Private-Hire Vehicles Demanded By Tourists

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31771, 30 August 1968, Page 5

Private-Hire Vehicles Demanded By Tourists

Tourists coming to New Zealand demanded large pri-vate-hire cars to take them sightseeing or to their hotels, and were not satisfied with taxis, which did not offer a sufficiently high standard, the No. 9 Transport Licensing Authority (Mr J. M. Dwyer) was told on Wednesday.

Bel Air Tours, Ltd, of Christchurch, applied for a new continuous taxi service licence with four private-hire cab authorities, the area for the initiation of contract being within 10 miles of Cathedral Square. After most of the evidence for the applicant had been heard, the application was adjourned to a date to be fixed.

Mr J. H. M. Dawson appeared for the applicant, Mr R. A. Young appeared in opposition for the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Taxi Proprietors’ Federation and the Mount Cook and Southern Lakes Tourist Company, and Mr B. J. Drake appeared in opposition for Midland Motorways Services, Ltd, and Gold Band Taxis, Ltd. Mr R. Harris appeared for the Railways Department.

Mr David Patchett, a director of Patchett Tours and its subsidiary Bel Air Tours, Ltd, said he was making the application because of the demand for private-hire cars. The cars would be used for weddings, funerals, and other formal occasions, for sightseeing work for tourists and for carrying tourists in and round Christchurch. Christchurch had had no private-hire cabs service for many years. His company could not fill the demand for privatehire cars, and ,in the last year had, as a result, called on selected taxis 186 times. The business was doubling each year.

Mr Dawson said that in Christchurch there vrere now no large American limousines working as taxis and such cars could not be hired for such occasions as weddings and funerals. Mr Patchett’s drivers would wear uniforms when required. To Mr Young, Mr Patchett said he would not be seeking normal taxi work and that he estimated his four limousines could be run as an economic operation. Mr Drake was told the same. Taxis Not Adequate Mr John R. Waters, a director of Atlantic and Pacific Travel, Ltd, said,there was a big demand among tourists for large American limousines. This type of private-hire vehicle must be on hand. Most tourists demanded such a vehicle and public-hire taxis were not adequate. In almost all centres his firm used privatehire cars. The number of tourists was increasing rapidly. Mr Eric John Johnson, the managing director of New Zealand Tourways, Ltd, said that the big American cars were needed, among other things to meet tourists at the airport and take them to their hotels. The person with the car had to be personable and had to meet the tourists.

The taxi companies had said they would not send particular cars on such jobs, but whatever vehicle was available would be used. Many taxis, however, were not good enough. Visitors coming into Christchurch should be able to get the same standard of service as they did at other centres. International flights into Wellington would probably stop about 1970 and Auckland and Christchurch would then be the two gateways into New Zealand. To Mr Drake Mr Johnson said Mr Patchett had so far provided a better standard of man than the taxi companies could provide. The taxi companies could not match Mr Patchett’s service, he said.

Other Applications John Ward Dallas was granted an amendment to his continuous goods service licence by the addition of one vehicle authority for the carriage of general goods in the No. 9 Transport District. A similar application by Ted Spence, Ltd, was also granted. Kenneth Edwin Wilson was granted an amendment to his continuous goods service licence by inserting after the word “bread,” in the description of goods permitted to be carried, the words ‘‘baked by Stacey and Hawker, Ltd.”

An application by Tasman Rental Cars (Christchurch), Ltd, was granted in part. The company was granted an amendment to its rental service licence by the addition of a truck, payload not to exceed lOcwt, but was refused an amendment allowing the addition of one four-wheel-drive vehicle.

Hall Holdings, Ltd, was granted transfer of a continuous goods service licence from lan Lionel Meyrick. Armoured Feightways, Ltd, was granted exemption from rail restriction in respect of two vehicle authorities.

Transfers of taxi serxice licences were granted as follows: David Ernest Woods from Yule Urquhart; Barry Thomas Baron from Clifford Alexander Reid; Robert John Randle from the estate Malcolm Lewis Foot; Ernest James Weir from Archibald James Brock|e.