The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-28
THE MOTOR BUS
FOR CITY SERVICE
Proves to Be One Of the Most
Sensible Units OBJ
tainable.

The motor bus, the outgrowth Of the
American "jitney," with the adoption Of
osrtaIn principles Of the English omni-
hus. is growing In Importance as pub
h carrier. Its services are inter as well
=, mira urban. The responsibility and
lack of business methods of the pioneer
ciitney" operators has given way to the
carefully and efficiently conducted opera
lion of the motor bus of to-day. The lat
lar is as different from the "jitney" Of
ten years ago as the railroad of to-day
,s from the railroad of fifty years ago.
No longer Is there ignorant rate cutting,
inferior equipment and reckless opera
lion These features in recent times
have been in large measure completely
reversed.
Every new transportation agency
sooner or later meets antagonism from
the older transportation agencies. When
the subway was first proposed it was ar
xued that 1t would so materially decrease
the number of passengers using existing
public carriers as to make their operation
improbable. This argument has long
since been disproved. Now that
same argument has been advanced
against the motor bus Motor bus lines
are not direct competitors OF city's pub
lie carriers. Motor bus lines operate
over routes that have no other kind OF
public transportation and at rates whicn
until recently. we've double that Of a
citys ordinary public CARRIERS. The mo-
tor bus differs in so many respects from
the elevated train, the subway and the
surface car that. with its advantages,
il has come to stay.
What type of carrier could secure n
franchise to operate on such thorough
fares as Fifth avenue, Riverside Drive.
Seventh avenue or Fffty-seventh street
Of New York city? Certainly not an
electric surface car, for 1t would mean
laying tracks, a nuisance that would not
be tolerated. The motor bus permits
hundreds of thousands of persons to
utilize these streets both for business
and pleasure. where formerly they could
not, except possibly at considerable In
convenience or cost. These thorough
fares, which only few years ago were
used almost exclusively by those who
could afford a private or hired convey
ance, are now, through the medium of
the motor bus, conveniently and inexpen-
sively available to every one in the city.
The motor bus functions as efficiently az
the surface car. at the same time clint
mating the necessity OF tracks and noise
attendant to surface car operation.
When a car or train develops me-
chanical difficulty which prevents It's
further progress, all the succeeding cars
or trains are delayed until the disable
rar lie rQn1nuad Nnf
with the motor bus-a breakdown only
ties up the one bus. Succeeding buses
merely pass around the disabled bus
and the schedule suffers but little.
Surface cars. elevated trains and sub
way trains are immobile. When tracks.
upon which these carriers run, are laid
they become permanent fixtures. Lay
Ing tracks is not only expensive, but
keeps thoroughfares in an Impossible
condition for some. time. The track
once laid cannot be shifted to meet
changing conditions. Lines that are un
Profitable through lack of patronage
must, il they are discontinued, either
leave tteir tracks, considering them a
total loss, or go to the expense of
taking them up and restoring the
thoroughfare to its former condition
The motor bus is mobile. II something
should occur which shuts traffic of
from one or more blocks OF its Gus
tomary itinerary, the motor bus does
not suffer from the blockade; 1t merely
changes its normal course II after a
bus route is put into operation, the
operators find the line improbable they
can select another route, transfer theii
equipment and begin operation withlT
very short time. No essential and
expensive equipment is lost and per
sons living on the abandoned or neP
route are not inconvenienced by dis
figured or impossible streets.
As community develops its transpor
tation needs develop. The common cleo
trio carriers of our modern cities eitbel
under or over develop their service. over