THE ROSLYN BUS SERVICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23014, 17 October 1936, Page 19

THE ROSLYN BUS SERVICE

j ro THE EDITOR Sir, —I not only wish to endorse the remarks of “ Fed Up ” and “ Scrap ; the Buses,” but would go still fur- • ther. During the past few months we have had ample opportunity of studying the type of service run by the bus as a “ feeder ’’ along the top of the hill. What then will be our fate when the cable trams are replaced by buses?—and rumour in this connection is too persistent to be altogether ignored. There are one or two points which immediately thrust themselves upon us. (1) How many buses will bo required to lift the crowds in peak periods? To my way of thinking, at least three to every tram, so that during the rush times we would see a constant stream i of buses. (2) How long does the ! bus take to load? My observation is five to six minutes, while the tram is fully loaded in little more than as many seconds. (3) When we have a : bus service up the hill, only r fav cured few will be able to lunch at I home, for what fully loaded bus can ' climb that hill in 10 minutes, even : cutting out the customary stops? To get a bus capable of doing so, the cost must be enormous —and what of the j upkeep? (4) In the winter, when

frost and snow are all too prevalent, and the buses are unable to run (for the fate of the bus attempting to proceed up the hill this last winter is common knowledge) will the corporation run a taxi service, or shall we have to hire our own taxis or else walk? A pleasing prospect! These four points affect the hill residents only. Now for the ratepayers generally. If (or, should I say, when) the cable trams are scrapped, the posi ■ tion affecting the ratepayers generally is, as I see it, just thus: (1) The initial cost of a bus fleet will be enormous, and what of the upkeep and replacements, for how long would a bus on such a run be capable of giving service? (2) Heavy buses would make havoc of our roads, and the upkeep of these would be an item in itself. (3 Much property must necessarily be purchased for street widening purposes. Where, I ask, is the money coming from? Why, out of the ratepayers’ pocket—not only the pockets of hill residents but of all ratepayers. Rates are heavy enough now; where will they soar if certain gentlemen in our midst get their own way? Between rates and taxes, we shall soon be working for the sheer “ joy ” of living—not for monetary gain, for we will never see what we earn. The Government and the City Council will see to that. We are told that we must move with the times, and that buses are being used universally. I agree—up to a point. What sane person would ever be convinced that buses can replace cable trams? _ According to the Tramways Committee’s report, the plant at Roslyn is in a bad state. Can it not be repaired, or, if it is past redemption, replaced? I have no idea what it would cost, but it would seem to me that even if it did cost a few thousand pounds to replace, the initial outlay is all that we need be concerned about. The plant would be there for genera tions to come and the upkeep would be relatively small. Now take the buses. Besides the cost of upkeep, they are an ever-recurring expense, since each bus must be replaced at least every two years, for I am sure that no bus would be capable of giving more than two years’ constant service on such a the corporation takes this drastic step, therefore, I trust that some of our more prominent citizens who are in a position to do so, will take the matter up on behalf of the citizens of Dunedin generally and the ratepayers in particular. —I sm, etc., One of the Victims. Dunedin, October 16.