The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-20
FIFTH AVE. MOTOR
| BUS 13 YEARS OLD
Mechanical Motive Power Sue
ceeded Horses in 1906 and
Brought New Era.

Fifth Avenue" belongs not only to
New York city but to the entire United
States. The story Is told that in the
carly days Of the millionaire exclusive
ness Of this famous boulevard ali public
| vehicular traffic was forbidden and
stringent restrictions In property leases
| did everything possible 10 keep the pub
lie away from the "quiet avenue of
homes" II was a great concession. made
| only after many years of discussion that
one passenger-carrying omnibus sys-
tenn was permitted SO that the rich
mans servants might go to and from
| church.
These omnibuses were permitted to
run only q very limited distance. from
Washington square to Central Park,
during certain restricted hours, and I'M
der no other circumstances. Nor was
| any other omnibus line ever to be per-
mitted to intrude. Tradesmen's vehicles
could not use Fifth avenue after 10
o'clock in the morning.
So recent was this state of affairs
that It Is we'll within the memory OF
men still in their forties." In fact this
was the Fifth Avenue of 1895. when the
Fifth Avenue Transportation Company,
Ltd, became bankrupt and It's entire
| stock was sold for $10,500 to Ward
corporators and directors OF the new
company and transferred all his right,
for $4,000 in cash and shares, to the
Fifth Avenue Coach Company, now rum
ming all the Fifth Avenue buses
To-day this company is one of the
biggest dividend paying organizations in
existence anywhere; that is, for those
original stockholders who were given
shares in the new company. Its assets
fhran lNI-
lars. and its revenue for the year totals
like amount, while its passenger car
rying monopoly of Fifth avenue is al
most beyond price.
Fifth avenue Is the most unique thor
oughfare in the world, with traffic con-
tinuously busy day and night through
out the year.
be successful from the moment It gave
UP the horse drawn omnibuses and
adopted motor buses OF ths double deck
type as used in London.
Its first motor bus was used July
-. 1906.
BY 1916 the company had grown so
that 1t was operating over 1856 motor
buses daily over its various routes.
Each motor bus then averaged eighty
eight miles a day, total for the year
being nearly five million miles (49Ol,-
1880. In 1916 these buses carried six
teen and quarter million passengers
and the fares, at ten cents each,
amounted to $1,622,3O4.2O
For the year ending June 80. 1918,
the gross revenue was s2,654,45747. OF
which S43.0s9.S7 was for private bus"
hire and advertising privileges. The
total number OF omnibus miles for the
same period was 7.740,S26, an increase
In the year of 1,s97.774 miles
Now. In the spring of 1919, the phe-
nomenal growth Is still continuing day
by day. Although thirty-five million
passengers were carried in 1918 (the
total number Of motor buses varies daily
as new ones are put into operation, and
old ones scrapped). the feet Of 239 buses
was crowded daily to utmost capacity
There are few corners anywhere along
Fifth avenue or Riverside Drive that
have not passengers waiting for a ride.
In fact, the buses do not meet one-third
of the public demand on week days and
are hopelessly overcrowded on week ends
and holidays.
Fifth avenue Is not only the avenue
OF fashion" with its beautiful show
windows of Americas best stores, with
It's palatial homes OF multi millionaires,
and Its Central Park with all the nat
ural beauty and freshness Of the coun-
try, but It also teens with ever chang
Ing human interest and pleasure
Fifth avenue is no longer the exeIu-
sive avenue OF the rich. to be used only
by them. but II Is the most popular ave-
nue. In the world. full OF romantic and
historical interest
There Is a sayingS What Fifth ave-