GREEN ISLAND BUS SERVICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26437, 16 April 1947, Page 2

GREEN ISLAND BUS SERVICE

Sir,—As the trustee for the company of ex-servicemen which is being formed to provide the new bus service to Green Island and Fairfield. I feel that a more enlightening reply is due to your correspondent “ Strap Hanger " and to others interested, than has already been given. The necessity for a good bus service in the Green Island, Abbotsford. Burnside, Concord, and Fairfield districts is well appreciated by the cx-servicemen who are to run the new service, but until our buses arrive in July we are not in a position to put our time-table into operation. It came as something of a bombshell to hear that the railways buses were discontinuing their assisting service, and their advertisement gave us no time in which to work out any scheme to fill the gap. I have written to the engineer-manager of the Dunedin Corporation Transport offering to hire any available vehicle to assist him in providing some relief to the Green Island people, and it is hoped that something along these lines can be arranged. It is difficult to understand the changed attitude of the railways. They are doubtless short of vehicles, along with every other operator throughout New Zealand, and apparently they cannot continue sending special buses to Green Island. But why they do not continue to avail themselves of the opportunity to fill empty seats with Green Island, Abbotsford, and Fairfield passengers at lesser fares is more than I can say.

Apparently there are rumours currrent that our service will not cater for Concord, Burnside, and Abbotsford, but I can assure those interested that this is not the case. Our time table has > been prepared on the basis of our responsibility to those three districts in addition to Green Island and Fairfield. —I am, etc., April 15. C. TV. Harper.

Sir,—As a daily passenger on the Dun-edin-Brighton bus service passing through Green Island, and having watched the events of. the past few months in connection with this service with great interest, I cannot help but think that a great deal of wrangling is going on in connection with this service, and that the people of Green Island dnd the surrounding locality are being made the scapegoat. Both the N.Z.R. and the City Council should realise that the problem is one of transport of the people concerned by the conducting of sensible servjces at a reasonable fare without the introduction of side-issues, and if neither party is prepared to stand up to its responsibility then it is time the Transport Authority (if it has the power) stepped in and made itself heard. Why should the people be made the scapegoat in the matter? Cr McCrae says the city districts were being sacrificed because of this service. Why was the service ever started then if this is the case? If the council were not prepared to accept the responsibility in good times and bad, then they should not have accepted the responsibility of commencing the service in the first place. This equally applies to the N.Z.R. Road Services. I say to both, stop “ passing the buck ” to the people and keep to the main issue of giving a transport service Either that, or step aside and M a private company give a decent service without a lot of bickering.—l am, etc.. Brighton, April 15. Traveller.