Operator Keeps Licence Despite Losing Good Repute as Transport Manager at Traffic Commissioner’s Public Inquiry

The operator in this matter, represented at Public Inquiry by barrister Harry Bowyer, was advanced in years and set in his ways. He had an in-house mechanic who had an interestingly cavalier attitude to compliance and paperwork. Our transport consultant was horrified when he came in for a compliance visit and insisted that the fleet be PMI’d by a fresh maintenance provider before they were next used.

The Traffic Commissioner was deeply uncomfortable that the operator as transport manager had allowed this to continue uncorrected for so long.

After hearing evidence from the operator and seeing that complaint systems were in place the Traffic Commissioner allowed the licence to continue subject to a curtailment of the margin. He removed the operator’s good repute as Transport Manager but allowed the operator to keep his good repute as director having been referred to Alastair Walter T/2017/55 (Harry Bowyer Counsel in that case in the Upper Tribunal!).