BUS RUNNING

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 71, 20 September 1930, Page 11

BUS RUNNING

COMPARISON OF COSTS

HUTT BO AD AND CITY

A question asked in the House of Representatives yesterday relative to the running costs of tho Railway Department's buses on tho Hutt road has prompted an inquiry from a correspondent as to the running costs of City Council buses.

It was stated in the House that tho railway buses cost 15.66 d per mile to run, and the Eastbourne buses 13.11 d per mile. Tho running expenses of the City Council buses averaged very considerably higher, 21.78 d. ' In each case depreciation is included. The council buses have maintained just about that level for the past three years: 1927----28, 21.75 d; 1925r29, 22.46 d. It has to be remembered, when making a' comparison, that both the railway and the Eastbourne buses travel over dead level -routes, whereas niuch of the council bus running -is heavy hill. work. Moreover, the railway and Eastbourne buses, have long non-stop runs on the Hutt road aud the foreshore road, and thus tho average petrol cost per mile and wear and tear are lower than ■on city buses. Just as the railway buses have been burdened by the overhead load of the purchase of private buses /taken over, and mostly scrapped since, so has the overhead on city bus services been increased, but only to the extent of about £10,000, a much smaller amount than was paid by the Railway Department. All these machines, too, have gone the way of machines not good enough for the job.

Even though ■ the running expenses of municipal buses could be got down to the railway's 15.66 dor the Eastbourne Council's 13.11 d per mile, the services would still not pay their way, for the average receipts last year (to. 31st March) were- only 12.62 d p«r mile.

Actually bus running' expenses were not so greatly higher than tramway running costs per mile, 21.78 d as against lfl.OSd, but whereas bug mile receipts (12.62 d) were 9.16 d below running costs, tramway mile receipts (25.53 d) were last year 6.45 d more than the running costs. Bus' Biile* run: last year totalled 383,182, - and- tram miles 4,308,624., • Tram passengers numbered 46,581,456, and municipal bua passengers 1,285,915. . :