| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to make further provision with respect to transport and related matters. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 1968 c. 73 |
| Territorial extent | United Kingdom |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 25 October 1968 |
| Commencement | 1 January 1969 |
Status: Amended | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
TheTransport Act 1968 (c. 73) was anact of theParliament of the United Kingdom. The main provisions made changes to the structure of nationally owned bus companies, createdpassenger transport authorities and executives to take over public transport in large conurbations.
The Act formed, from 1 January 1969, theNational Bus Company by merging the bus operating companies of the government-ownedTransport Holding Company with those of the privately ownedBET. NBC operated bus services throughout England and Wales outside of large cities, although independent operators still thrived in many rural areas.
The Scottish Transport Group was also formed at the beginning of 1969. It combined the state-ownedScottish Bus Group andCaledonian Steam Packet Company shipping line.
The Act also allowed the formation ofpassenger 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:
Section 39 of the Act introduced the first government subsidies for railways which were unremunerative forBritish 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. (iv) A limit was also set on the amount of total grant payable was £50 million.
The Act made changes to the use of facilities controlled by the state-ownedBritish Waterways. Reflecting the decline in the use ofcanals and rivers for freight distribution, waterways were divided into three categories, as envisaged by the White Paper entitledBritish Waterways: Recreation and Amenity which was published in September 1967.[1]
An important provision for remainder waterways allowed them to be transferred to or maintained by local authorities.[1] The Act recognized the value of the waterway network for leisure use, and set up theInland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council (IWAAC) to give advice to both government and British Waterways on all matters concerned with the use of the network for recreation. In May 1968 the IWAAC had been set up as an informal body prior to the passing of the Act, and the 22 members became part of a statutory body on 18 November 1968, as a result of the Act.[2]
The Act made changes to theMOT 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 thetachograph to record driving periods despite the resistance of the trade unions, which called them 'the spy in the cab'.
History ofbus transport in the United Kingdom | |
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