TRAMWAY FARES

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 249, 18 July 1942, Page 5

TRAMWAY FARES

Difficulty In Collection

“With the steadily increasing demands on the tramway system in Wellington, due to gradual disappearance of private transport, overcrowding is leading to the loss of an appreciable amount of revenue, ’ the Wellington City Council tramways manager, Mr. Hutton, said yesterday. “It is impossible for tlie conductors to pass through the cars aud collect all shortdistance fares, and passengers are equally unable to contact the conductors.

“Systems, such «s that in operation on the Leeds Corporation tramways iu England, where boxes are placed on the conductors’ platforms bearing labels requesting passengers to place their uncollected fares in the box-, would be very difficult to apply here,” Mr. Hutton said. “Single exits are impossible on 150 of the local trams and most of these would call for the 'installation of eight boxes each. “There is no doubt that far. more revenue is now being lost than in normal Bmes, but revenue remains buoyant because of the increased number of passengers. Last week the total was roughly 50,000 above the average. Wet weather, contrary to what many people might expect, does not lead to heavy loading ot the trams. It is on fine days, specially Fridays, that the greatest difficulty m coping with the traffic is experienced. Mr. Hutton said that another 50 trams would remedy the position, but such increases were not possible in wartime.