TAXIS AT CHRISTMAS

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 328, 8 January 1937, Page 7

TAXIS AT CHRISTMAS

j AUCKLAND COMPLAINTS | Speeding and Overcharging Reported. During the holidays, pariicularly on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, the taxis in Auckland were hard pressed to cope iwith the volume of business offering, and a sequel has been coiuplaints lodged 'with the Auckland City Council of both speeding and overcharging. An investigation of the complaints was made to-day by, the chairman of the legal and by-laws committee <>t the Auckland City Council, Mr W. T. Anderton, M.P., who stated subsequently that generally speaking the

majority of the Auckland taxi drivers complied with the by-laws, and did not exceed the stipulated charges. The committee insisted that the bylaws should be carried out in every detail, and that in proved cases of speeding or overcharging •. rivers would be brought before the committee, and they stood the risk of their licenses being either suspended or cancelled. Any complaints made by the public would Le fully investigated, but it was necessary that any complaint should be made in a proper and official manner, and that the fullest information should be supplied. The manager of one of the largest taxi companies operating in Auck- | land said this morning that his com- | pany hadi received no complaints. I The- company’s rules for drivers were based on the City- Council 'by-'l-aiwg, and they also had their own regulations to deal with speeding, satisfactory conduct and discipline. Their rule relative to speeding was 30 miles an hour, the same as the city by-laws provided. If there was occasion for complaint he said 'that he would/naturally expect it to be made direct to his company. During the holiday rush his company had nearly two hundred cars operating. He said that they had received occasional complaints in the past, but on investigation it was shown that the car concerned did not belong to his company. The manager of another Auckland taxi company said that during the rush they had 80 cars operating, and they had not received a single complaint. In connection with charges, he said that there were instances when people wanted to go to funerals, weddings, sight-seeing or shopping tours, and they preferred the fixed charge of 10/- an hour instead of being charged on the meter, I which was one shilling for flagfall ’ and then 6d a mile.