TRAMWAY FARES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17456, 28 April 1920, Page 6

TRAMWAY FARES

The increase in tramway fares, recommended by the City Council as the only means of meeting the higher working costs will be less distasteful to the general publio if it is accompanied by a general revision of fares and sections. The present tariff contains many anomalies, reflecting the ease or the difficulty with which the Tramways Company secured concessions from the local authorities to extend its lines. As a result, residents in some districts have cheaper travelling facilities than others, while the tramway revenue suffers through carrying traffic over the disproportionately long sections. Now that the service is under municipal management, the City Council and the suburban authorities should endeavour to establish a uniform system by making the sections as nearly as practicable of similar length and by allowing concessions at the same rate on all " residents' " tickets. There is obviously no justification for perpetuating the anomaly of a long section such as from Queen Street to Symonds Street against a short one like the Customs Street - Victoria Park section on the Heme Bay route. There is a similar need for an adjustment of the concessions on blocks of tickets. One - section and threesection tickets are sold in cards of a dozen, the rebate being on the former about 8 per cent, and on the latter 16 2-3 per cent, in some cases and 33 1-3 per cent, in another instance. But residents residing within the second section have to buy 100 fifkets to secure a rebate iof 25 per cent. On some lines, concession tickets are sold for twosection trips only ; on others for not less than three sections. No indication has yet been given of the amount by which fares are to be increased, but since the average return is only about lid per passenger the elimination of relatively unprofitable sections would probably contribute materially towards the extra revenue required, and such an adjustment would not involve severe hardship on any section of the public. The council has the opportunity now to place its management of the service on an equitable basis, and it would be foolish to allow it to pass.