TRAVELLING COSTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22185, 12 August 1935, Page 12

TRAVELLING COSTS

SERVICE CAR ROUTES POSITION IN AUCKLAND Fares on passenger service car routes in the Auckland Province are in most cases below 2d a passenger mile, the fare indicated by tho Transport Coordination Board as being able to afford an operator a fair profit on all runs where there is a good average loading, and where the road presents no particular difaculty. For example, tho single fare to Hamilton, a distance of 82 miles, is lis 6d, or 1.6 d a mile. To Rotorua, a distance of 156 miles, tho fare is 235, or 1.7 d a mile. On the route to Gisborne, however, a distance of ,'316 miles, the fare is £3, which works out at 2.08 d a mile. On most long trips the return fare represents a reduction, the return fare to Gisborne being, for example, £5 15s, instead of £6. The Gisborne fares were reduced by 8s three or four weeks ago, but most of tho other long-distance farosyhave remained unchanged for a lengthy period. " Or: many routes it is quite payable to operate below 2d a mile," said the manager of a large service car system yesterday. "Many factors come into the question, however. It is, generally sjieaking, cheaper to operate a long-distance run than a short service. Then there ::s the type of road and the nature of the country traversed to be considered. As an instance, costs on the trip from Auckland to Gisborne are very much higher between Rotorua and Gisborne than on the first stage." Tt was pointed out that tho population of the towns served was one of the most important factors determining payable rateu. Apparent anomalies in fares charged could in most cases be explained by taking all tho circumstances into consideration. In oases where a daily service had to he run between two small centres, whore the load might justify only three trips a week, fares were naturally considerably higher than for a similar service between larger towns, or for a service in which the two towns were on a main service route.