Transport Act 1968
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| Long title | An Act to make further provision with respect to transport and related matters. |
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| Citation | 1968 c. 73 |
| Territorial extent | United Kingdom |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 25 October 1968 |
| Commencement | 1 January 1969 |
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Status: Amended
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| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
The Transport Act 1968 (1968 c.73) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The main provisions made changes to the structure of nationally owned bus companies, created passenger transport authorities and executives to take over public transport in large conurbations.
Contents
National Bus Company
The Act formed, from 1 January 1969, the National Bus Company by merging the bus operating companies of the government-owned Transport Holding Company with those of the privately owned BET. NBC operated bus services throughout England and Wales outside of large cities, although independent operators still thrived in many rural areas.
Scottish Transport Group
The Scottish Transport Group was also formed at the beginning of 1969. It combined the state-owned Scottish Bus Group and Caledonian Steam Packet Company shipping line.
Passenger transport authorities and executives
The Act also allowed the formation of passenger transport authorities to co-ordinate and operate public transport in large conurbations. The authorities were to be made up of councilors from the various local authorities in the area, while the executives were to be the operators of public transport: for the most part taking over the existing local authority bus fleets. Following consultation the following PTAs/PTEs were established under the Act:
- West Midlands on 1 October 1969
- SELNEC (South East Lancashire North East Cheshire) on 1 November 1969
- Merseyside on 1 December 1969
- Tyneside on 1 January 1970
- Greater Glasgow on 1 June 1973 (also operated the Glasgow Subway)
Subsidies for socially necessary but unremunerative railways
Section 39 of the Act introduced the first Government subsidies for railways which were unremunerative for British Rail but deemed socially necessary. Grants could be paid where three conditions were met: (i) the line was unremunerative, (ii) it is desirable for social or economic reasons for the passenger services to continue, and (iii) it is financially unreasonable to expect British Rail to provide those services without a grant.
Waterways
The Act made changes to the use of facilities controlled by the state-owned British Waterways. Reflecting the decline in the use of canals and rivers for freight distribution, waterways were divided into three categories:
The Act recognized the value of the waterway network for leisure use, and set up the Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council to give advice to both government and British Waterways on all matters concerned with the use of the network for recreation.
Vehicle testing and driving hours
The Act made changes to the MOT vehicle test. Previously vehicles had been liable to annual testing ten years after first registration. This was reduced to three years from first registration. The Act also introduced maximum driving hours for goods drivers, and also allowed the introduction of the tachograph to record driving periods, despite the resistance of the trade unions, which called them 'the spy in the cab'!.
See also
References
- Transport Act 1968 (1968 c.73)
- Text of the Transport Act 1968 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from the UK Statute Law Database
