2 (5A) Any Welsh county council or county borough council by whom any power is exercisable in relation to a bus station and any associated facilities by virtue of subsection (2A) above shall have power—

(a) to make reasonable charges for the use of accommodation for public service vehicles at that bus station; and

(b) to make reasonable charges for the use of, or let on hire to any person, those facilities (if any).]

(6) If any person who is the holder of a PSV operator’s licence in respect of any vehicles using accommodation for public service vehicles at any such bus station as is mentioned in subsection [F3 (3), (5) or (5A)] above considers that charges for the use of that accommodation are unreasonable, that person may apply to the traffic commissioner for the traffic area in which the bus station is situated (or, where it is situated partly in one area and partly in another, to the traffic commissioner for such of those areas as may be agreed between the traffic commissioners concerned or, in default of agreement, determined by the Secretary of State).

(7) On any application under subsection (6) above the traffic commissioner may determine the charges to be made in respect of the applicant’s vehicles for such period and on such terms as he thinks fit.

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 81(2A) inserted (1.4.1996) by 1994 c. 19, s. 22(1), Sch. 7 Pt. II para. 39(5) (with ss. 54(5)(7), 55(5), Sch. 17 para. 22(1), 23(2)); S.I. 1996/396, art. 3, Sch. 1

F2 S. 81(5A) inserted (1.4.1996) by 1994 c. 19, s. 22(1), Sch. 7 Pt. II para. 39(6) (with ss. 54(5)(7), 55(5), Sch. 17 para. 22(1), 23(2)); S.I. 1996/396, art. 3, Sch. 1

F3 Words in s. 81(6) substituted (1.4.1996) by 1994 c. 19, s. 22(1), Sch. 7 Pt. II para. 39(7) (with ss. 54(5)(7), 55(5), Sch. 17 para. 22(1), 23(2)); S.I. 1996/396, art. 3, Sch. 1