NEW CAB FARES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1694, 10 March 1913, Page 5

NEW CAB FARES.

CLEARLY DEFINED DISTRICTS.

Wellington and visitors to Wellington have, often suffered in the past.owing to the obscurity respecting the districts set out in the city by-laws for the guidance of those who hire cabs. It is only by having a good idea as to these districts that anyone using a cab can possibly know if he is being charged a fair thing. Without that knowledge—which not one in a hundred in Wellington possess—they are in the hands of the ( Jehu, who in most cases is an honest man- and dops the Tight thing, but there may be some who would not bo above charging a little extra where they knew there was no risk. , This unsatisfactory state . of things has been, known- to the authorities for somo time, and an effort has at length been made by the City Council to improve matters. This was done on Thursday last, when the council adopted a report 011 cab districts and fares submitted by the city inspector ,(Mr. James Doyle, of the city engineer's department). To a Dominion reporter Mr. Doyle explained) what the provisions set out in hig report meant. "Formerly," said the inspector, "the city was divided into 6ix districts, lettered from A to P, and to ehow how complex they were, 'E' was a block to the west of the-main street, of Newtown, and 'I" was approximately Berhampore. Ajiyhow, in short, not one in a hundred knew what the districts were. X doubt if tho cabmen themselves knew what tliey were, a state of things which left tho public pretty well in the hands of tho cabmen. District 'A', round the waterfront, was not hard to define, but district 'B' was difficult, and as for the others it was impossible. to explain them without a plan of Wellington and a copy of the city by-laws. What I' lave proposed and the council has adopted has simplified matters a good deal. Leaving the hilly parts of the city out of it for the time being, I have created three districts— No. 1, 2, and 3. No. 1 is bounded by the waterfront, Clyde Quay,, and Kent Terraco to the east, Ellice and Buckle Streets to tho south, and down Willis Street, Lambton Quay, and Tinakori Road rough-ly-to the. west and north-vest. District No. 2 is bounded to the north by the southern boundary of No. 1 district (Buckle Street and Ellice Street), and to the south by a line drawn across Hall and Mein Streets; and No. 3 district is the rest of the original city (excluding those parts token in under the Greater Wellington scheme). "Now for tho fnres—they correspond with tho district. No. 1, Is.; No. 2,_25.; and No. 3, 3s. in .the case of a single passenger, and for every additional passenger tho hirer is to pay Gd. per head in the daytime, and Is. per head at night. 1 You will notico that the hilly parts of i'lio city are not included—for instance, The j Terrace, Woolcoinba ftlreet, and the terraces and streets above on the one side, and the slope of Mount; Victoria. For Irips taking in the ■ hill-climb, tho cabman will ba entitled to charge an extra shilling, not per head, but a shilling for the cab; .so that a person riding 'from Willis Slvect to The Terrace nlone would pay 3s. in the daytime and double that at'night, but for the same fare a cabmnn would have to drive n fare to Talavern Terrace or higher up the hill. "In short the new scalo works out at a shilling a mile on the new district scheme. Another sixpence extra is chargeable for passengers taken at the Thorndon Station, as tho cabmen have to pay a license fee. of 10s. per year to the railway authorities to tout for fores there. I clon't know why this is..but there it is." Mr. Doyle, quoting from his report, read that the alterations "would mean a slight increase in comparison with tho present scale, but would probably result in a reduction of the actual charges. Its simplicity would give tho hirer some ohance of knowing if he is lx>ing overcharged, and it would be a strong check on unserunulous drivers." Mr. Doyle proposes to secure plans of tlir» city, prerwrcd in colours, to 'how the different districts, ihe Mime to be exhibited in prominent places about tho city.