The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-04-30
BUSES DRAW MILLIONS
FROM LONDON'S SUBWAYS
By Austin West,
Omitted Press STAFF Correspondent

London, April 3O.-Millicns Of
Londoners start weekend trips these
days, using the greatest citys great
test transport systematic omnibuses
Everyone scrambles to find seat cor
top" .-..-.......-. . ..
Enormous weekend traffic and ex.
tension of bus-lines into suburban
areas has increased bus business un.
til some amazing comparative stats
ties are possible. For example, the
London omnibuses today carry far
more passengers than the, combined
subway and surface railways in the
London district. -.
Official figures, showing the total
number carried daily by both lines of
travel, are as follows: "a
Buses, 100000 persons.
Combined subway and surface lines,
1 100000 persons. -.
Wherefore London is rejoicing be.
cause these figures indicate the bus
business has more than regained pre-
war volume and efficiency.
incidentally, the Londoner today
can hop bus at his very doorway
and ride scores Of miles into the
verdant countryside lar from the
smoke and CRIME of the city.
By making a couple of changes, MIR.
Londoner can ride all the way to
Brighton and spend day by the sea.
But it's the fifty odd excursion bus
routes that form the main-stay of this
great, business; it's the steady day-ln.
and-day-out volume of millions, OF
workers going to business every morn
ing and returning at night anu
throngs Of shoppers that keep the
great vehicles loaded earning tons OF
copper coins.
Nearly $50 separate bus-lines
thread their way through London,
connecting the busy downtown sec
tons with the. suburban residence sec
tons, and inter-linking the various
suburban communities with one an
other. Some GIG miles of road are
worked" in this manner.
Recently some marked improve.
ments have been made in the type OF
omnibuses used. Today the popular
"S' type earring Sd persons inside
and out, of which large number are
operating, is far cry from the first
horse omn;buses that started operat-
ing 80 years ago. ~.
The $500 omnibuses in operation
today under one management repre-
sent an amalgamation Of the numer-
Gus smaller lines that were in exist
ence some years back. ,. -. /
ENGLAND has awakened to the fact
that country travel by motor bus IS
cheaper than railroad travel, where
fore flocks of specially chartered ON
nibuses and a more luxurious type OF
motor bus known as the "charabanc'
cover the country and seaside every
week end.
Z London buses are operated on
very accommodating program. II
YOU live five or six miles from, the
theatre district you can charter a bus.
90 to town for dinner, and ride home.
after the show, together with %
neighbors, for total cost for the
lot of about $12.
Ordinary bus fares are compare
lively cheap, even though they were
advanced 80 per cent last September.
every short ride costs about 3 cents
in United States money and the usual
suburban fares average around a
dime. A two-hour ride into the coun-
try costs about rs cents. !
During the war 'London's bus traf-
fic was suddenly knocked out when
1900 CT the big vehicles were bun
died off to France to haul soldiers and
help block the great German nd
yancn -Es~ sE2astss r. ,.....' Il. '-.t y :