A West Midlands bus operator has been banned from running services after inspectors uncovered ‘predatory’ and ‘potentially dangerous’ business practices.
Drivers for Tividale based GRS Travel were found to be leaving stops early and driving slowly in front of rival bus operator’s services to take fare-paying customers in a manner that was ‘potentially dangerous’ for other road users.
Traffic Commissioner for the West Midlands, Nick Jones, handed the firm’s owner Gurdaver Ram a £2,200 fine and barred him from operating all but one of his vehicles until 2017.
Investigators found 70% of bus services they monitored were non-compliant, while three fifths either left more than one minute early from stops or arrived more than five minutes late.
No services were in operation on the final day of inspections because they were uninsured.
Mr Ram was also found to have failed to appoint a transport manager at the firm one year after being fined and forbidden from the role at a previous inquiry.
Mr Jones said the operator’s ‘wholesale lack of professionalism’ meant the travelling public would suffer if he continued to run bus services.
‘This is a reflection of the culture of the business which is shoddy, inept and lacking in professionalism. The travelling public deserve better, as do rival operators,’ he added.
‘Having had a warning and a financial penalty so recently the failures to address concerns and improve standards is unacceptable. I note that for much of the time there has been no competent transport manager in position and this has contributed to the many failures including the road safety concerns identified by the DVSA.’
In a post on its Facebook page, GRS Travel said: ‘We'd like to thank all of our loyal customers for travelling with GRS Travel. Farewell to one and all.’
