Costly bus buy for board

Press, 15 July 1982, Page 6

Costly bus buy for board

It will cost the Christchurch Transport Board up to $120,000 to add two 15-seat mini-buses with wheelchair hoists to its fleet.

The board’s manager. Mr M. G. Taylor, said this week that the price of between $55,000 and $60,000 for each vehicle was more than twice the price of an identical mini-bus available “off the floor" in Australia. However, “licences. to import buses were unobtainable, Mr Taylor told a board meeting. "This is to protect the New Zealand body-building industry. When you look at the figures you can see why it needs' protecting," said Mr Taylor. the board’s chairman, Mr J. Mathison, said he agreed with the import scheme to protect jobs but the difference in prices was “incredible.”

Mr Taylor told the board that the chassis-cab units for the buses cost $15,520 each and the bodies with wheelchair hoists, $44,852. each. When the cabs were removed and sold and sales tax refunded, the final cost was between $55,000 and $60,000 each.

The equivalent vehicle in Australia would cost about $25,400.