SORROWFUL COMPARISON

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 586, 18 July 1933, Page 2

SORROWFUL COMPARISON

MOTOR BUS TRAYEL IN U.S-A. The U.S.A. long-distance coach serviices not only provide wonderfully at. tractive transportation, but they are, doingj it at a figure that will amaze New Zealanders For instance, the trans-continental trip aboard luxurious motor coaches from New York to San. Frahqisco, a disthnce of approximately 3340 miles (almost as far as from Perth' to Brisbane) , costs slightly less than £8. The fare from Los Angeles via the Santa Re ■ ruote (3246 miues) is a similar amount. This ds a remarkably low cost for first-class transportation at express speed, figuring out at only slightly more than a halfpenny a mile. When. it is mentioned that the first-class railway fare from Perth to Brisbane (3476 miles) is about £22 10s, it will be realised to what extent private enterprise has suhceeded in cutting th'e running arid maihtenance costs of motor coach transportation iri America. ' 200 Miles for 12s 6d. On the Boston-New York run of 200 miles the motor fare is approximately

12s 6d, while the 870 miles trip from New York to Chicago can be made, with even more cdmf ort than in a fast private car, for £2 18s. At these extremelyl low fares it is little wonder that the American travelling public are increasingly patronising long-dis- ' tance automotive transportation. \ .. All toldj there are now 45,000. motor huses 'arid coacli'es operating in U.S.A., representing ',a capital expenditure of £68,006,000. Last year they carried ■ over 1660 million passerigers. So far, private enterprise in Aus- , tralia has had little opportunity of developing, long-distance mbtbr coach services on main highways, says the Duntap-Pterdfriau ^ulletin. Bjut despite existing restrictions that prevent the Australian people from availing themselves of this excellent mode of travel, the time "will come when such transportation must be provided to meet pUbli'c demarid, just as it has in Great Britain and the United States.