“Public Bodies Should Not Run Bus Services”

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28958, 28 July 1959, Page 9

“Public Bodies Should Not Run Bus Services”

"The Press" Special Service

WANGANUI, July 27. "City councils and other local bodies should not have anything to do with running transport systems or any other trading departments.” said Mr A. C. Seivewright, chairman of Greyhound Buses Ltd., at the company’s ninth annual meeting. Mr Seivewright said that the longer he served on the Wanganui City Council the more firmly he became convinced of this.' When a local body operated a trading department like a transport system it could be affected by local pressure, Mr Seivewright said. “A member comes along and says the people in his area want such and such, and on a service goes, whether it is justified or not.” City councils and other bodies were quite apart from private companies. Some day they would wake up to the fact that they should not tangle with trading departments. Mr Seivewright said that the Wanganui company’s fleet travelled an average of 1000 miles a day, carried 1,753,750 passengers last year, and ended with the record net profit before taxation of £5967. It also paid record taxation of £2566. The company declared its regular 5 per cent, dividend on the 3° 320 paid up £1 shares. A transport concern could not expect to give a service every few minutes of the day, said Mr Seivewright. The public had to fit in with the public transport system.

If a person wanted to move at the time of day when most

people were at home, then that person had to get out a bicycle or take a taxi. By operating for the good of its public as a whole a company was able to operate successfully.