FULL TRAM SERVICE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 87, 13 April 1927, Page 10

FULL TRAM SERVICE.

ON THE BAYSWATER ROUTE. RED REPLACES YELLOW. TAKAPUNA COMPANY "ON ITS OWN." Takapuna people who favour the Bayswater route were catered for this morning by a full tram and red bus service by the Takapuna Company. It was the extra twopence —"the penal twopence" — that caused the yellow bus service to be unpopular- According to a statement made to-day by the Takapuna Company it has been unable to come to a satisfactory arrangement with Mr. Smith, proprietor of the Yellow Bus Service, i'nd it was compelled to revert to handling the traffic on its own account. "The Takapuna Ferry Company wishes to make it clear," said the chairman (Mr. A. S. Brown), "that it has never at any time cncouruged Mr. Smith to charge the penal rate of 2d, which quite naturally is being objected to by the travelling public. On the contrary, the company has always been anxious that he should not do so. It lias gone so far as to agree to waive the provisions of the Act in that regard. The company is still | anxious to continue to co-ordinate with Mr. Smith, and lias offered to continue its co-operation with him on the basis of a reversion to the original tramway rate of fares. Mr. Smith was unwilling, or, what is more likely, was not allowed, to modify his fares. Therefore the com- j panv feels that its duly to the public demands that it should reopen a full , service at once at the old tramwav rates. j It has already pointed out that a further saving can be effected by the purchase of j season tickets." "Everything went smoothly this morn- j ing," said Mr. J. 51. Kerr, manager of the j lakapuna Company. "Trams and our j own buses were full at the busv time, : and we had 110 difficulty in running a ' thoroughly satisfactory service." °

Workmen are now busy 011 the steamer Pupuke, which the company is reconditioning in order to run its twenty-minute time-table during the peak load hours. An important alteration on the Pupuke is the closing-in of the whole of the upper deck. In the winter even the short trip across <0 Kayswater can be very damp, but this alteration will give full shelter for all passengers. It is expected that the covering-in of the fore end of the steamer will be finished for Easter, and the rest of the deck will follow.