Road Traffic Act 1960

141 Commission to operate on approved routes in London special area

(1) The provisions of this Part of this Act relating to road service licences shall not apply to a road service provided by the British Transport Commission or an Executive wholly within the London special area, and, in the case of a road service provided by the Commission or an Executive partly within and partly without the London special area, shall not apply to that service in so far as it is within the London special area; but it shall not be lawful for the Commission or an Executive to use a vehicle as a stage carriage or express carriage on a road within the London special area except on a route approved by the traffic commissioner for the Metropolitan Traffic Area (in this section referred to as the " metropolitan commissioner ").

(2) The metropolitan commissioner, in approving a route, may define it by reference to the streets or parts of streets which may be traversed and to the terminal points, if such points are within the London special area, and may attach to his approval conditions for securing that—

(a) no vehicles, except vehicles of such class or description, or vehicles used for such purposes, as may be specified in the condition, shall be used on that route;

(b) passengers shall not be taken up or shall not be set down except at or between specified points, or shall not be taken up or shall not be set down between specified points; and

(c) vehicles on reaching the end of the approved route shall turn at such places, or by using such streets or parts of streets, as may be specified ;

and for the purposes of this subsection the Minister after consultation with the commissioner of police of the metropolis may give directions to the metropolitan commissioner requiring him to attach to his approval of any route specified conditions relating to the construction of vehicles to be used on the route either in the case of all routes or in the case of particular routes any part of which lies within the metropolitan police district or the City of London.

(3) The metropolitan commissioner before approving a route, or a part of a route, which lies within the metropolitan police district, or within the City of London, shall consult with the commissioner of police.

(4) If the British Transport Commission or an Executive having applied to the metropolitan commissioner for his approval of a route are aggrieved by the refusal of the commissioner to approve it, or by a condition attached by him to his approval (other than a condition attached by him in pursuance of a direction of the Minister given under subsection (2) of this section), or if the commissioner of police is aggrieved by the approval of a route within his district or by a condition attaching to the approval (other than as aforesaid), the applicant or . commissioner of police, as the case may be, may appeal to the Minister.

Upon any such appeal the Minister may approve the route, or part of the route, in question either unconditionally or subject to such conditions, whether the same conditions as those imposed by the metropolitan commissioner or not, as he may think fit, or may refuse approval, and the decision of the Minister shall have effect as if it were a decision of the metropolitan commissioner.

(5) The metropolitan commissioner, either on the application of the commissioner of police or of the British Transport Commission or an Executive or without any such application, may at any time alter an approved route or revoke his approval of a route under this section or alter or revoke a condition attached by him to his approval.

(6) If—

(a) the commissioner of police is aggrieved by the failure of the metropolitan commissioner to revoke an approval of a route under this section; or

(b) the commissioner of police or the British Transport Commission or an Executive is aggrieved by—

(i) an alteration of a route or revocation by the metropolitan commissioner of his approval of a route or the alteration or revocation of a condition attached by the metropolitan commissioner to his approval (other than a condition attached by him in pursuance of a direction of the Minister given under subsection (2) of this section); or

(ii) the failure of the metropolitan commissioner to alter an approved route or to alter or revoke a condition attached by him to his approval (other than as aforesaid);

the commissioner of police or, as the case may be, the British Transport Commission or Executive may appeal to the Minister, and upon any such appeal the Minister shall be entitled to take any action which the metropolitan commissioner might have taken in the first instance, and the decision of the Minister shall have effect as if it were the decision of the metropolitan commissioner.

(7) If the British Transport Commission or an Executive use a vehicle in contravention of subsection (1) of this section or in using a vehicle as a stage carriage or an express carriage on a route approved under this section act in contravention of, or fail to comply with, a condition attaching to the approval, they shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds, or in the case of a second or subsequent conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds:

Provided that neither the said Commission nor an Executive shall be deemed to be acting in contravention of this section by reason only of the fact that on such special occasions and under such conditions as the metropolitan commissioner may approve, either in relation to vehicles generally or a particular class of vehicles specified by him in his approval, they are using a vehicle for the purpose of conveying passengers at separate fares to or from a specified destination.

(8) In this section "the commissioner of police " means, in relation to the metropolitan police district, the commissioner of police of the metropolis, and in relation to the City of London, the commissioner of police for the City of London.