’BUS v. TRAM

Grey River Argus, 19 June 1925, Page 7

’BUS v. TRAM

WAR IN WELLINGTON. WELLINGTON, June 10. The mystery as to the institution of privatelv-owned bus services for Wellington 'disappeared the other mowing the first of the buses parked m the garage of Motor Distributors Ltd., Wakefield street, ready for the road early next week There are three of these machines, each beniing in gold and black lettering upon their polished bodies the -words, ‘ ( Wellington Motor Bus Company.” Another arrived on Monday, and more are following on The chassis are of American manufacture, and the body work is that of an Auckland firm Two run upon pneumatic- tires, the third has solid tires, each is readily closed against all weather, the sealbag accommodation is for twenty-one and twenty-txvo, and provision is made in accord with metropolitan regulations for strap-hanging accommodation, for an additional 25 per cent of the load, The rule will be pay-as-you-e’nter, the driver’s seat being placed immediately next to the entrance, and at the rear of the bus in each instance is an emergency exit to allow, if necessary, a very rapid emptying of the bus. In head room, passage room, a»nd knee room then* is ample accommodation. Each bus has a wheelbase of about 12ft Gin. T’h(. run down from Auckland was made in fairly leisurely fashion, but, states Mr. E. Bedford, the manager of the company, it could have been covered in a couple of days if there had boon any »necd for hurry. Generally speaking, th(‘ roads were found to be in fair or del - , though a sudden drop from metalled surface to loose sand near the Mokau ferry came as a surprise, though no I rouble whatever was experienced. ‘‘They are fast machines,” ho said, ‘ 1 xve could have followed a»n average touring car down with these two (the pneumatic-tired machines) without exciting ourselves or the buses. They can do up to 55 miles an hour, but tlriz does not say that they will do fiftyiix e. \\ (> nini to got a fast, safe scrxi<'c at tramcar fares. The routes over which we will run are not yet definitely fixed, but we will be out on the roads i»n a very few days.” The first of the municipal buses may be placed in commission in about a fort night.