The Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain are responsible for the licensing and regulation of the operators of heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches, and the registration of local bus services in Great Britain (as opposed to the entire United Kingdom).The Road Traffic Act 1930 divided Great Britain into twelve traffic areas: Metropolitan, Northern, Yorkshire, North-Western, West Midland, East Midland, Eastern, South Wales, Western, Southern, South-Eastern and Scottish (the Southern traffic area was discontinued in 1933 and its responsibilities split between the Western and South-Eastern areas).The powers of the traffic commissioners only extended to the licensing and regulation of bus services initially; licensing of 'stage carriages' to ply for hire for passengers had previously been a responsibility of local authorities.The system of traffic commissioners was re-stated, with minor alterations, by the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981.[5] The traffic commissioners have been described as toothless tigers by Cycling UK because they lack investigatory powers.