BUS REGULATIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19349, 9 June 1926, Page 11

BUS REGULATIONS.

Sir,— Having reld in the Herald of Friday. Slav 28, an article beaded ' Invasion of Buses, *' Iwould like to draw attention to some of the statements therein made by Mr. Thompson. _ First, that the loss on trams is due chiefly, to boacompetition. This may or may not bo, but I am in ,a position to state that some considerable loss is due to the council s endeavour to kill private enterprise, by starting to compete at; cnt prices with privatelyfowned, buseb. > S.econdly, Mr. Thompson stated that, the' council buses, with the exception of those running to and from Mount Albert and Point Chevalier, are feeders for the trams. Now Point Chevalier was already very well served by privately-owf f>ds busps. I jnight state here that this service was established at' the request of the uresidents} of this district, and ah honefct endeavour was made to give the beist possible .Roi'viefs at the lowest 'payable price to thrt public, and I have every to believe that the service and the prices wero very satisfactory 16 the residents of Point Chevalier, who had previously been refused n service by the council. Again, Mr, Thompson stresses the point of buses competing on routes where* the trams had. developed the traffic over, a period of years and were still adequately serving the public. Why ibon . did , tne coiincil start competition on routes where privately-owned buses had developed the traffic and are still catering for the public in such an efficient manner that the council buses are neither wanted nor patronised by tho majority of the residnts? I would also like to know why-the council has cut the prices on these routes below a profitable basis, and thereby compelled the private owners to pick up passengers on the tram lines whenever possible in order to continue the service. Is it fair - to attribute the loss to bus competition when the council deliberately starts coin* petition with private owners and continues to run busos whero they are not needed at a very considerable loss to the ratepayers,,. ( S, H % GAMywraiau Point Chevalier.