SIGHT-SEEING BUSES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21504, 30 May 1933, Page 11

SIGHT-SEEING BUSES

SHARING OF TRAFFIC LICENCES ON CONDITIONS "The experience of the past year has shon n that there is not sufficient traffic for three sight-seeing buses to operate in Auckland throughout the year," said the chairman of the Xo. 2 Licensing Authority, Mr. J. A. C. Allum, yesterday morning, when three applicants were granted renewal of licences. It was decided that each company should operate for one week in every three, except on statutory holidays, when all operators would run. The holiday condition does not refer to Sundays. The new system will commence on June 5, the order of commencement being the Auckland Bus Company, H. A. Johnston and J. Rimmer. The licences will terminate on February 28, 1934. A further short adjournment was granted during the hearing to enable the operators to endeavour to reach a private agreement, but negotiations were fruitless.

The chairman said a decision of the Appeal Board had made it definite.that all applicants had equal rights. "But the difficulty is that there are three applications, although it lias been proved that if the conditions are adhered to the services cannot pay," said Mr. Allum. "It would have been much more satisfactory if some private agreement could have been reached."

A suggestion by Mr. E. C. Blomfield, a member of the authority, that each of the three operators should run one week in three was adopted. In announcing the decision, Mr. Allum said it was possible for the companies to apply individually for temporary licences to run daily services during holiday and other busy periods. If there Avere no passengers offering five minutes after the scheduled time of departure, it would not be necessary for buses to run.