The Washington times., 1915-02-15
FORESEES GROWTHOF
J|TNEY BUS SERVICE
Texas Enthusiast Declares
Every Eastern City Will Take
Up Situation.

Before the end of next fall every
large city in the United States will have
growing jitney bus service, predicts
Douglas w. King. vice president Of the
Automobile Transit Company, of Fort
Worth, Tex. which is now operating
thirty-five jitney buses in that city.
Mr.. King is on the last lap of an ex-
tended trip through the East and South.
made with a view to installing a jltney
bus service in twenty-five or thirty of
the largest Of the Southern cities, and
will return to Texas the latter part of
this week.
The Jitney bus Is here to stay.
Know of no one who has made a more
thorough study of the situation than I.
ana both my experience and observation
Cohnrm that opinion" said Mr.. King.
Gasolene transportation bears the same
relation to the street car that the inter-
urban line bears to the steam road.
ana there 1s no more danger OF the jit-
ney bus putting the street car out Of
ius.ness iines ss, than there is Of the interuroan
ines sending the steam trains to the
scrap heap. Each has its place.
Light Car Suitable.
On account of the low operating ex-
pense. I believe the light car to be the
only one feasible for jitney bus service
The cost for tires and fuel is less than
for a heavier car.
I'm Fort Worth, we have found that
the running expenses Of car. including
the pay of the driver, is IS a day. To
earn this much and a margin of profit
besides, a passenger cannot be carried
within that distance. If a car can get
anything near a capacity load for two
hours In the morning, two at noon and
three IN the afternoon it can make
-. What do you think Of the feasibility
OF jitney bus service in Washington u
Mr. King was asked.
MY knowledge of Washington is lin
,;si. ited to what ! have learned as a casual
visitor; but you can put me on record
as making this prediction" was his an
swer. Before the end Of next fall there
VIII be growing jitney bus service in
every large city Of the United States
But that does not mean that every
man that starts it will make a success
You could not deny that the dry goods
BUSINESS Is success, and vet lots Of
men that go into that business fail. So
q man that goes into this service must
know what he is doing. He must know
how to keep his costs down, and how to
give service that will draw and hold
patronage.
"Red Riding Hood"
ny next year you will find. | think.
mat In most cities there are at least
TWO companies operating scent auto
mobile service. This will prevent anv
monopoly of the business, and will do
much to insure good service and low
,ates. / think that/i will eventually
re broadened to include q parcel de.
livery for merchants,
vehcle?' ''s'
Most assuredly. OF course the inno-
Nation is so recent that no cities ara
prepared TO regulate 1t at first. In
tort Worth. we took out the usual auto
mobile license for our machines, and
went ahead. But last week an ordinance
was introduced in the council which
provides especially for this class of ser.
Nirc; l think that a certain percentage
nf the receipts Of the jitney buses ought
10 go to the city to be used in street
repairs
While in Washington Mr.. King was
the guest of DR.. and Mrs. Charles p,
Hranfield. Conduit road and w street
while in Detroit last week he had an
lnierview with Henry Ford.
The Automobile Transit COMPANY
started the scent service In Fort Worth
on January 2. with twenty cars. The
next week they added ten more, and
the next week another five. Other ma
chimes are run by individual drivers,
and to distinguish its own cars the for
mer company has painted the hoods of
all It's cars a brilliant red. Its slogan
Is. Look for the Little Red Riding
Hood"