TRANSPORT BOARD DEFICIENCY $398,618

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31980, 6 May 1969, Page 1

TRANSPORT BOARD DEFICIENCY $398,618

The Christchurch Transport Board, carried 540,000 fewer passengers last year than it did in 1916 but had to travel 2,250,000 more miles to obtain them. ''

The general manager < (Mr J. F. FardeD) told 1 the board yesterday that , its buses had carried < 17,291,059 passengers ’ during the year ended ; March 31 but had in- , curred a working loss of < $102,320. In 1916, he said, the tram- 1 way system had carried more < passengers when the popula- ' tion of Christchurch was near- 1 ly three times smaller than it was now. He said that the deficiency t for the year was $398,618 I which included the working loss, loan charges of $177,898 I and contributions to the bus i replacement reserve fund of I $118,400 I The deficiency was $64,608 ‘ more than last year and i $22,181 more than estimated. Mr Fardell said that of the $2 million the board had borrowed 20 years ago to modern- i ise the transport system only > $49,800 was outstanding. The i amount owing on loan was i $859,898. USE OF CABS He said that there had been a 1.7 per cent fall in passenger revenue which coincided with the increase in number of motor vehicle registrations in Christchurch. Mr’ TMMI predicted that bus patronage would continue to fall until some restrictions were put on the use of motorcars. “Today’s transport problem is that of moving people, not vehicles, yet we see the endeavours of many skilled personnel being directed to the movement of vehicles to the

detriment of public transport,” he said. The chairman of the board (Mr J. S. Smith) said that the decline in patronage could not be taken lightly and priority should be given to public transport undertakings to run vehicles with a minimum of obstruction. Mr G. A. G. Connal said that the board should press for regulations giving buses complete priority for the setting down and taking up of passengers. Private vehicles, he said, should be discouraged from using routes occupied by buses. Mr Connal suggested that the Social Security Department should provide subsidies to offset the losses incurred by the board in providing transport for aged beneficiaries at concession rates. LEVEL OF FARES He said that it was plain to him that the board should not increase fares to try to overcome its financial difficulties. V

“I think we should have a very dose look at decreasing fares as an inducement to

people to use buses,” he said. “It seems that we should at i least-try this.” Mr Smith said that he was : very much opposed to raising the fares. “I go along with looking at i lowering fares but I think we ' have to keep our powder dry until we hear the report of I the Committee of Inquiry into i Urban Transport," he said, i Mr P. D. Dunbar said that - the quick movement of people ’ would help more than a hasty reduction of fares “which I . don’t think we can consider in i the face of our present posi- ' tion with rating."