The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-04-17
HOW THE TROLLEY EMPLOYES VIEW
 THE JITNEY BUS
Some of Them Fear Trolley Service Will Be Cut Down
 Regulation Advocated.

The advent of the jitney bus in Bridgeport in large numbers-Whi hich
 is expected in view of the thriving
 business these conveyances are do-|
 ing in Hartford. Waterbury. New Ha- ven and elsewhere in Connect1cut-ls
 among the employees of the Connecd-
 cut company.
 Some of the trolIeymen look to
 such inroads in the patronage of the
 trolley company that the car service
 will be reduced in consequence of
 which the number of trolley employees will be decreased. Others do not
 regard the advent of the bus with so
 much anxiety, but prefer to believe
 that the presence of the bus will
 stimulate the trolley company to ef- forts at more adequate service Cor
 the travelling public, meaning more cars and 1consequent1y an increase in
 the number of trolley employees.
 The views of W. D. Mahon, fnterna- tiona1 president of the Amalganated Association of the Street and Elec- trio Railway Employees of America, as embodied in his annual report, re reflected here by the officers of tho Bridgep ort local President Bernard l Flanagan, and other associates in the local, believe the jitney bus should be l under supervision of the city or state to such an extent that the travelling l public should be protected. in event of accident. The international or ganization advocates legislation to that end, and the local organization l is awaiting blank forms covering this l proposed legislation. These blanks are issued by fhe general executive board of the organization which con-
 cured in MT. Mahon's recommends tions.
 Bernard FTanagan, the president of | l jitney bus with the Farmer today. He
 said:
 'tAt the present time there are s25 | tro1Ieynaen in Bridgeport and vicinity 1 They are satisfied with their present working conditions Upon these men company those at the barns the power house, linemen and others
 amounting to about 100 steadily. In l the summer time there are still oth- l CTS, employed in the upkeep and bet l terment Of the roadbed. That means that there are approximately 1.50O people dependent for a livelihood upon the trolley system here.
 l We do not say that the jitney bus is not a good thing. It may be a very good thing. We don't know l Just yet. But what we be1feva IS that it is not fair that the public utiI- tiles commission should demand that II
 examinations before they are per-
 mitted to run trolley cars, while the 1 jitney bus operators are allowed to
 run practically with no supervision i I9whatever.
 l ssNo doubt this supervision will come. After an accident-and acci- dents are bound to come-the public
 will demand protection In the meantime, when operators of jitney sbusses are at liberty to run them at will. it is highly profitable. There l is no. requirement. Of a bond, no re- qutrement of insurance to protect the passengers in event of an accident,
 expesfye. But the public is entitled to this protection. When it is re- l quired by law. the jitney bus will l have to pay enough to meet these ex- penses as well as to give the owner l a profit. Then the jitney bus will
 not be so common, perhaps. as it is I now.
 -The Bridgeport trolleymen expect a rush of jftney buses here. and they believe there should be- absolutely no j delay in the enactment of such Iegis- 1 1ation as will make it reasonably safe 1 for travellers to patronize them.''
 I Here is the statement of the dnter-
 national president:
 I Jitney Bus.
 fl q am bringing to the attention Of
 your Board the question of the Jitney I Bus During the past six months I
 have received requests from a mum Il Der of our Local Divisions asking for advice and instruction as to how to deal with the Jitney Bus. For your
 infornation, the Jftney Bus is an au-
 tomobiIe operated by an individual for hauling passengers for a fve-cent fare.
 An individual owning an automobile
 picks out 2 route usually in competi-
 ton with the street car line and starts out hauling passengers for five cents.
 He has no specified route nor sched- ule but simply hauls where he can lcatch passengers for five cents apiece, making, of course, the shortest pos sib1e hau1s and running upon such
 routes as he can get the most passen- rI gers. In some places hundreds of aJI- tonobiles of this kind have been put
 into operation. From some places we have been asked why we didn't organ ize these people. It is not possible to organize the Jitney Bus under the system under which they are now op- erated by their owners and simply run upon such basis as they deem best | without any regulation of any kind, being strictly an individual business.
 ..The question now confronting our Il people is how to deal with it. Tn many
 places they are competing and injur- : ing the service and lessening the work of our people to a great extent. In my opinion the only way to deal with them is to insist upon the state or nnu- 5 nicipal government properly regulat ing them. The government has always
 assumed the right to regulate the car rying of passengers and hauling of } goods whatever the instrument of car riage might be. As these busses are now operated they have no fixed or tangible assets. There is no guaran- 5 tee for liabilities for personal injury 2 or otherwise, and I would recommend 7 that the Secretary of this Board be : instructed to prepare and $outline or dinances for the use of our local divis- } ions that would require the city au- } thorities to grant franchises and spec 1 fly the rates of fare, establish the routes to be operated upon and tc