Under the Road Transport Act 1932, private operators are required to apply to the Department of Transport for a licence to operate a route or amend an existing licence. All applications for new licensed services or amendments to existing licensed services are considered on an individual basis. Depending on the nature and complexity of the application, this process can take some time. Detailed analysis is required to ascertain, for example, the extent of any overlap between the proposed service and existing licensed or other public transport services. This can include similar applications already received.