Operator ban for boss of EasyBus’s Shropshire services

The Traffic Commissioner highlighted a series of failings by the franchise and said the man behind it, Andrew Martin, had a “woeful lack of understanding” of the licensing of public service vehicles.

The franchise was set up in 2016 by Mr Martin, providing trips to Manchester Airport from stops at Telford, Shrewsbury and Oswestry at a cost of £2, alongside running local bus services.

In January the following year, it even started running an EasyCoach service from Harlescott in Shrewsbury. But the services stopped last September.

Nick Jones, the traffic commissioner for Wales, has now published his ruling following an inquiry into the business last year.

The inquiry had heard how one of the company's vehicles had lost its wheel while being driven on the A483 dual carriageway between Oswestry and Wrexham, with the commissioner being critical of Mr Martin not knowing the procedure to follow for a major incident.

Mr Jones found that the business, whose licence was held by 'The Skiers Lodge Ltd' operated in Wales although it was not registered with the country's traffic commissioner,.

He also found it had operated outside of the times registered with the commissioner, and no longer "satisfies the requirement to be of good repute" or "the requirement to be professionally competent".

Mr Martin has been disqualified from holding or applying for an operator's licence for two years, and has also been disqualified from applying or holding and operator's licence anywhere in the EU until he re-qualifies by passing fresh examinations.

Evidence

Transport manager John Alan Jackson has also been disqualified from applying or holding an operators licence anywhere in the EU until he requalifies.

In his findings Mr Jones said that the business owner had shown a "woeful lack of understanding" of the licensing of public service vehicles (PSV).

In his conclusions he said: "I reflect that Andrew Martin is not unintelligent, his voluminous paperwork and detailed preparation for the hearing demonstrates that he seeks to pay great attention to detail. He is also hard-working and tenacious as illustrated by his continuing to undertake work whilst in hospital awaiting treatment.

"Unfortunately whilst Andrew Martin might well have been successful as a PSV operator in France where there is a different regulatory regime, his evidence before me demonstrated a woeful lack of understanding and appreciation of the PSV licensing regime in Great Britain. The fact that Andrew Martin failed to seek out and take advice from specialist professionals has made matters worse for him."

He added: "Andrew Martin was called before me to consider his repute as a transport manager, it is clear that his specialist knowledge and competence fall woefully short of the minimum required. Good transport managers keep themselves up-to-date, often by being members of the PSV industry’s trade association, or otherwise attending a specialist transport manager refresher courses.

"It is in Andrew Martin’s interests as well as that of the PSV industry generally that he be required to requalify as a transport manager if he were ever to seek to fill such a position within Great Britain. Andrew Martin’s repute as a transport manager is lost and he is disqualified from holding or applying for any transport manager position until he requalifies afresh."