Drivers worked illegal hours at coach company; Eleven vehicle licences suspended at holiday firm.Byline: Ben Glaze glaze, in pottery glaze, translucent layer that coats pottery to give the surface a finish or afford a ground for decorative painting. Glazes—transparent, white, or colored—are fired on the clay. ben A TRANSPORT watchdog has suspended sus·pend v. sus·pend·ed, sus·pend·ing, sus·pends v.tr. 1. To bar for a period from a privilege, office, or position, usually as a punishment: suspend a student from school. 11 of a coach firm's 30 vehicle licences for three months. Ferris Holidays, based at Nantgarw, near Cardiff, faced disciplinary action after 18 of its drivers pleaded guilty to 57 offences of working longer hours than allowed by law. Deputy traffic commissioner Roger Seymour said the reputation of company boss Jason Ferris had been "tarnished". The commissioner called the firm to a public inquiry at Cardiff County Court after it was fined pounds 51,000 for "severe" offences detected by tachographs, devices which monitor how long drivers are on duty. The 18 drivers were fined pounds 8,325 in total, and some were given warnings over their future conduct at the public inquiry. Company boss Jason Ferris Speaking at the original court case, District Judge Vivian Manning-Davies said: "The company and its drivers have an obligation to know and abide by the relevant law. "The tachograph tach·o·graph n. A machine that records the measurements of a tachometer, especially one in a vehicle recording its speed and the times at which it was driven. is the drivers' bible. If it is not used properly, the whole of the enforcement process is undermined and compromised." Ferris, which claims to be Wales' leading specialist for Spanish holidays and was founded in 1969, was brought in front of Mr Seymour for a two-day hearing in the capital. He also placed a series of conditions on the firm's licence including: ensuring drivers' hours and tachographs are observed and proper records kept the company should employ a specialist company to study its tachographs and driver records and provide training for drivers on laws about working hours Ferris should provide all drivers with formal contracts, including a written disciplinary code, by August 31. Mr Ferris last night said the suspension of 11 out of 30 licences would have "a minimal" impact because the firm only had 22 vehicles. He said just three buses used for school runs would be forced to stay at the depot - including time over the summer holidays. Mr Ferris said: "The commissioner had to do something. He was quite fair. "It's just something we have to deal with. It won't stop our operation." Mr Ferris claimed all the offences were "technical" and at no point were passengers at risk. He added: "We have always taken tachograph responsibilities seriously. "These offences were committed on a technical basis and none of our passengers was affected." But the Vehicle and Operator Services A variety of telephone services that require human intervention, including person-to-person calls, collect calls, credit card billing and directory and dialing assistance. Such services are performed by LECs, IXCs and alternative operator services (AOS), organizations that are used by Agency's chief operating officer Chief Operating Officer (COO) The officer of a firm responsible for day-to-day management, usually the president or an executive vice-president. , Alex Fiddes, said: "This case highlights VOSA's determination to target non-compliant operators and drivers who impose a risk on road safety." CAPTION(S): Company boss Jason Ferris |
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