HAMILTON BUS TRAFFIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19031, 30 May 1925, Page 10

HAMILTON BUS TRAFFIC.

—• STIPULATED ROUTES, A WARNING PROSECUTION. [nv TELEGRAI'II. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] HAMILTON. Friday. A great convenience to residents who live off the main bus routes in Hamilton has been the practice adopted by the bus companies of travelling around to pick up passengers. Popular support has been accorded, particularly by people desirous of catching early morning trains. It has, however, not been generally known that tho practice is contrary to the borough by-laws, which provide that bus-drivers must keep to authorised routes. The borough traffic inspector to-day proceeded against an employee of the Watson Green Bus Company, Noel Hopkins. The borough solicitor, Mr. A. Swarbrick, pointed out that definite routes had been laid down for the buses, and the public had a right to expect them to follow those routes. If the buses wero to be dodging all around the town the service would be thrown into a state of chaos. In addition it was not fair to the taxi-drivers. The case was brought only as a warning, and he did not press for iv fine. For the defence Mr. Strang submitted that there was a considerable amount of merit on tho side of tTie bus-drivers. In the present case, for instance, Hopkins had picked up two lady passengers from the early morning train at Frankton Junction and driven them to their home in Myrtle Street. It was a wet morning and matters would have been very uncomfortable for the ladies had the bus refused to leave the customary route. There was no taxi at Frankton at the time. The complaint did not come front a taxi-driver but from a rival bus company. Defendant was convicted and ordered to pay costs, £1 Gs.