Free buses put hat in jeopardy

Press, 27 January 1988, Page 7

Free buses put hat in jeopardy

By

YVONNE MULDER

If the Christchurch Transport Board’s latest promotion is a success, the board’s general manager will eat his hat.

Mr Max Taylor argued vigorously against the idea of a “free Sunday” promotion on the buses, but the elected board members ignored his advice at yesterday’s meeting. They voted to have all bus services on Sunday, February 28, free, at a cost of about $7500 to the board — $3500 in lost fares, and the rest in an advertising campaign. Mr Taylor said this type of promotion would have little effect.

“If we end up with a full bus out of it, I will eat my hat,” he said.

It was ironical that the board was offering free services when, in August, 1986, it had killed the best Sunday promotion idea they had ever had — half

fares every Sunday, said Mr Taylor.

Mrs Helen Garrett supported Mr Taylor, saying the promotion was “money down the drain.” When the board’s chairman, Mr Patrick Neary, said that the response to the free buses would overwhelm the board, Mrs Garrett asked “what sort of cloud cuckoo land is that?” “Free buses won’t make that much difference,” she said. Mr Alex Clark said that the board had to promote its Sunday services and to get people into the habit of using buses, otherwise, there would be a continuing loss of patronage and week-end services would be cut again. The Transport Board has been looking at various options to replace the heavily subsidised Sunday services, including dial-a-bus, slashing the number of services, and taxis.