The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-10
THE MOTOR OMNIBUS IDEA
y SHOULD BE FURTHERED
The Twelfth of Series of Articles on Motor Truck
Cost and Performance Written for Business
Men by an Expert.
By GEORGE w. cRUpP.

Tho natural born enemy of the street
railway company Is the motor omnibus.
This for tho reason that II 10 less ex-
pensive to operate than an elactric rail-
way In that there is no necessity of
having to maintain roadbeds. power
houses tracks. &C.
A new opportunity Is bound to knock
At the motor omnibus idea II the rail-
ways are granted their passenger fare
Increase This will place the motor
omnibus In still better position to
compete with the railways.
Opportunity has knocked on the door
o.. the motor omnibus idea within the
last few weeks. / refer to the Increase
granted to the railroads for passenger
trafio Why not operate motor omni-
buses for intercity service on a far
larger scale than Ia already being done?
In the State OF California this latter
idea has taken fast hold within the last
few years, until to-day there are scores
Of lines operating out of most Of the
big centres to the smaller ones. Some of
these lines run over 100 miles.
During the war railroads have cut
down their passenger service to give
greater attention to the much needed
freight tonnage. This has necessitated
a longer wait for some people who were
Then. too, a lot OF them stay at home
because they could not see their way
clear to make the Journey with the in
crease in fare All of this automatically
suggests that the motor truck should be
brought into play Why not7 Motor
trucks can easily be made into motor
onnibuses.
One Of the first questions one inter-
ested in the idea will ask is: What will
y cost TO operate motor omnibus line7
For this reason the writer sought out the
cost figures of the Fifth Avenue Coach
Company.
Perhaps the frst great motor omni-
bus line in this country is the Fifth
Avenue Coach Company of New York
city. To-day. beyond doubt It is the
strongest and biggest line OF its kind In
the United States. Ever since II first
began to do business. way back in 1887.
first with horse driven omnibuses. It has
never once let the idea OF getting the
maximum results at the minimum cost
OF time, labor and money get away from
Il. Its fleet Of ia omnibuses twenty
Eve road scrapers, three sandshakers
and extra eouiprnent are housed in an
excellent garaee on East 1oad street
iust few hundred feet from Fifth ave-
nue. This structure, which occupies a
u
Of $4,000 square feet. Is of the steel
frame TYNE with reinforced concrete
floors. Extraordinarily large elevators
carry the buses from floor to floor
without going into the detail OF the
euuinnent OF the garage II will suffice 70
gay that thew have everv possible appli-
ance TO make every kind OF repair. In
fact. thew build their omnibuses ther-
selves. After one makes a detai'ed stndv
Of come OF the figures which Will follow
one can gather the kinds/of men they
EMPLOY and the many departments they
must have in their garage.
One OF the most rigidly enforced rules
OF the company is to never leave car
out which has not been thoroughly
cleaned and which Is not in good renair
They believe that an ''ounce OF proven
ton IL worth more than pound OF
cure"
All OF the omnibuses run on a sched-
ule. This schedule Is changed four times
year. As a careful check Is kept Of the
trafic. these schedules are changed to
suit the prevailing conditions.
All OF the omnibuses are heated by
engine exhaust pipe radiators during the
winter months. BY means OF storage
batteries the cars are lighted The In.
teriors OF the buses have every appear
nnce OF an up TO date street car Fifty.
Seven Of these buses have been in con-
tinuous operation since 1905. twenty-fouI
tince 1919, thirty-one since 1914. Ave
fince 1915. twenty-seven since 1918 and
thirty-two since 1917 One hundred and
three OF these are able to carry from
th!rty-four TO forty-four passengers and
seventy-one from forty-five to forty-nint
passengers. It may be OF interest e
state that 22.0so.764 passengers were
carried during 1861 Here are some
os the figures according to the lates'
available state Public Service Commits.
sion report:
GENERAL EXPENSES
Per Per