OVERLOADED BUS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21912, 22 September 1934, Page 14

OVERLOADED BUS

DRIVER'S DILEMMA .1 POSITION OF THE LAW "It is a difficult position for the bus driver, I will admit," said Mr. F. H. Levien, S.M., in the Papakura Police Court .yesterday during the hearing of • case in which Loughrin and Molvor, bus proprietors, pleaded guilty to overloading on their Auckland-Pukekohe- _ Tuakau trip on the evening of Sunday, September 2. The inspdbtor for the Highways Board, Mr. T. C. Clissold, said he I stopped the bus at Westfield. Passen- * gers were even sitting on small camp .stools between the seats and a 1; the front. So tightly were they wedged into the vehicle that four fell out when he opened the door. Mr. Grierson, for defendants, explained that when the bus left the chief post office there were spare seats. Later, however, other passengers were picked up. Several had to be on duty next morning and could not return any other way. Quite a number of the passengers picked up the bus left Auckland had return tickets, which they had purchased when coming into the city by the service. , Mr. Grierson said that when a bus was full the driver liow had virtually no option but to leave any further fares who wished to travel on it standing on the road, or break the law. The inspector contended that tb« proprietors could obtain a special licence to run an additional bus. but Mr. Grierson pointed out that application for such a licence had to be made 10 days before it was needed. Mr. Clissold then mentioned that probably arrangements would be made for granting immediate licences. , Fines totalling £3 and costs, were ' imposed on defendants, who also had to pay 10s costs on a charge arising through their not securing a heavy traffic licence by September 1. It was explained that the cheque was posted on September 1 and the licence issued on September 3.