BUS SECTIONS AND FARES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 11, 14 January 1941, Page 6

BUS SECTIONS AND FARES

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—The Price Tribunal recently refused the Wellington City Council Tramways Department; permission to increase fares and granted the increase on Sundays only. I live in Roseneath and used to pay 3d for my fare to the corner of Grafton Road and the Crescent which was one section from Courtenay Place. On entering the bus last Monday .1 was asked for an additional penny. On protesting the driver referred me to a notice displayed in the bus stating that on and after January 6, 1941, the fares would be: one section 3d, two sections 4d, three sections sd. I asked' the driver if if were not a fact that it was only one section to Roseneath and he replied that the sections had been altered and that it was now two sections. Does this mean that the extra fare refused by the Price Tri-

bunal has been obtained by a subterfuge? If the department were to run the bus service from the bottom of Oriental Parade to Hataitai in conjunction with the trams it would save a lot of oil fuel (a big consideration these days), cut down expenses as the buses save mileage, cut the unnecessary competition with trams to the Oriental Parade tram terminus, and last but not least, give the residents of Roseneath and Hataitai a better service. —I am, etc., DISGRUNTLED. [Officials of the traffic branch of the Tramways Department stated today that the alteration of the fare on the Roseneath service was in accord with the decision of the City Council to bring about uniformity in charges on all bus runs. The bus service to Roseneath had always been regarded as of two sections, the first section to the Oriental Bay tram terminus and the second from Oriental Bay to Roseneath, though the fare has been threepence for the whole or part of the run. Coincidentally with the introduction of the new fares this anomaly had been remedied, as had also the adjustment of sections on the western suburbs runs, where formerly there had been j a very short section from Wakefield Street to Te Aro Post Office; now the first section from town ended at Glasgow Street. As a result of the adjustments made bus fares were more uniform than formerly and bus concession tickets, of which there had been several issues, were now available on all city j runs.] I