New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-02
THE JITNEY BUS.
Its Failure as a Competitor with the
Trolley Car.


70 the recent mushroom growth Of the "jitnsv
bus" Even the name has been coined "a.
hand and is still indefinite in scope. II IA
applied unfortunately either to auto bus.,
or TO itinerant automobiles carrying pssssr.
gers for scent fare, although the latu,
application Is becoming the most common
one. The expression "jitney" is said 10 have
originated In the South, where IL is used a
term for a scent piece. Later il beesns
popularized through its introduction into
the picturesque slang Of the side shov
barker.
Six months ago the jitney bus was hsrdy
known outside Of its place OF origin los
Angeles. To-day the name is likened BY
some alarmists to the death knell Of the elee.
trio railway industry, and it must be az
mitted that it may temporarily do a gres.
deal Of damage if it is permitted to cor.
tinue along the reckless lines Of its be.
ginning.
OF course, the fact that the automobile |,
inherently a more expensive means Of con.
veyance than the electric car insures the
ultimate end Of any competition between
the two, but the opportunity for the unrega.
lated autobus 10 compete with the railway
only on those streets whose highly prohtsbls
short haul traffic pays the expense Of opss.
ating improbable suburban lines may IN
volve losses that are really serious The
problems of increased accidents and tran.
congestion are also serious, and since tee
wave Of jitney buses has swept over the
country one vital fact has become apparent
This is, that regulation by law can be aal
should be applied.
From the standpoint Of the street railway
operator the justification for this regulation
is found in the broad fact that the stree.
railway submits to really serious burdens
for the public benefit. The jitney ignores
them. This is perhaps best explained By
quoting from a recent statement by the
American Electric Railway Association, Is
follows:
Communities are apt to forget the bens.
fits which are received from electric rail.
way operation and which are not received
from jitney' bus operation. Included Ia
these are the payment Of very large amount
in taxes and in other public charges, extern
sive contributions toward the cost of paving,
the maintenance Of improbable lines neees-
sary to civic development, the maintenance Of
fixed routes and fixed schedules and seryies
uninterrupted so far as possible by weather
conditions, the investment of a large sum Of
money in the equipment necessary to take
care of the demands during the time OF ex-
traordinary travel, the provision Of comfort
able and safe cars, properly lighted and
suited to the varying conditions Of the sea.
sons, the system of transfers, whereby the
revenues of the company are. largely re-
duced, in order that transportation may be
furnished to all parts Of the city, its fnan-
cial responsibility for the damages resulting
from the accidents, its submission &c, the
control of the regulatory bodies as 70 eapl-
talization, rates and service, and, above all
the fact that very heavy percentage Of its
income i. returned to the community in the
shape Of taxes, public charges, wages, pay
ment for supplies and other items.
Every obligation placed upon the electric
railway has been so placed by the repre-
sentatives of the people in the interest Of
the people. 1t is for the public 10 decide
whether the jtney, being a common carrier,
should not assume the obligations of a COM
mon carrier"
If this were done the jitney would soon
disappear, because statistics from cities
where the jitney movement has been most
prominent show that even a hard rain will
drive them from the street.
Naturally, the total loss Of earnings to the
street railway industry is indeterminate until
such time as definite statistics can be
obtained from the traction companies in
every city in the country. In general how
ever, the receipts of each jitney bus seem
to be about six dollars day, although gross
earnings as high as twelve dollars have been
reported in some cases. Practically all OF
the receipts are withdrawn directly from
the street railway earnings, as the jitney
bus can operate only by keeping its seats
filed and therefore has to stick TO routes
where heavy travel has been built up by tho
street railways. In fact, there is only one
instance on record where the jitneys have
tried to develop travel along new routes. this
being the case in Toledo, where the three
cent streetcar fare keeps the jitney away
from the railway lines.
The cost of operating jitney is dependent
upon the mileage which the bus makes, but
as this has been found to average approxi-
mately 100 miles a day, the direct cost
may be said to range between SO and 81
per day. This figure includes only cur
rent repairs, tires and gasolene and oil.
The invisible expense involved on account Of
interest on the investment, depreciation on
the car, insurance, overhead charges, incl
dentals and the like amounts to about 80
per cent more, so that the real cost Of opera
ton is between 81 and $40 per day This
leaves only a sum ranging from 50 down to
so cents per day to pay the wages for the
driver and the profits for the owner Of the
car. OF course, in many cases it is less.
The explanation of the movement can be
summed up in few words. The extraor-
binary decrease in cost of the automobile
has put it within the reach of large class
Of people who are absolutely unfamiliar with
business problems and who cannot grasp the
principle of overhead charges, depreciation
and similar invisible costs. By neglecting
these the jitney operator deceives himself
into thinking that the business is profitable;
but after few months of operation, when
the invisible charges begin TO take tangible
form, he drops out. only to be replaced by
some one with less experience. This has been
shown clearly in most Of the cities where
the jitneys have been running six months or
long enough TO wear themselves out