PASSENGER TRANSPORT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19808, 1 December 1927, Page 14

PASSENGER TRANSPORT.

Sir,—lt seeins to many of us that the City Council is quite unequal to the task of righting the great wrong it has done to the travelling public. Every move it makes is a bad one, I would ask the council to inquire into the working of (one in particular) our best bus services and ask the proprietor why he is so stupid as to trust his drivers. They handle all the money, sell concession cards and drive the buses and everything goes smoothly, and I am sure the concern is prosperous. I noticed the council recently appointed nine new inspectors, which means an extra annual charge of £2700, as well as nine expensive uniThese men should not be required und«r proper management. What about the bell punch used by the London G.0.C.; also even a cash register might be brought to bear on the subject, provided everyone paid as they entered—which, of course, would compel passengers to enter one way and leave the other. I mention these two ideas just to put people thinking. Automatic contrivances cover all kinds of cash deals nowadays; postage stamps, chocolates, matches, and even peanuts—why not tram fares. Economy and clever management are the only methods to use. Salaries being a fixed thing, even though they sink the ship, must not be meddled with. Do away with the highly-braided inspectors and trust the conductors, but check them in and out, and all the way by automatic contrivances. I maintain that a penny a section for everybody (above a minimum age), at all times, and no concessions of any kind, is the only way the trams can pay. , Econom',7.