The Washington times., 1919-11-12
STREET CARS
CARRY FEWER
Figures Show Heavy Falling Off
OF Passengers, But Some
Increase In Gross Revenue.
By BILL PRICE.

The first weeks operation OF Wash
ington's street railway system under
the present schedule OF fares shows
considerable decrease in the number
OF revenue passengers hauled. and an
increase in gross revenues collected.
The figures, too, fail to indicate that
the increased gross revenues will
reach anywhere near the total which
the Public Utilities Commission
thought II was allowing when II is
sued the order increasing fares to Z
cents cash or four tickets for 25 cents.
The Commission, for instance, made
calculations on the basis Of allowing
the Washington Railway and Electric
Company $3.50, 900 more each year, that
the company might earn the per
cent IL is entitled to under valuation
nndings of s1s,1o0.000 made by the
i Commission
- The first week of operation under
the new rate schedule would Indicate
= that unless there is a material in
crease in revenue passengers in the
hsure, the company's yearly increase
viii be about s+46,0oo. or half the
amount the commission intended IL
should have
The W. r. and z. looms up some
better than the Capital Traction, hav-
ing sustained a smaller percentage Of
losses in the total number OF pas
sengers hauled
Figures Tell the story,
But the figures themselves will tell
the Story:
In the last seven days of October.
under scent cash fare with 2-cent
transfers, the Washington Railway
and Electric hauled / ,6s1, ass revenue
FRA fS
gross revenues for that period were
s9o-2s2. which does include revenues
from transfers.
In the first week OF November, un-
der the present fare, the company
hauled 1.545.22s passengers from
whom cash or ticket fares were OBJ
sained, and the total revenue was
SOS. SOS.
There was falling on of 13s, ,22T,
or 81 per cent. and an increase In
gross revenues Of ss,5s6, or 9h Der
cent
The Capital Traction hauled 1,721,-
80 revenue passengers during the
last seven days OF October, and OBJ
tained gross revenues OF s91. $50.
In the frst seven days Of November
that company hauled I.515,295 passen-
gers and the Gross revenues were
tW,sl4. or an increase in revenue of
90 per cent
- The loss in passengers hauled in one
week by the w. R and z was 13s. 227.
and the Capital Traction, 206, ,55I.
AT least one consolation to the w.
A- and e Is that its total number of
revenue passengers carried in the drst
veek or October was greater than the
CAPITAL Traction by about 10000.
Both companies are hauling more
passengers than at the same time last
year, but both are operating more
CARS The Influenza was in full svay
.,.fn Washington at this time last vear
The number OF Passengers and the
\ Nvenues fell OF heavily Motormen
and conductors fen i'll with the dis
ceAse. and cars operated dwindled ma
herially.
On November IL, 1918, a. an ex-
ample. the maximum number of car.
perated by the W. r. & e was 307.
yesterday the total operated on that
me was ISL. The operating expenses
naturally were heavier yesterday.
An Interesting phase of the trans
fer situation is a large increase in the
umoer of free transfers issued to
Ylntra-company passengers, showing
that where transfers are free the pub
be accepts them literally.
Causes of Decrea.ed Traffic.
OplnlOn OF OFFICIALS
of both railway companies is that the
large falling off in passengers carried
Is due to short-hauI passengers TAX
ing to their feet, and refusing to pay
the increased fare. This has been the
experience In every city in the coun-
try following increased railway fares
Just how long this situation will con-
tinue. Washington railway men are
unable TO predict. They think that
70 some extent later on there will be
an increase. Men and women now
xngered by the increase again NAV
get the riding habit and help to
swell revenues, but experience else
where has demonstrated thatsa large
percentage Of people who get the
walking habit stick TO it, Just what
The strikers" may do later will be
reflected in the operating figures a
month or so from this time.
Unless the gross revenues of the
W. r. and T.. show betterment thar
company may feel IL necessary again
20 ask that the Utilities Commission
make good its s per cent return on
valuation. by providing further rev
enues from some source. Instead Of
$3.50. 900 a year increase the figures
! now indicate. as stated, $4,000
| IL also had been expected that the
gross revenues of the Capital Trac
ton would be swelled somewhere
close to 100000 a year; but on the
preliminary showing of the nrst
week. the increase would be about