The New York herald., 1878-12-20
Cheap Fares and Increased Profits

Cheap Fares and Increased Profits.
The people OF New York have good reason
to be satisfied with what has already been
accomplished in the way of rapid trausit
Energetic and capable business manage
ment was essential to its success, and this
has been secured in the case of both ee-
waited railroad companies, and has given
us within an incredibly short space OF time
two excellent roads.s The rapidity with
which the Sixth avenue line was pushed
forward as soon as the legal distractions
were removed is no less praiseworthy than
the determination with which the vexatious
hostile litigation was met and overcome.
When Mr.. Cyrus w. Field took control of
the Third avenue line it was felt that it's
energy and perseverance the world is in
debted for the ocean cables could not fail
to secure the triumph Of rapid transit. 1t
will be singular if the same business
efficiency that has swept away all doubts
and difficulties from the path of rapid
transit does not promptly discover how the
elevated roads may be made of the greatest
benefit to the people and the most re-
munerative to their owners.
The HERALD has always insisted that if
rapid transit is to be substantial public
advantage the fares must be SO low as to
enable the poorer classes to use the roads
freely. These people cannot afford to pay
ten cents fare. They can manage to pay
five cents; but if they travel Mt that low
rate now they are confined to two hours in
the morning and two in the evening, and
are subjected to the delays, discomforts and
inconveniences resulting from overcrowded
trains. If rapid transit is to be real boon
reform in our tenement house system the
fare must be reduced to five cents at all
hours Of the day. Enough is known to
make it certain that this low rate of fare
will yield increased profits 10 the COM
panies MS well as increased advantages to
the community.
The reports of the street railroad COM
panies for the present year show that rapid
transit has not as yet materially affected
their traffic. This is due to two facts-frst,
that the elevated roads are not completed
to Harlem, and next, that the fare, except
for tour hours day, is double that of the
horse cars. The Sixth avenue street rail-
road carried only 60O,0OO passengers less
this year than last. Placing this loss wholly
to the six months during which the Metro
politan Railroad has been in operation, it
amounts to about seven per cent on the half
years travel The Third avenue horse car
line carried 300, 600 passengers less this
year than last. Allowing the entire
decrease to have occurred during the
three months of Third avenue rapid transit,
it is only about four per cent Of the three
months travel. The Sixth avenue elevated
road carried in six months Z, 600, 600 pas
sengers. The Sixth avenue horse cars
carried in the same six months 1900, 600
passengers. In three months the Third
avenue elevated road carried about 3, 800, 900
passengers, while the Third avenue horse
cars carried in the same period 100000.
In both cases sixty per cent Of the horse
car travel would have been taken by the
elevated roads if the fare on the latter
had been five cents instead Of ten,
and this alone would have largely in
creased the receipts of both the rapid
transit lines, without calculating the extra
percentage the low rate would have drawn
from other horse car lines. The fare being
equal, no person of common sense doubts
that the main body of travel would 60 to
the rapid transit roads in preference to the
horse cars. The idea prevails that people,
and especially ladies, riding ten or twenty
blocks do not care to mount the elevated
railroad stairs. This Is an error. Ladies
would rather ascend the stairs than stand
at crosswalks and dodge horses in the road.
The difference in fare alone keeps short
travel to the surface lines.
The belief that the elevated roads would
the horse car passengers If the fare should
be made five cents is based upon figures
and facts.
/. The Metropolitan Elevated Company
has averaged it's daily receipts in six groups
OF hours for November last, which affords
fair basis of calculation for both roads.
These figures show that during November,
1872, 6G4 passengers rode at five cents fare in
l0i hours, while 763, $50 passengers-onl
little more than one-third in excess of the
fiye-cent passengers rode at ten cents fare
in 377 or nearly four times as many-hours.
2. The Sixth avenue and Third avenue
horse cars no longer run overcrowded from
| $50 to 7:30 A. M. or from to 7P. M. 1t is