BUS SERVICES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 187, 10 August 1942, Page 4

BUS SERVICES

CURTAILMENT ISSUE

DECISIONS OF AUTHORITY

The curtailment of certain suburban bus services to comply with the Government's demand for the conservation of rubber was further considered by the Auckland Transport Board to-day, sitting as the Metropolitan Licensing Authority. A report was submitted by a special committee which had considered the services, and this was adopted. Dealing with feeder services operated by Transport Bus Services, the committee said that it was of opinion that it would be undesirable to eliminate certain trips and that to effect any substantial saving of mileage the authority would have to take the more drastic action of wholly cancelling either evening or Sunday services, but that did not meet entirely with the committee's approval. In view of the isolated nature of the areas served, which included Blockhouse Bay and Waikowhai. and the fact that the cervices were feeders with no other services available the committee felt that no action should be taken, but that curtailment should be noted for consideration should a further cut in services prove necessary. St. Helier's Services Alterations suggested by L. J. Keys, Limited, in respect to the St. Helier's services were agreed to. The principal change is the cutting out of Sunday services to and from the city and substituting services to the Meadowbank tram terminus and the Remuera post office. One trip will be run to the city and back in the morning for the use of essential workers and the return of night shift workers. The company said the only possible way to give the public some service on Sundays would be by running to the Remuera post office by way of Kohimarama, Orakei State suburb and Orakei Road and from St. Helier's direct to Meadowbank tram terminus. It would give a skeleton service to the district which was better than none at all.

The week day alterations reduce the number of trips to and from the city on all routes from 342 to 298. Minor alterations affecting the Saturday time-table were included. The authority agreed to a fare schedule that is little different to the present scale except that in respect to concession tickets these will only be available to the tramway termini on Sundays.

The proposed reduction of the Remuera Road-Orakei Road and Upland Road service by one-sixteenth in mileage was considered satisfactory in the meantime, the committee commenting on the fact that the operator did not run a Sunday service. The Auckland-Penrose service of Wheeler and Sons was permitted to remain as at present on week days, Sunday services being eliminated. Coping With Crowds In concluding its report the committee emphasised that the elimination of certain trips in a service which was well patronised—and that seemed to be the position of most services—would achieve little if any economy. It would certainly effect a paper saving, but the probable result would be the duplication of the trips which were ieft. If the Sunday services ofaL. J. Keys, Ltd., were reduced from 20 minutes to hourly services, then instead of operating a bus service every 20 minutes the company would in all probability be called upon to operate three buses on each hourly timetable trip. The committee was of the opinion that the only satisfactory method of meeting such a position was the issue of priority tickets or badges. That was a matter which the authority might well represent to the Government.