Pennies in Demand

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 165, 3 October 1927, Page 8

Pennies in Demand

Revised Tramway Sections Thrifty Passengers Scent a Saving THRIFTY tram passengers can already scent a saving in the penny-fare system, which was introduced yesterday. By leaving the incoming tram at St. Paul s or the Town Hall, the city worker can save one penny every morning, and enjoy a downhill stroll into the business area. Scores did this to-day.

it thus loses the last seetion in the morning, the Tramway Department is unlikely to suffer a corresponding loss at night. After a day’s work, even the most frugalminded will find that an uphill walk, particularly to St. Paul’s, loses its charm.

But the Town Hall stopping-place will undoubtedly be popular with outward travellers from the upper end of the city area, and large numbers will board the trams, as well as leave them from that point. The introduction of the penny fares has meant wholesale readjustments, and a vast amount of reorganisation. The comparative calm of Sunday traffic was chosen as an excellent opportunity for giving both the tramwaymen and the public a passing familiarity with the new system. Before that the conductors, on whom the burden of the rearrangement chiefly falls, had been amply schooled in the processes to be followed, and a comprehensive set of instructions had been issued to each man.

Most passengers yesterday had entirely overlooked the fact that October

2 was to be the dawn of the new era, and almost as a body they expressed frank surprise when only one penny a section was asked of them. This morning a different set of people boarded the trams. The re-

gular traveller has an eye to his pocket, and in September had spent an occasional happy moment in contemplation of the new era. It was he. and his kind, who left the trams at St. Paul's and the Town Hall this morning. OLD ORDER CHANGED Of this hardened breed were two ladies who subjected a conductor to verbal castigation when he declined to comply with their suggestion that the first penny section extended from Lower Queen Street to the Khyber Pass. Other conductors, absentmindedly handing back one penny instead of two, were reminded by petulant patrons that the old order had changed. Round Ponsonby way the art of missing a section has been rapidly acquired. Many made haste to Three Lamps, there boarding College Hill cars —twopence into town. Others, also from Three Lamps, left the Ponsonby cars at St. Matthew’s, and in the glory of a penny saved walked on air for the remainder of the distance. Conductors said, at midday to-day, that they could already notice the larger number of casual travellers over shorter distances. They view with favour the new “red diamond” penny ticket, issued for the first section out on all routes. This ticket does not have to be punched. “Please tender correct change,” is the fervent appeal made by the conductors, who do not relish the prospect of heavy dealings in copper. In view of the inevitable readjustments the department has taken the opportunity to restore the strength of its inspection staff, and has appointed nine new Inspectors, so that it will now be able to keep seven inspectors engaged on each of the two daily shifts. An Inspector’s salary is about £3OO a year, and the department claims that its further outlay is justified by the enormous amounts now handled on the trams. Each conductor hands In from £5 to £lO a day, and if each man was only threepence out the department would lose £1,370 a year. UNUSED CONCESSION CARDS

The concession card system. Is affected by the change of sections, and this morning swarms of people attended the Tramway Office to claim refunds on now useless concession cards issued under the former system. New cards were dispatched to agents some days ago, but a large number of people had not used all the spaces on their old cards, and this morning they eagerly claimed the cash equivalent of the balance.