THE CITY TRAMWAY SERVICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21601, 23 March 1932, Page 13

THE CITY TRAMWAY SERVICE

TO THE EDITOR. '

Sir, —I was confronted to-day with what seemed to me to be a startling method of assessing tram fares. Desiring to catch an Anderson’s Bay car 1 boarded it at the Bank of New Zealand corner, where it had stopped to allow passengers to alight. To my surprise this cost me the price of one whole section. It simply took my breath away when the conductor demanded the payment. The fact that, the inward Anderson’s Bay cars make their stopping place near by on the other side of the street induced me to think that although, as a matter of general practice, one usually boards the outward tram at the safety zone, nevertheless the Bank of New Zealand corner might for all practical purposes be regarded as the commencement of the section. I have observed in the past a number of people boarding the cars there and I would be surprised to learn that, in doing so, they have been charged for an extra section. I have £one it in the past without incurring any extra charge. In fact, it is only the difference between boarding the bar at one side of the intersection and waiting for it to travel to the other side. '

Such rulings as the one to which 1 was subjected to-day are a prolific source of complaint against the management of our publicly-controlled services. Any business executive would never dream of applying rigid interpretations of this description. It would be interesting to know if the ruling is one enjoined by the tramway authorities or simply the product of an over-zealous conductor. —I am, etc., March 21. Dumfounded.