TAXI SERVICES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22464, 7 July 1936, Page 11

TAXI SERVICES

POSITION IN AUCKLAND

FARES AND EARNINGS

DIFFERING VIEWS EXPRESSED

"If the Auckland system operated throughout the Dominion, the Minister of Transport, the Hon. R. Semple, would have no cause for complaint," said Mr. A. K. Murray, manager of Air Transport and Touring Automobiles of New Zealand. Limited (Atta), when replying yesterday to the Minister's statement that a commission would shortly investigate taxicab services.

A state of affairs such as the Minister bad complained of existed some years ago, but under the present control of the City Council fares had been fixed, preventing cut-throat competition and piracy, said Mr. Murray. The owner-drivers in the service in which Mr. Murray was interested all held shares in the company. The board of directors bad to be satisfied that intending members of the organisation were decent men with no police records.

Differing views were expressed by various taxi-drivers approached, but all were unanimous that the figure of £1 a week quoted by Mr. Semple as earnings of some Wellington men was not applicable to Auckland. "Any man in Auckland should be able to earn £2 10s a week, and the better drivers earn up to £4 a week," said one driver. However, another said ho would gladly leave taxi-driving for a steady job at £3 or £4 a week. Another driver ascribed the position in Wellington to the high fares charged there. "The Minister is quite right," said a representative of another Auckland firm of motor proprietors. "The fares have been cut below a profitable running cost and it would bo interesting to see the profits that some of these socalled owner-drivers could show after deducting a fair wage and after allowing for all expenses of depreciation, licence fees and telephone rentals. I wonder how many of these ownerdrivers could show a balance on the profit side.

"There is absolutely no check on the hours each owtier or commission driver has to work. The commission drivers coming on at night take over the cars on a convenient rank and there is not the same supervision that there would be if these men were checking 011 at a pro|>er depot or garage. For instance, there was the case of a hit-and-run taxi-driver who was deprived of his licence recently. Did his company know he had been drinking while in charge of his taxi? It certainly would have known if the man had had to change over at a depot and at the same time produce his day's running-sheet. The sooner the Minister puts the Auckland taxi business on a proper footing the better for all concerned in it."