Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1891-07-27
,Bus Riding in London.


Such a heavy. slow-going, cumbersome
vehicle as the London omnibus could not
be used on our rough-and- tumble roads
1t is poorly ventilated, if you can call it
ventilated, for the windows are closed and
are immovsble. The only means of venti-
lation is by the door, in the rear, near
which everybody tries to get. As fast as
the choice seats near the door are vacated
they are occupied by the less fortunate
passengers, and the last conner is always
obliged to take the worst place, which is
nearest the front But in fine weather a
man never gets inside while there is a va
cant seat on top. And it is no strange
sight to see women occupying outside seats
to escape the sitting air inside.
The buses do not confine themselves to
the middle of the roadway and allow pas
sengers to pick and fight their way through
a crowd of vehicles, New York-like; they
pull up to the curb to allow passengers to
enter or leave without the least possibility
of danger or trouble. Conductors will al
SO leave their perch, approach the sidewalk
to consult or advise with prospective pas
senger who is in doubt as to which bus he
| they are not in such a rush or whirl of ex-
| citment as we are. Whether from the ex-
| cessive competition or from some other
| cause 1 know not; 1 do know the public
| servants in England are much more civil
| and polite than they are in this ''free"
| country.
There are rules which control London
| omnibuses. and these it is the duty of the
| police to strictly inforce. a bus is licensed
| and allowed to carry only so many passen-
gers, and this license or limit must be
| posted on a conspicuous part of the vechi
| Gle. The majority are licensed to carry
twenty-siI passengers; twelve inside and
i fourteen outside"
| The buses make special stops at certain
| points of their route and these seem very
| long and prove tedious to one who is in a
hurry; but if your time is very valuable
| you would never take bus. They are not
| allowed to stop when near or nearing these
| special stopping places, not even If a pas
| senger expresses desire to alight. / re-
| member once, Just for information, asking
| the driver to stop in the middle of Trafal
gar square, just as we were passing Mel
sons monument, on the way to the Strand,
| city-wsrd. "Well," said the polite but
uneducated Jehu, ''you can't expect me to
get four-shilling summons for a penny
fare, can you" meaning that if he pulled
up where 1 indicated he would be sum-
moned the next day on the complaint of a
vigllant "bobby" and be obliged to pay
four shillings for accommodating me.
In American street cars or omnibuses q
1 passenger who rides only a few blocks
helps to pay the fare of the man who rides
the full length of the road, for the charge
to both is the same. 1t is not 80 (mis)
managed in England. The charge there is
by distance, about one penny two cents) q
mile. There are two or three lines of ON
nibuses whose only fare is half penny lone
cent?. One line runs between Westmin-
ster bridge and Trafalgar square, and they
pick up no passengers between the two
passengers, and there are no outside seats.