Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1915-03-19

door in the form of possibilities of light
car, or 'jitney bus transportation, for the
reason that prices at which automobiles
sell over there and the cost of upkeep put
the light car out Of competition. About
the cheapestlight car fitted for 'jitney work
abroad would cost the operator $l,750.
Gasoline costs fully double in London what
1t does in this country in wholesale way,
because in addition to the cost of trans
portation from the distant countries in
which it is produced there is tax of 6
cents gallon upon gasoline used in pleas
ure cars and 8 cents gallon for that used
in taxicabs, omnibuses, and for CONNER
cial purposes.
But the important point which promises
cheap and satisfactory transportation to
the American public is the wonderful
strides which have been made in this
country in the construction of good, ser
viceable automobiles at only about half
the price at which they can be produced
abroad. This means more to the 'jitney'
business than might at first be supposed,
when one thinks only Of first cost or the
original investment carried as a fixed
charge.
"Such concerns as the Overland, which
places before the public high grade car at
minimum price, also furnishes the user
requirements at CORRESPONDENCE low cost
But this is still not all. To replace worn
or broken part upon a car made by the
methods which are employed in factory
such as ours is comparatively inexpen-
| sive operation, because such parts must
necessarily be interchangeable in order to
permit these cars to be manufactured at
such low prices"
Mr.. WHY'S is of the opinion that manu-
facturers of moderate priced cars will soon
be turning their attention to the produc-
ton of special type Of automobile which
will serve better than the standard touring
car used today for jitney purposes. At
present the jitney service makes splendid
outlet for secondhand cars and promises
to solve a most complicated problem for
the automobile industry
Here it is in Portland, Me-.
THE "JTTNEYS" ARE HERE.
A "jitney" is nickel.
A '.jitney bus" carries passengers along
a given route for cents.
This bus runs on Congress street from
Munjoy Hill to Union Station.
You step from the curbing directly into
the jitney bus. The jitney stops in front
of any store or place along its route you
may desire, and you step directly onto the
curbing again.
No mud, no fuss. no delay-the quickest
way.
Signal the driver. pay your fare and an.
nounce your stopping place as you enter
JlTNEY BUS co.
Orders for $4,000 worth of jitney buses
were received during the past week by the
Thomas B. Jeffrey Company. Among these
was one for ten twenty-passenger motor
buses for the Universal Bus and Taxi Com.
|
pany for the Panama exposition at Sar
Francisco. These buses are built on thu
l 1-2-ton Jeffrey standard chassis. and tn,
bodies were all made in the Jeffrey shops
at Kenosha, just outside of Chicago. They
have feet clearance inside. so that even
tall man will not be afraid of damaging
his high hat while taking his seat.
A favorite jitney bus model is the tel
to twelve passenger bus that was designed
and built by the Thomas B. Jeffrey Com
pany for running between the works anC
the hotels and depots in Kenosha. De
spite the fact that this bus works six day
a week, So weeks year, it has never we
missed train. During the sixteen months
it has been in service not cent has beef
spent in repair on the body, while the re
pair cost on the chassis has been less thai
one-third of a cent mile.
Even as the horse street railway ser
vice gave way to the electric car service
so the electric street railway service will
in great measure give way to the auto
mobile" says H. H. Franklin. president o
the Franklin Automobile Company.
Continuing. Mr.. Franklin said: "As crud
as may be the jtney automobile bus ser
vice which is taking the cities of the coun
try by storm, it is the beginning of erea
and radical change in the transportation
Fight it as they may, the street railwa,
interests cannot stop the growth of tn
jitney service.
THE service has come to stay, and tn
rapid development of public AUTOMOBILE
transportation during the next five year
will be another wonder in the marvelou
progress of the automobile.
while at the present time the jitne,
bus is an old automobile, it will not b
long before cars beautifully adapted to tn
service will appear.
THE service will not be confined t
cities. 1t will eventually cover the coun
try from city to village and village to city
as do the interurban railways.
THE development of the jitney servic
cannot be stopped, because it is going t
be quicker, more convenient and in the lon
run cheaper"