BUSES.

Evening Star, Issue 23369, 12 September 1939, Page 5

BUSES.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —To-day was the first Sunday | on which we have been inflicted with buses on a line which has not for some considerable years shown a loss on running costs. 1 travelled on this bus, which was without doubt overloaded. Jf a.private ear or taxi takes on more passengers than it is allowed we have that fine body of men—traffic inspectors—to enforce our city bylaws, which they do in no uncertain manner—laws covering overloading, noise, and fitness of vehicles—but what about the City Council itself? Is it allowed to do what it likes? I was standing on the step, as there was not room anywhere else, and I did not feel like walking home. When the driver 1 changed gears, which is necessary on the steepest parts of High street. 1 was swung round outside and then inside and thrown up against the front window. Exercise is all right in its nlace but not on the steps of a j busl|‘

j A bus passed me in the afternoon up the*'liill with a clashing of gears, and the 'fumes from the exhaust was abominable. The patients in the Chalet Hospital must think when those fames idrift) in through these windows that we are either trying out gas masks or that Hitler has flown over with his extra special gas bombs and is making a raid on the city. The bus then passed over the top of the hill in a cloud oflblack smoke not unlike a destroyer leaving the home base for action. If any of the councillors of our fair city, or Mr MacKenzie, were, through sickness, confined, to their beds and subject to the same noise and smell they would think before they changed .from tram to bus. At present our members of Parliament and City Council are busy crying down dictatorship, and Hitler in particular, on the methods of getting what they want, and although their methods of giving the people the chance of voting for what they want are open to criticism, they do at least get the chance of voting. There is only one redeeming feature about these buses, which is tlifs: Line the streets‘with Territorials and also pack them in the buses; those inside would get used to discomforts of war travel, and those on the streets would after two hours, he able to withstand anv gas attack. It would ho splendid training for us who might have to go overseas. —I am, etc., September 10. J'S.