MOTOR TRANSPORT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 7 November 1938, Page 7

MOTOR TRANSPORT

PUBLIC SERVICES EFFICIENCY AND COMFORT “It is gratifying to note that the standard of the passenger service vehicles is being maintained at a high level of efficiency and comfort,” said the Minister of Transport (the Hon. R. Semple) on Saturday, when commenting on the number of public motor passenger services licensed under the Transport Act.

“Normally.” said Mr Semple, “these figures are included in the annual report of the Transport Department, but as the report was required earlier than usual this year, it was not possible to include them.

“The results of the year’s operations are highly satisfactory in every way. The number of passengers carried, the gross revenue, and the aggregate profits are records for the industry. The number of vehicle-miles increased from 22.800,000 in 1936-37 to 23.500,000 in 1937-38, or by 3 per cent.; passengers carried rose to a new high level, from 21,500,000 in 1936-37 to 23,000.000 in 1937-38, an increase of 8.4 per cent.; revenue advanced from £1.058,000 in 1936-37 to £1,147,000 in 1937-38. the increase in this case being 8.4 per cent.; while profits increased from £109,000 tc £117,346 in 1937-38. or by 6.6 per cent.

“Out of 1134 service-cars and omnibuses at 31st March. 1938, 409, or 36 per cent, of th etotal, had been purchased within the last three years. Of the remaining 725, 300, or 26 per cent, of the total had been in use for between three and five years, 295, or 26 per cent, of the total, between five and ten years, and 130, or 12 per cent, of the total, for ten years or more.

“I wish also to congratulate the industry on its safety record. Over 23,000,000 passengers were carried during the year without a single fatality. Service-cars and omnibuses shared an accident rate of 1.4 per 1,000,000 vehicle miles. If all other vehicles could show the same rate we could reduce the total road accidents by just under 70 per cent.”

“The Transport Act provides a farreaching system of control over this industry, and I want to take this opportunity of expressing my appreciation to the passenger-service operators for the j generally efficient manner in which | their services are conducted. I would ! also like to express my appreciation of i the helpful spirit of co-operation which exists in operators generally towards securing the observance of the requirements of law. Such a spirit is a wonderful help in the administration of the Transport Act.”