AUCKLAND TRANSIT REFORMS

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 115, 5 August 1927, Page 1

AUCKLAND TRANSIT REFORMS

'PENNY FARES AGAIN Drastic Changes in Tramway System Operate from Ist, October " CO-ORDINATION ON BUSINESS BASIS ” HAVING spent about four months in considering and reconsidering the position of the Auckland tramways, the Tramways Committee last evening brought down a report comprising twenty-three pages of foolscap, principally directed on amending the fares by re-instituting the penny section, and eliminating waste by making the buses feeders to the trams, instead of running alongside the trams in the city. Councillor J. A. C. Allum, chairman of the committee, stated that this was an attempt to co-ordinate the tram and bus services, to give the greatest benefit to the greatest number of users, and to give the trams and buses a reasonable trial on the best business basis that could be evolved. The principal recommendations were: (1) That the penny section should be reverted to, and that the tramway sections be re-arranged accordingly. (2) That the buses during the day and evening be used as feeders to the tramway service, and that they only come into the city during rush hours,, then being used as express services to the suburbs. (3) That fares on the buses, on routes which it has been decided to.serve by trams, be the same as tram fares. (4) That the present concession cards, except workers’ and children’s, be replaced by concession cards giving 13 rides for the price of 12. (5) That the new scheme come into operation on October 1, and remain in force for six months.

OO far as the travelling public is concerned the principal concern is as to how they will be immediately affected. The actual position is that in no case where cash fares are paid will there be any increase, and in the case of near-by residents, to the centre of the city, there may be a considerable saving. The suburban residents wML however, have to pay a fraction more for their concession cards, and workers’ tickets must see the caruser start on his trip before 8 a.m. instead of at 8.30 a.m. as at present.

A very prominent feature however is that a tram user with several calls to make,-doming say three one-section rides, will avoid the first section penal fare, and will use three cars for 3d, as against the present total of 6d. CHAIRMAN’S SUMMARY In the course of his remarks to the City Council in presehting the report, Cr. Allum stated: “Members of the committee have various opinions on the policy of past

So far as possible the Idea adopted has been to charge one penny a mile Concession ticket-holders will get only a reduction of 8 to 10 per cent, in stead of the 25 to 30 per cent, of the past. 1D SECTION ENDINGS The penny section from the city will end as follows: Queen Street: Town Hall. Anzac Avenue and Wellesley Street East: St. Paul’s Church. Parnell: Stanley Street. Wellesley Street West: St. Matthew’s Church. Herne Bay: Billington corner. Second sections on all cars using Symonds Street will end on reaching Khyber Pass, the present first section ending. On the Parnell route the 2d section ends at St. Stephen’s Avenue. On the Karangahape Road route the 2d section will end at the junction with Ponsonby Road, and on the Herne Bay route at Three Lamps. All other section endings under the new scheme are shown on the plan. EFFECTS OF CHANGE The effect of the alteration, apart from the extra use of trams likely to take place in Queen Street on the penny, fare, is well demonstrated on the Parnell route. The first section will end at the foot of the hill, and users going to Garfield Street will still pay 2d, but St. Stephen’s Avenue, and that area, will only pay 2d instead of the 3d of the present. To go to Newmarket by any route will still cost 3d.

tramway administration, but they unanimously agree that as the Omni bus Act is in force and its operations have resulted in the council being compelled to take over various omnibus undertakings, at prices represent ing substantial losses, the council must take advantage of the act to maintain a monopoly of transport in its area. Two members of the committee, the tramways manager and the town clerk, last year had the opportunity of visiting various parts of the world and inquiring into the tramway opera tions there, and the committee has therefore been in a position to weigh with knowledge many of the criticism** levelled at the Auckland undertak ing, which criticisms have often been expressed by obviously uninformed or misinformed parties. “The present practice of running buses right into the city is uneconomical, and is responsible for a large amount of the present loss on the buses. MILE FOR A PENNY “The committee has tried to get as near as possible to the one mile for a penny. There will be a very sub stantial saving for those people travel ling short distances. The committee has considered the reduction of all the tram fares, but that is quite .m----possible at the moment. We are, hew ever, giving concessions to those who use the tramways most, that is, those who use the first and second sections. Tne whole idea is to popularise the use of the tramways by popular fares.

"There Is something wrong in the present method of allowing a reduction of about j 0 per cent, because the tram-user buys a small number of fares in a bunch, in the form of a concession ticket, while the cash payer pays the full fare. “Only 30 per cent, of our revenue comes from concession tickets, and 70 per cent, pay cash. Records show that there has been a steady but small increase in the use of concession cards. Every time there is an increase of 1 per cent, the tramways lose £2,400. If the concession ticket income increased to 50 per cent, of ‘he whole we would be losing a further £48,000 each year. We consider it fair to ask that users should pay according to the distance they travel In order to avoid hardship the workers' tickets are being retained—though they always show a loss. “It boils down to this: that the only people who are going to suffer are the long-distance concession holders, but we consider that their new rates are not unreasonable, and it must be remembered that they are only 30 per cent, of the total users, “On the estimates we consider that we will show a deficit at the end of the year of £5,000 as against £39,U09 last year, but we are confident that if we are given support, we will eventually get the tramway undertaking back to a paying basis. “Our recommendations are by no means our last word. The committee realises that its work has only just commenced, and we have yet to thoroughly inquire into the cost of -vorking. In saying this I do not indicate that we in any way criticise the man agement, but the committee and the management will co-operate in trying to discover anything that can be altered or remedied.”