The Transport Licensing Act 1931 was a

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regulating land transport. It was introduced following a Royal Commission on road and rail competition in 1930. The Act also regulated aspects such as safety and insurance requirements for carriers and the regulation of public passenger services.

Amendments

In 1933, the Act was amended to cover all rural road carriers carting in excess of . In 1939, town carriers were regulated.

Maximum distance protection

In 1936, the protection of railways was extended to cover all freight conveyed over distances greater than those specified by the Act. This was by far the most crucial regulation, as it gave rail an effective monopoly on long-distance freight transport. Originally this limit was . In 1962 it was increased to , and in 1977 to .

Livestock

In 1961, livestock was exempted from the Transport Licensing Act.

Repeal

The Act was repealed in 1982, effectively deregulating land transport and opening the railways up to competition. The Railways Department was corporatised as the

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as a result, and throughout the 1980s until the early 1990s lost substantial amounts of freight to road carriers. Freight traffic reached its low point in 1993, and since then railway freight traffic has increased.

Amendments

Maximum distance protection

Livestock

Repeal

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

See also