HIGHER FARES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 246, 18 October 1939, Page 8

HIGHER FARES.

| BUS SERVICES. CITY AND SUBURBAN RATES. CONFERENCES TO BE HEED. An indication that practically every bus service operating in Auckland city and suburbs was seeking an increase in fares was given at a meeting of the No. 1 Licensing Authority at Auckland to-day, when there were numerous applications for amendment or the terms of the existing licenses. The principal services involved were those operated by the North Shore Transport Company, the Auckland Bus Company and Suburban Buses, Limited.

Various local authority representatives and representatives of passengers appeared before the authority and requested an adjournment on the ground that the notice given was too short to permit their organisations considering the proposals.

The view was expressed by tiia authority, Mr. E. .T. Phelan, that there should Vie a prior conference between the operators and local authorities before applications were made for increases In fares. "In fact, I am poing to insist that in the future applications must first be considered by the local bodies," he said. "If this is not done I intend to refer the applications back. It would save a lot of time and result in a hat>pier atmosphere if all parties affected met first in conference and laid before me proposals that had been agreed to."

It was arranged that conferences be held on Thursday, October 26, following which further applications, based on the decisions arrived at, should be submitted to the authority.

For the benefit of North Shore interests which will be attending the conference it was stated that the proposed increase in fares on the North Shore varied from l-6d to Jd per trip.

The authority observed that many of the bus operators were carrying some of the increase in petrol tax themselves.