SUBURBAN FARES ON RAILWAY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 82, 23 April 1937, Page 6

SUBURBAN FARES ON RAILWAY

Q Discrimination Between 8 & 9 O'clock Worker REDUCTIONS MADE Some important cbanges in tb© £>uburban fares and conditions of travel for passengers using the various types of season and coihmutation tickets cn the railways is announced by the Minister of Railways, tbe Hon. D. G. Sullivan. Apart from substantial ' reductions in some directions it has been decided to do away with the discrimination which has existed as between the 8 o'clock worker and the 9 o'clock worker. p' "The Government bas decided that both the workers' weekly tickets and the weekly 12-trip tickets, at present in us© where workers' weekly tickets are issuable, will, in the main, be superseded by a new suburban 12-trip weekly ticket," said Mr Sullivan in his statement. "Tbe effect of this change is that both ' 8 o'clock and 9 o'clock workers in such areas as vvell as other regular travellers wili be abl© to use the new suburban 12-trip tickets which will be available for six outward and six homeward journeys at any time of tbe day from Monday to Saturday of each week. Tbe new tvpe of ticket will be a more suitable and gorierally more useful class of commutation ticket tinui any at present available to regular suburban travellers. It- provides cbeap rates for a small outlay at the time of purchase and unrestricted rigbts with respect to the hours of travel. "Ihe main effect Sf the change," says Mr Sullivan, ' is • that for distances over 3 miles, the new suburban 12-trip ticket will cost three pence more per week tban the existing workers' weekly ticket, but for a farthing •.per trip the neeessity for eompleting the outward journey before 8 a.m. is removed ; also, Jn eontradistinetion to tbe present wbrkers' tickets, wliich is restricted to one outward and one homeward trip per day, the new 12trip ticket will, as already mentioned, be available for six outward and six homeward trips by the holder at any time during the week from Monday to Saturday,

"Ihe rates for the new suburban 12trip weekly tickets are, iu general, substantially lower tban for the existing 12-trip weekly tickets, ns tlie standardisation "aimed at, in effect, strikes a balance in tlie reveiiue obtaiuable from the two rates, the cost of .the unrestricted weekly twelve-irip ticket bemg, much higber than the restricted workers' weekly tickets. As an example, the case of three members j.f a family travelling 10 miles to work on both types of existing weekly tickets may be taken. Assuming that one member went to- work at 8 o'olock and tho other two at 9 o'clock, they would in the aggregate pay 16/- under ihe present scales but only 12/9 under the new method. 'As a fui'tber encouragement lo tht use oi trains in suburban areis, it ts inte..ded to hring out a new tyoe of htdi er ticket suitable for the use of the suburban residents wbo are not daily travellers. This will be availaole for six second-class single trips in either direction,at any time up to tbe end of the- month following Ihe month of issue, and it will be transferaixle., that is; more than oue person may travel on the ticket. as in tlie case of transferahle train tickets. "Anotber important change decided upon," added Mr Sullivan, "is that tbe issue of season tickets at half rates, which is now restrktod to oung people in employment up to the age of '21, will be exiended to include all young people up to 21 years oi *ge,

whether in employment or not. AJ1 that will be required in connection with the issue of these tickets will be tbo production of a satisfactory proof oi age at the time application for tho first season ticket is made. The jresent apprentice season tickets issued at half rates constitute 15 , per cent. of the total suburban passenger traffic, .at other than ordinary fares."The schedule of charges ehows that for 12 miles the new suburban weekly 12-trip ticket will cost 4/9, as compired with 4/6 for the present worker*' weekly fare, and 7/- for the present weekly 12-trip fare. The proposed six-ttip bearer, secondclass ticket for 12 miles will cost 3/9, which works out at 7jd. a single trip. It should be noted that the abova statement ooncerns railway suburban services and the new schedule of charges is not applicable to the HastingaNapier bus service.