Ruling follows an investigation into wheel falling off bus and claims that DVSA officials were intimidated
THE directors of a Gwynedd bus company have been disqualified from holding or applying for an operators licence indefinitely.
Tacsi Gwynedd, owned by Huw’s Taxis chief Huw John Edwards and his son Sion Ifor had their licence revoked last August after concerns and complaints were received by the Traffic Commissioner for Wales’ office.
The company and the transport manager, Alan Vaughan Owen, have also been banned for an indefinite period by the Traffic Commissioner for Wales.
It follows a public inquiry into the company at Welshpool last August.
Immediately following the inquiry the Traffic Commissioner issued a notice revoking the operating licence of the company, which operated services in the Caernarfon and Penygroes areas.
Traffic Commissioner Nick Jones’ judgement was published last Thursday.
He said following a number of complaints and concerns, including an incident where allegedly two wheels fell off a bus, the inquiry was launched.
Neither director attended the hearing although solicitors on their behalf offered to surrender the licence with effect from October 31 last year. Mr Jones did not accept the surrender of the licence.
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) officials told the inquiry about significant road safety issues and aggressive intimidation of vehicle examiners.
The report states Vehicle Examiner Ruth Kyriacos had been asked to visit the depot on June 12 last year after being told one of the buses had been involved in a wheel loss incident.
Mr Jones said: “Sion Edwards told her the bus had a blowout to both tyres on the nearside rear wheels.”
But due to rumours relating to wheels literally falling off a bus, the obstructive behaviour and unwillingness from the operator to assist in the investigation a vehicle examiner visit- ed Gwalia Garage, the agent responsible for recovering the vehicle.
The report states: “It was standard procedure within Gwalia that drivers take photographs of vehicles as they find them. It was unmistakably clear from the photographs the bus did in fact suffer a wheel loss and not a blowout. The driver who attended the scene said he was asked to recover the bus because it had suffered a wheel loss: when he got there, there was no mistaking this was the case.”
Mr Jones added Ruth Kyriacos had commented Sion Edwards was accommodating and pleasant to deal with but aired some concerns about one of his mechanics who was described as being “very vague, unable to locate documents and when being asked why systems weren’t working the way he designed, he didn’t have anything to say”.
During a further visit two DVSA officials saw cars “parked tightly in the yard, blocking DVSA vehicles in, with someone starting to shut the gates”.
The report notes when a photograph of the way the cars were blocking them in was taken a man in a hi-visibility jacket became aggressive and said she was not allowed to take a photo of his car.
Ruth Kyriacos later wrote: “In my many years as a vehicle examiner with DVSA, I have been subject to various types of confrontation, 99% of them ending with an apology, a handshake and no hard feelings.
“Unfortunately, no amount of apologising and friendly gesture will ever make me feel safe to be with or around this operator or any of his family or personnel, DVSA staff will not be visiting the depots unaccompanied again.”
The report also notes that during June DVSA officials carried out routine checks on vehicles carrying children to Ysgol Hafod Lon at Penrhyndeudraeth.
This led to prohibition notic- es on two taxis indicating a significant failing in maintenance.
Concluding his report the Traffic Commissioner states: “I do not accept that Sion Edwards was truthful when he told Ruth Kyriacos the bus had a blowout ... His claims were an attempt to mislead the investigation and minimise the maintenance failings.”
The taxi prohibitions “...are relevant to corroborate evidence relating to poor stand- ards of maintenance.”
Mr Jones said: “I accept there was no reference at the hearing to director Huw John Edwards, father of Sion Edwards. He is a statutory director and his responsibilities are the same as that as his son.
“If he sought to re-enter the industry he would need to demonstrate he was capable of operating compliantly and there could be no repetition of the appalling facts as found by me.”