The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-05-19
OF THE
 JITNEY BUS
Data Collected on It's Opera
 tion in 138 Cities.

Reports rece1Ve0- rom 1SS clC1eS representing forty-five states and in- cIuding eight of the principal cities of Canada by the Fidelity Trust com pany of Baltimore Md, indicate that jitneys are in operation in 106 of the 138. Of these 106 cities, at the pres ent time, ten report that the number of jitneys in operation is decreasing Of the thirty-two cities reporting no jitney service at the present time, seven report that the jitney appeared but was discontinued because it proved unprofitable or as a, result of an unfavorable public sentiment re- flected in the adoption ofg ordinances for it's regulation.
 The Fidelity Trust company col lected al arge amount of data on the jitney in various cities and submitted this to Sanderson & Porter engineers and contractors, of New York. In remarking on this data, the engineers say that the rapid growth of the jit- ney appears to have resulted, in part, from a drop in price of second hand automobiles, and, in part, from depressed business conditions and lack of employment. The latter causes have influenced many autono- bile owners. to endeavor to utilize their cars in some income-pro manner at more or less irregular in tervals; but chiefly in rush hours. The novelty, informaIfty and speed or mo- tor transportation appeal to and di- vert many street railway passengers. -. The jitney is most apt to pros- per in 3. locality having mild climate -weIl-paved streets, few hills, many cheap second hand autom obi1es and a number of people lacking regular employment.
 The jitney first appeared in the west, Its development west of the Mississippi has been more general and the business has reached greater proportions there than in other sec tions of the country, due to the local western cities. Reports indicate that the jitney business in these cities has l already passed it's zenith and is now on the decline.
 "A conclusion recently expressed in
 one of the leading technical papers 1 is to the effect that the life of the l jitneX movement is going to be meas
 ured not only by the ultimate life of | the machines as was originally 1 thought but rather by the number of
 drivers who can be induced to enter l the jitney service
 ''It is becoming recognized that if
 the jitney is to survive 1t must pay I its proportion of taxes and street l maintenance; also that the owner or l operator should be made responsible
 for accidents and damages and be re- l quired to furnish a, substantial bond 1 or liability policy and procure a H-
 cense. Other suitable restrictions 1 must be adopted, varying with local tcon nditions, in order to facilitate traf- | fic> and provide safe adequate and
 satisfactory transportation. l Public service comnissi ons and nuni- | cipahties will be unable to enforce 1 adequate regulation or secure satis- l factory transportation service while
 free jitney competition is permitted. uch competition, if allowed. must 1 result in decreased street railway
 earnings and. consequently, the cities ! will lose much of the income which l they now receive from the street rail
 ways in the form of taxes upon earn 1 tngs, franchise payments and paving costs. Street railway franchises will also, in many cases, have to be re- cast on a basis less favora ble to the
 municipalities and to the public, if
 unregulated competition is allowed. l "A review of the situation in it's entirety demonstrates that despite
 widely varying conditions in different
 communities, electric railway earn ings have shown unusual stability
 The Fidelity Trust company in its
 summary, says that the jitney seems
 to be the product of the west and thai
 it is said that the first jitney appear ed in Oakland, Cal With a view of ascertaining if the jitney has caused an increase in the demand for light
 cars, letters were sent to several man ufacturers. The general sentiment was expressed in a letter received
 from the sales manager of a promi-
 nent company, who said: ''So far il
 hasn't had any appreciabIe effect up-
 on the demand for light cars Its principal benefit has been derived b2 1 dealers who had secondhand cars tc
 sell, and the writer personally is o1 sthe opinion it is a proposition that cannot have any permanent effect or the light car business. As to whether l or not a profit can be made on a B. ) cent fare depends upon the 1engtE = of the haul, the character of thu streets or roads and the number o1
 passengers per mile that can be se
 cured"
 The jitney owners in Atlanta, Ga. are opposing a regu1at1ve city ortli-
 nance. EsR ~fe4aA 144tAeAk t9 he