Public transport alive & well

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 437, 19 May 1992, Page 2

Public transport alive & well

• Turoa Taxis has been operating in Ohakune for many years and I feel has provided an exceptional service during that time. It would do well for many people in this area to realise that not many places of Ohakune's size still have a taxi service, one need only to look to our nearby townships. If a Taxi service is not considered as "public transport" then there

would be no need to comment any further. However this is not the case and taxi services are in fact alternative public transport and are as a result treated as such. The cost of operating licences, insurances and the grind of going through MoT's red tape when purchasing

and licencing a new vehicle and not to mention a new driver, lay testament to this and I therefore take great exception to your headline in last week's Bulletin "No Local Public Transport". Let it also be known Turoa Taxis does not operate with the benefit of subsidies or the like,

though one would be gratefully accepted if offered. Secondly what pro gres s and improvement we have made can be attributed to initiative and hard work. Thirdly, whether one chooses to acknowledge our presence or not, it is clear the innovative ideas that Turoa Taxis has introduced over the past nine years have

been cashed in on by many, both locally and nationally. We being the first to start shuttle services between Ohakune and the skiffelds. We were also the first to licence a taxivan in this country, setting the precedent for all taxivans that have followed. However, all said and done, it must be admitted that if you or anyone else can convince MoT or local Government that taxis are not part of Public Transport, that would be wonderful as this would virtually reduce all our periphial costs to "ZILCH"

Sven

Elfstrom

Turoa Taxis PS: Our not quite original new motto for our not quite as yet non public transport operation; "Down periscope and damn the torpedos. FULL STEAM AHEAD!"