BUS SERVICE CRITICISED

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24547, 21 April 1945, Page 8

BUS SERVICE CRITICISED

LICENSING AUTHORITY’S DECISION “This must. be. the most expensive bus service in New Zealand,” said Mr J. K. Moloney when objecting at a sitting of the Metropolitan Licensing Authority yesterday to the renewal on the same conditions of the Christchurch Tramway Board’s licence for the May’s road bus service. Mr Moloney, on behalf of a committee of users of the service, said they were prepared to accept a poor service while the war situation justified economics, but now they thought “it was time Rip Van Winkle woke up.” Mr H. E. Jarman, general manager and secretary to the board, said that the board was how reviewing services and it recognised something should be done to improve them. Springfield road was between two tram routes and the board fixed the bus fares on a basis that would not encourage the use of the buses in preference to the trams. The authority granted the renewal of the licence with a recommendation for an improved service and amended scales of fares. It was also decided to recommend the restoration of evening trips on the South Brighton route. The Tramway Board was refused a licence to operate a new passenger service from Cathedral square to Burwood Hospital. Midland Motorways, who objected to the application on the ground that they already operated a service over this route and could supply the. additional service, were instructed by the authority to do so. The authority considered 88 applications for the renewal of taxi-cab licences. All were granted with the exception of a small number held over for investigation. It was decided to issue warnings to two operators that their records were not considered.satisfactory, pne was instructed that he would be required to dress suitably to the satisfaction of the Chief City Traffic Inspector, and one was held over for a medical test.