Strike over, but many face a walk to work

Press, 3 October 1979, Page 1

Strike over, but many face a walk to work

If you are standing at the bus stop this morning, the bus does not come, and Wednesday is your earless day, then start walking.

Some Christchurch Transport Board buses will be late on the road today because of delays in the delivery of diesel fuel. Christchurch petrol-tanker drivers decided yesterdav to return to work at 5.45 a.m. today. The Minister of Energy (Mr Birch) said last evening that granting exemptions from the carless-day regulations was not something to be “taken lightly." An Order-in-Council and the issue of a special Gazette would be necessary. Industrial difficulties in other centres associated with buses and commuter transport were "more serious and continuous” than the problem in Christchurch, Mr Birch said. No special exemption from the carless-day regulations would apply in Christchurch today. The decision not to grant exemption had been made when some prospect emerged that the drivers would return to work today, he said.

The Ministry of Transport would enforce the carless-day regulations to-

day in the same way as it enforced any other regulations, said the Canterbury Regional Secretary of the Ministry of Transport (Mr K. M. Le Comte).

Diesel fuel would probably not be delivered to the Transport Board buses until at least 7 a m., said the board’s traffic superintendent (Mr E. H, Saundercock). Mr Saundercock said that it was unlikely full service would resume until this afternoon.

The hoard would have run out of diesel fuel by midnight last night, he said. It usually took from 10 p.tn. to 5 a m to refuel and clean the 160 buses in the fleet. The board had approached oil companies yesterday, but had been unable to get any diesel delivered earlier than 6 a.m. today, Mr Saundercock said. The secretary of the Canterbury Drivers’ Union (Mr P. R. Liggett) said last evening that four drivers had been employed by oil companies yesterday to make deliveries to hospitals. The companies could have serviced the Transport Board with diesel, but the companies had not thought it necessary.