TAXI FARES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 3, 5 January 1937, Page 8

TAXI FARES.

HOLIDAY CHARGES. INVESTIGATION MADE. PROTEST TO CITY COUNCIL COMPLAINT OF SPEEDING. During the holidays, particularly on (hrist mas Kve and New* Year's Eve, the in.xis in Auckland were hard pressed to rope with the volume of business offering, and a sequel has been complaints lodged with the Auckland City Council of both speeding and overcharging. An investigation of the complaints was made to-day by the chairman of the legal and by-laws committee of the Auckland City Council, Mr. \V. T. Anderton, M.l\, who stated subsequently that generally speaking the majority of the Auckland taxi driver* complied with the by-laws, and did not exceed the stipulated charges. The committee insisted that the bv-laws should be carried out in every detail, and that in proved cases of speeding or overcharging drivers would be brought before the committee, and they stood the risk of their licenses being cither suspended or cancelled. Any complaints made by the public would be fully investigated, but it was necessary that any complaint should be made in a proper and official manner, and that the fullest information should be supplied. The manager of one of the largest taxi companies operating in Auckland Faid this morning that his company had received no complaints. The company'.' rules for drivers were based on the City Council by-laws, and they ;ilso had their own regulations to <lral with speeding, satisfactory conduct and discipline. Their rule relative to speeding was 30 miles an hour, the same as the city by-laws provided. If there was occasion for complaint he said that he would naturally expect it to be made direct to his company. During the holiday rush his company had nearly two hundred cars operating. He said that they had received occasional complaints in the past, but on investigation it was shown that the car concerned did not belong to his company. The manager of another Auckland taxi company that during the rush they had eighty cars operating, and they had not received a single complaint. In connection with charges, he said that there were instances when people wanted to go to funerals, weddings, sight-seeing or shopping tours, and they preferred the fixed charge of 10/ an hour instead of being charged on the meter, which was one shilling for flagfall and then 6d a mile.