Auckland’s Buses

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 518, 22 November 1928, Page 8

Auckland’s Buses

“STANDARDISATION 11 ESSENTIAL” B SYDNEY EXPERT’S OPINION “Standardisation of buses i first and principal rule in ru„* them successfully. One tbls-h" 5 impresses me is the lack of m*** 1 ardisation among the bu**, 4 ning in the Auckland street*,- r ®' 1 ' This statement was made to r Sun this morning by Mr. Frederick* Stewart, governing director ini proprietor of the Metropolitan (w bus and Transport Company 0 f ney, who is on a holiday visit to v Zealand. Mr. gtewart has the distir tion of being, individually, th e lam, consumer of petrol in the Sootil Hemisphere. He runs 85 buses Sydney, and is a believer in that kjof transport. “Much the same position has aria ! in Sydney that is now being n mounted In Auckland,” he said. > ■ the difference is that In Sydney , ( have between 500 and 600 buses *j. f a huge constituency. Our safety j. in this, and we cannot be treated ij ! cavalier fashion. “This lack of standardisation »a I evident in Sydney until a year or t, I: ago, but economic pressure forced a ' the smaller operators, and the stahJi; a tion of the industry was followed k standardisation of methods and eqni I ment. This has been in the interes I of everyone, and from the owne- ■ point of view- it has a beneficial eJe 1 right from the driver of tjie bus to t lowest hand in the garages. Of tt $ 85 buses I own, S 4 are of the sac j make and type.” Mr. Stewart is sceptical about * the running of buses on anything less than 18d a mile, and state that his own cost a fraction ovtr that. There are two men on each at k 5 buses, firstly because the New Som * Wales law makes it necessary, a-, j secondly because Mr. Stewart Is i ! believer in a bus standing for mint' at a time while drivers collect fart > Mr. Stewart estimates that a conduct: | costs about 2d a mile and is well wo-' it. NO COMPETITION Unrestricted competition is not out the things Mr. Stewart believes ii whether between bus and tram, or k and bus. In Sydney, where about £9,000,00 is involved in tramways, the buses rai on and beyond tram routes. A Trait port Bill is likely to be brought befon the Parliament this year, with a viet to harmonising the. tram, rail and b* services. At the 'moment buses, ei cept sight-seeing buses, are not i lowed nearer the city than the CentRailway Station, but there is a poer j bility of this restriction being lifte: to some extent. The trams are rai : by the Railway Commissioners, ta: j this is also likely to be altered, ani! j bus services merged with trams. !i addition there is considerable agira tion for the entire removal of trar. ways from the centre of the city. Touching on the tram v. bus con troversy, Mr. Stewart said this ti-world-wide, but the arguments wee mostly theoretical, as buses had net?: had an opportunity of trying to dea with peak loads in a large city, ffi own view was that when the citfc were flooded with tramcars at pea> hours they congested all traffic ac themselves as well, and lacked bo bility, so that buses might do quite s well. During his visit to Auckland m Stewart is discussing bus question with the Tramway Department, an j his knowledge and experience as . | highly successful operator will PC” : sibly be of benefit. “If I can help you at all, or lear* behind some fresh aspects, I skal- - very happy,” he remarked.