LICENCES FOR BUSES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19960, 31 May 1928, Page 12

LICENCES FOR BUSES.

EXPIRY AT MIDNIGHT. TWO RENEWAL APPLICATIONS. i QUESTION OF INSURANCE. » An interesting position affecting motorbus passengers will be created by reason of the fact that although existing licences for services between the city and the suburbs will expire at midnight, up to yesterday afternoon only two bus proprietors had applied for renewals. These applications will be considered by No. 1 Licensing Authority when it meets this afternoon, and the authority will then have to decide what steps it will take in regard to those services for which renewals have not been sought, and which to-morrow may be run without licences. Although there is yet this morning in which to Jodge applications, there are so many details to be completed, including the obtaining of a certificate from the Public Works Department that the buses comply with the requirements of the Act, that it is doubtful whether they can be made ready- to be dealt with this afternoon. Although the passengers may not be vitally interested whether the buses in which they travel are licensed or not, they aro vitally concerned in another aspect of the renewals of the licences. This is the question whether or not they are adequately covered by insurance against any accident which may occur. The Act provides that buses which come within its scope must not bo used until a cover-note has been deposited with the licensing authority setting forth that the proprietor ha?, taken out insurance indemnifying him against liability for compensation or damages in respect of the death or injury of any person, or injury to any property arising from an accident in which his buses are concerned. Such evidence has been deposited with the licensing authority in respect of the two applications for renewals already noted. The insurance-cover is not issued until the licences are granted, and, therefore, passenger 3 who travel by unlicensed buses do so mostly at their own risk. It was stated yesterday that, in the case of an accident, such passengers would havo a claim at law against the bus proprietors concerned, but the value of the claim was suggested by an impressive shrug of the shoulders. ."The sole assets of some of the bus-owners," it was said, "are in their buses, and they would not realise sufficient to meet anything big in the way of claims for compensation. That some bus proprietors are lax in respect of their insurance obligations under the Act is revealed by a case which has come under the notice of No. 1 Licensing Authority. The proprietor concerned had complied with the insurance requirements when a licence was issued to him, but allowed the policy to lapse. His attention has been drawn to the circumstances, and in the event of failure to obtain the necessarv cover it will be for the Licensing Authority to act. JJORTH SHORE APPLICATIONS. CHECKING OF TIME-TABLES. The Dcvonport Borough Council met as the No. 2 Licensing Authority last evening, the Mayor, Mr. E. Aldridgc, presiding. * Applications for motor-bus licences were received from the North Shore Transport Company, for 26 buses, the Blue Star Motor Service Company, for four buses, Mr. A. B. Bearsiey, for two buses, and Mr. H. L. Ogd?n, for two buses. The applications were granted, but it was decided to instruct the traffic inspector to check all bus time-tables, as it had been found that some drivers had been hahitually late in arriving at the wharf, leaving passengers only a very short time to catch ferry boats. Over 40 applications were received for motor-bun driving licences. All were granted.