A coach firm that had its licence stripped due a series of woeful safety failures has been granted a stay of execution.
Tony Hazell, director and founder of Marsh Barton-based Carmel Coaches, said he had been granted an appeal that will be heard by the Upper Tribunal at a date yet to be set.
Following the publication of a damning report into the safety of its vehicles the Traffic Commissioner had stripped the licence with effect from July 31.
The traffic commissioner outlined defects involving brakes, seatbelts, tyres and emergency exits relating to Carmel Coaches vehicles and described the faults as serious and long-standing.
If it does have to close 50 local jobs would be at risk.
The firm has several contracts for school runs across Devon.
Steps have now been taken to tighten school bus contracts in Devon in light of the issues surrounding Carmel Coaches.
But Mr Hazell, who had described the decision as harsh said the company is now able to continue operating beyond July 31, pending the outcome of the appeal.
He said: We have lodged an appeal and that has been granted but we have not been given a date and are waiting to hear when it will take place.
We are able to carry on trading while we wait for the appeal. The July 31 date has been revoked and we have been granted a stay of execution to carry on until the appeal. We have no idea how long that will take as we have never been through this before.
Until the appeal it is business as usual. The county council has carried out nearly 60 spot checks on our vehicles in the last three weeks and not a single one has been taken off the road.
Meanwhile, Devon County Council said it is taking action to ensure operators who are contracted to take children to schools are obliged to inform it of critical reports or warnings they have received.
Investigations relating to Carmel Coaches, spanned more than three years but the council only became aware of them pending the publication of the Traffic Commissioners report last month.
Concerns have raised by parents and Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw over why the company was allowed to continue taking children to school despite the long-standing concerns.
Issues were registered as far back as May 2011 while DVSA investigations in 2012 and 2013 found the company to be unsatisfactory and resulted in the issuing of warning letters.
Replying to a letter from Mr Bradshaw, John Smith, the head of services for communities at the county council, wrote: Under the councils general contract conditions for passenger transport contracts there is a requirement that the operator will inform the council immediately of any conditions imposed by the traffic commissioner.
We are now taking legal advice regarding whether in future this condition can further be strengthened, in light of this case.
Mr Bradshaw said he welcomed steps to tighten up future contracts.
He said: Im pleased that the county council is looking to tighten such contracts in future to ensure any operator is obliged to inform them of any critical reports or warnings theyve received.
It would also make sense for Devon to have proper protocols in place with the Driver and Vehicle Safety Agency including information sharing and regular meetings so that concerns can be identified at an earlier stage.
The firm was involved in the fatal accident in May in which two women died, and several more were seriously injured, during an Exmouth Age Concern day trip to Cornwall. The company has stressed that the vehicle involved in that incident did not have any defects.
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