The Public Service Vehicles (Registration of Local Services) (Amendment) Regulations 1988

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Public Service Vehicles (Registration of Local Services) Regulations 1986 in the following respects.

(1) Regulation 6, which prescribes a 21 day period of notice for applications to vary timetables for all or part of a week which includes 24th December, Christmas Day, Good Friday or any bank holiday, is omitted. Instead regulation 9(2) is amended so that services may be varied without variation of registration in England and Wales in respect of journeys taking place in such weeks and in Scotland in respect of journeys taking place in a week which includes Christmas Day, 26th December, New Year’s Day, any bank holiday or a local holiday. In addition operators are required to send notice of such variations to the relevant authorities and to the traffic commissioner no later than 21 days before the variations take effect (regulation 9(3)).

(2) One of the cases where the traffic commissioner may substitute a different period of notice from that prescribed — the case specified in regulation 7(2)(a) — is amended so that it covers operators who apply to register or vary a registration with respect to a service or part of a service which will be substantially similar to a service which he has ceased or is ceasing to operate. In addition a new case is added to regulation 7(2) — where an operator applies to register or vary a registration with respect to a service or part of a service to meet an urgent and exceptional public passenger transport requirement (regulation 7(2)(h)).

(3) A new case is added to regulation 9(2) (variations of registered services without variation of registration). This is where a service is varied by the provision of additional vehicles which are operated over any part of the route and as closely as possible to the timings in the timetable (regulation 9(2)(g)).

(4) A new regulation, regulation 9A, is inserted which makes provision for the cancellations of registrations relating to discontinued services.

(5) The fee for an application to register particulars of a local service is increased from £27 to £30, and the fee for an application to vary the registered particulars of a service is increased from £15 to £27.

(6) A prescribed particular of a registered service, the largest category of vehicle to be used (paragraph 10 of the Schedule), is omitted.

(7) Regulation 5(2), which provided for an extension of periods of notice (save as specified) to the 25th January 1987 if they expired before that date, is omitted as the paragraph is now spent.