The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-04-22
WANT ORDINANCE TO GO FlB
Owners of Jitneys Insist That All We
hicles Used For Hire Be Placed I'M
der the Rule of the City If License
is Demanded For Jitneys.

Jitney bus drivers are kicking.
They are declaring that the proposal
of members of the common council to
license them and put them under bonds
is discrimination against them and
they are insistent that if the iitney
bus is to be licensed that the same or
dinance must provide for the licensing
of the taxi-cabs and every other vehicle
in the city that is used as common
carrier. Members of the council have
not taken the suggestion of the jitney
owners unkindly and many of the coun-
Gil members have declared their will
ingpess to vote for an ordinance which
will provide license for all sorts of
vehicles which are offered for hire.
Regulation of taxi-cabs has been in
vogue in nearly all the cities of the
country and there is no reason why it
should not be used in Kenosha
The development of the iitney bust
ness has not only hit the street rail
way business but it is also putting a
mighty crimp into the business done
of these people are considering the
changing of their taxi-cabs into lit
neys. There is lot of difference be-
tween half dollar and a nickel and
a lot of people gha formerly used the
taAi-eaps bage found it lot cheaper
to use jitneys. The jitney drivers
are beginning to find that there is
profitable business in fhappening
along West Main street just about the
time the trains come in and many of
them are picking up large companies of
passengers at the railroad 1tation.
The business of the taxi-cabs and car
riages is being hit just as hard by the
jitneys as the business of the railway
company in the neighborhood of the
depot.
The suggestions of regular routes for
the jitneys will probably meet with
support. Members of the council
claim that the jitney is a misleading
vehicle. They claim that people re-
siding on the far west side and along
the route of the railway company have
sought to take the jitney bus to go to
the north side of the city only to find
that the terminal Of the jitney was
on Main street and that when they
wanted to go to Milwaukee avenue
they would be called upon to produce
another "jitney." The aldermen hold
that this is fooling the people out of
taking street car which would give
them a transfer to go the full length
of their journey. This is enc of the
things that is going to be regulated in
the ordinance which is to be prepared.
In Racine the jitneys are paying an
annual license of ten dollars and every
one of them is forced to display on the
car the route which its takes and the
limit of distance for a single fare.
The ordinance has worked we'll in Ra-
cine and the jitney drivers have &C.
lected certain routes which they fol-
low carefully. In nearly every case
the route of the jitney for the whole
trip over which a five cent fare is
charged is just about as long as any
of the trips made by the street rail
way cars.
Jitneys in Kenosha continue to at
tract big patronage, both from down
town and from the factory districts,
but it is charged that the jitney driv-
ers are overlooking their cars and that
a lot Of people are being put in jea-
jardy by the greed of the driver to
get few more fares than he has capa-
city to carry passengers.