Third time unlucky as firm's licence is revoked

An operator appearing at its third public inquiry in three years has had its licence revoked for ignoring undertakings given to the Traffic Commissioner.

Cardiff-based City Transport (UK) appeared before the Welsh Traffic Commissioner, Nick Jones. The TC also held that the company's transport manager, Glenys Tyler, has lost her repute and disqualified sole director Andrew Emmett from holding an O-licence for 18 months.

The company held a licence for five vehicles and four trailers. In October 2006, the company's licence was revoked by the then TC David Dixon on financial grounds.

Further information from the company led to the revocation being rescinded. In 2007, the company's licence was curtailed from 10 vehicles and a series of undertakings were given. The TC found that the then transport manager, David Emmett, had lost his repute.

Vehicle examiner Paul Davies said he carried out a maintenance investigation in January following the issue of an 'S'-marked prohibition. The undertaking given at the last public inquiry to not exceed six weeks between planned maintenance inspections had not been complied with. There was little evidence of any vehicle defect being reported or rectified. Since the last public inquiry there was a prohibition rate of 63.3%. Former transport manager David Emmett said the vehicle which received the 'S'-marked prohibition was sold around Christmas 2008. That was not true, because the company had received a prohibition for that vehicle in February. There was no O-licence disc displayed and an expired tax disc was on show. VOSA was suspicious that the company had been operating more vehicles than it was authorised to do so in order to circumvent the previous curtailment.

Andrew Emmett said he had only seen Glenys Tyler once or twice since her appointment. She was paid £100 a week.

The TC found that David Emmett had continued as transport manager despite losing his repute. It was clear that undertakings on vehicle maintenance given at the last public inquiry had not been complied with.

Lessons not learned

In 2007 the TC accepted failings were because of incompetent management rather than dishonesty, but it was clear that those lessons had not been learned.