Bus-fare increase?

Press, 14 August 1980, Page 4

Bus-fare increase?

A increase in bus fares of between 12.5 and 15 per cent will be needed soon, according to a member of the Christchurch Transport Board, Mr M. O. Holdsworth. The increase would be the only way to recover an expected $200,000 loss in the board’s revenue by the end of the financial year, he told a meeting of the board yesterday. The board’s chairman (Mr D. J. Kelleher) said that it was a serious situation, and that board members would have to be a little concerned about it.

Mr Holdsworth said that the decline in patronage and the extra costs of staff sick-

ness were the main reasons for the loss in revenue. The two items had totalled $72,000, he said. This was the same amount by which the board had exceeded its revenue estimate so far this year, from April 1. He said it was “extremely likely” that the board would face a fare increase. Mr T. N. D. Anderson said that the board could not continue to increase its fares by a similar amount to the increase at the beginning of the year. He said it would cause a decline in patronage. Fares had to be kept at the lowest possible level. Mr Kelleher said that the decline in patronage had started with the lifting of

earless days. Any decline after the fare increase had been negligible, he said.

Mr Anderson asked what progress had been made in installing bicycle racks on buses travelling to and from Lyttelton. The board’s general manager (Mr M. G. Taylor) said that only 24 buses in the board’s fleet could be fitted with racks. The racks would obscure the emergency exit through the rear window on the other buses, Mr Taylor said. A prototype rack was being built for the 24 Reliance buses. But those buses were to be taken off the road in 1987. The board would worry about it then, Mr Taylor said.