I FEEL that your Fen Blow article on September 1 cannot go unanswered and therefore as managing director of Judd s Travel Ltd I would like to put the records straight. With the demise of the Alec Head operation I put the proper procedures into place wit

I FEEL that your 'Fen Blow' article on September 1 cannot go unanswered and therefore as managing director of Judd's Travel Ltd I would like to put the records straight.

With the demise of the Alec Head operation I put the proper procedures into place with the Traffic Commissioners to be allowed to formally operate the 701 route. Unlike Cavalier Coaches, which just increased its other services in an attempt to attract extra passengers, I acted in the way required and expected by the Traffic Commissioners to conduct an established routing.

So now there are two operators vying for passengers on the 701 route.

For Whittlesey passengers this has to be good news. After all proper competition results in keeping prices down to realistic levels and offering choice to the passenger, unlike other similar routes operated by our competitor.

I must object to the insinuation that our buses are "vintage" and all that that implies. Our fleet is maintained to extremely high standards by our own in-house mechanics on our own premises, certainly not the case with our competitor, which does not have its own in-house resources and has to rely on external sources being available.

Generally today age is certainly no barrier in any form towards doing a good job, be it a bus or check-out operator. It is the maintenance that matters.

Just for the record you might like to know that apart from its two "new" types of bus, our competitor operates exactly the same style and age of coach that we do.

I am pleased to offer your columnist, David Self, the opportunity to visit us and see all our fleet at first hand.

MARK JUDD

Managing director

Wheels Manor

Fodder Fen

Manea