Railways (Road Motor Services) Act, 1927

Charges authorised on road motor services.

4.—(1) Save as is otherwise provided in this section, a railway company may demand and take in respect of a road motor service run by it under this Act such charges as it thinks fit not exceeding the maximum charges stated in the schedule of maximum charges for the time being approved (provisionally or finally) by the Minister in respect of such service.

(2) A railway company proposing to run a road motor service shall submit to the Minister a schedule of maximum charges in respect of such service and the Minister shall thereupon refer such schedule to the Rates Advisory Committee.

(3) The Rates Advisory Committee shall consider every schedule of maximum charges referred to them under this section and shall report thereon to the Minister with all convenient speed and the Minister upon receiving such report shall consider the same and shall, as he thinks proper, either approve of such schedule without modification or with such modifications as he thinks fit to make therein or refuse to approve of such schedule.

(4) The Minister may, if he considers that the urgency of the matter so requires, approve provisionally of a schedule of maximum charges submitted to him under this section but such provisional approval shall cease when the Minister after consideration of the report of the Rates Advisory Committee finally approves with or without modification or refuses to approve of such schedule.

(5) If and whenever a railway company applies to the Minister to revise a schedule of maximum charges approved under this section in respect of a road motor service run by such company or the Minister is of opinion that a schedule of maximum charges approved under this section ought in the public interest to be revised, the Minister shall refer such schedule to the Rates Advisory Committee who shall with all convenient speed consider the revision of such schedule and report thereon to the Minister, and the Minister upon receiving such report shall consider the same and shall as he thinks proper either confirm his approval of such schedule without revision or modification or make such revision or modification in such schedule as he thinks proper.

(6) All the jurisdictions, powers, and duties conferred or imposed on the Rates Advisory Committee by the Rates Advisory Committee Order, 1925, for the purposes of their functions under the Harbours, Docks and Piers (Temporary Increase of Charges) Act, 1920, are hereby conferred and imposed on the Rates Advisory Committee for the purposes of references to them under this section of this Act.

(7) Notwithstanding anything contained in this section a railway company shall not without the permission of the Minister demand or take in respect of a road motor service run by it under this Act any charges for any traffic exceeding the lowest charges theretofore demanded and taken by such company for such traffic on such service.

(8) A railway company may sue for and recover as a civil debt in any court of competent jurisdiction any charge lawfully made by it under this section.