Flat fare on new bus

Press, 14 August 1980, Page 4

Flat fare on new bus

The Christchurch Trans-1 port Board decided* yesterday to charge a flat fare of 30c on its new bus for the disabled.

A meeting of the board was told that the bus was expected to be running by December. The chairman of the board, Mr D. J. Kelleher, said that Benefis Systems, Ltd, had started to build the lifting unit for the bus and that the company hoped to have the unit ready for installation by the end of September.

Mr T. N.'D. Anderson said that a flat rate of 20c should be charged.

Mrs H. M. Bonisch said! that the disabled did not want to feel patronised but wanted to be treated as regular bus users. A fare of 40c, with 1 concessions for the elderly and the blind was rejected before Mrs Bonisch moved the adoption of a flat fare of 30c. Mr Keheller said that it might be premature to set a fare now because the board did not know what patronage the bus would attract.

Christchurch would be divided into five areas, with each area serviced by the bus on a different week day,

on a door-to-door basis where practicable. A brochure explaining % the service and how to use?, it would be prepared and the bus could be put on display and a formal launching function .held to help generate publicity.

A name for the service had yet to be decided. The ’name of the National Council of Women’s fund-raising campaign, “Be Mobile,” would be considered but there was some feeling that to avoid highlighting differences there should be no special name.