MOTOR BUS REGULATIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 136, 10 June 1926, Page 18

MOTOR BUS REGULATIONS.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —The latest statement by the Mayor that on June 10 the Council proposes running express omnibus services in evening hours to cope with the traffic is, in my opinion, absolutely giving the whole show away. The public has been led to believe that tbe trams were ! now sufficient to cope with all the traffic offering, and that private buses were unnecessary duplication. Yet the minute their competitor has been placed out of court they propose stepping right into his shoes and doing exactly what he has been doing Can a more extraordinary happening be imagined? If a 1 business firm in Queen Street, knowing ; the position of a next door competitor, succeeded in getting protection for himself and his competitor's business closed down, then, on the day on which his competitor closed his shop, he Stepped in and opened up the shop, no words would be strong enough to express disapproval of such conduct.—l am. etc., A. DAVIS. (To the Editor.» Sir,—We must acknowledge that people seeking transport to their homes will not and cannot afford to pay the extra 2d which buses must impose. As for buses catering solely for people domiciled a'vay beyond the tram termini—a very scattered population indeed—the authorities authorised by the Premier's (Mr. Gordon Coates) "Order in Council," full well know that such tyrannical, Bolshevik and un-Britisli legislature must strangle and ultimately exterminate bus transport. The Mayor and Councillors Bloodworth and Thompson have attempted a feeble defence of the regulations, but surely. Sir, I do not think we should take them seriously. Can any serious-minded citizen tell "mc how the workers are going to fare (travelling to work and hack home again), when with our present bus and tram systems one bus just gut to go for it. At present we have a bus transport catering for the public generally in a liberal fashion, giving them a chance to get to work, and by the benefit of cheap fares, bus transport is giving work to many hundreds of men as drivers in this city, and many thousands of workers in allied trades throughout the Dominion. Why union secretaries who are drawing salaries from quite a number of unions attempt to defeat workers from selecting "bus i in preference to tram" is all too obvious. ,in conclusion, let the people have bus i tiansport, with properly regulated timetables, speed-meters and capable drivers, and if need be, "our trams." then perhaps ' a little satisfaction will be given where I equity reigns and not oppression. —1 am, etc., D. 11. (.'. (To tiie K.lltor.l Sir, —In discussing the bus regulations with friends, they said they considered all tbe trouble was caused 'through the fare 3 having been lowered. If that is the cause of the huge loss to the Tramway Company, it is the City Council's fault, for they lowered the fares in the first place and naturally the buses followed suit. Why not try putting Ihe fares up again for both trams and j buses? We certainly don't want to have to pay higher fares, but if it is necessary to do so that we may still have the buses then it can't be helped. The only difference they might make would be to make a flat rate "of Gil for five or more sections, instead of chars' - 1 £ ing i a tor a six section ride such as Onehunga or the terminus of the Remuera-Mount Albert route. Per- ' haps they would try that and give both ; trams and buses a fair deal. If the buses are such useless things as sonic people try to make out, how is it that the buses have done so well and increased in number? When the Onehunga - buses started running they had only two buses, but now they have over 20 buses on that line alone. Does that look as if the. buses were not wanted? I think not. What right has any public concern to dictate to a private one. The Covernment will be telling us next which suburb we are to live in. Cannot the Members of Parliament demand that the question be discussed in the House? Surely they can have some say in things even if the public are not allowed a voice in matters which concern them. This is supposed to be a free country, but I am beginning to doubt it, for up to now the Reform party have stood for fairness and justice. It isn't a case of running the trams off the road, for we need both methods of transportation to cope with the traffic, as the population has increased tremendously during the last few years. There aren't enough trams at present to cope with the traffic even with the buses running. I think one of the funniest things is the announcement by the City Council that they will run express services to places such as Onehunga and Dominion Road, etc. Where are they going to get the buses unless they buy up all the other buses? Do they mean to take off their buses from the routes on which they are now running? Their buses, as well as private ones, are always full on those runs, and are badly needed there. They have only got 30 buses, so how can they run express services and still keep to their present runs? The public must wake up and realise what a serious menace the whole question is, and demand their rights and a say in things which concern them niost of nil.—T am. etc., JUSTICE. (To tbe Editor.; Sir.—l have read a number of letters in fiiM-ur of the bus regulations, but, to uiy mind, none of these get down to the root of the matter. There arc more than three times.as many passengers travelling about 5 p.m. as there are at, say, 10 a.m., and require corresponding plant and men to carry them. In all cities there is overcrowding'when the workers are going home, as it does not pay to invest iv plant and keep men for one or two hours' work per day. In transport, as in electric supply, it is the long hour service that pays. Kow, along comes a bus company, and there are always a number of people who lij;e j upholstered seats and rubber tyres—they think they are "joy-riding." The buses can make a very large hole in the offpeak traffic, but they can only handle a small part of the 5 o'clock load, leaving the trams the unpayable part of the business. Suppose this gets Worse as the buses increase and the trams shut down ? The buses will then be in the same box, and, beirqg privately owned, will make no attempt to cater for unpayable business, will be subject to pirate competition, and overcrowding will be worse than ever. The interest on tramway capital will have to be paid for, also the maintenance of the part of the streets now maintained by the trams, but. worst of all, imagine' GOO buses (doing much greater mileage and speed than commercial vehicles}) wearing out the roads. Remembering-that the ratepayers still pay the bulk" of the road costs, I think that some of our local authorities would fiiul that they had burned their fingers.—l am, etc., '. F.W.C. ,