The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-11-16
A SUCCESS TN TACOMA
Pass Plan Showing Amazing Results
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WHY NOT HERE ALS07
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SO Per Cent More Rides; No Extra Cost
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BRINGS FARES LOWER


(EDTToRIAL)
The Tacoma street railway has hung up an ac-
complishment in the last few months that the Seat
tie municipal system ought to study and copy. Con-
slider:
The T. r. & p. Co., as the privately-owned Ia
coma is known is hauling 5o PER
CENT MORE PASSENGERS THAN BEFORE
and at extra cost to the combined passengers.
Thus the Tacoma travelling public has been given
very heavy reduction in fare. During the same
period Seattle has been paying l-3 or 10 cents
for every ride
The Tacoma system has been furnishing Taco
mans 50 per cent more service for the same money
than previously. While doing its own expense
has not increased cent either.
What an object lesson to the Seattle system!
The amazing results have been brought about by
the weekly pass plan, which proposed to the
Seattle city council two years ago by Benjamin III.
Petley Seattle engineer and turned down. 1t was
installed on July "a, of this year. in Tacoma
The week prior to its adoption the Tacoma sys-
tenn carried 100000 passengers In the 18th week
Of the plans operation the latest for which figures
are available (the plan Is now In its nth week.,
the Tacoma system carried 4756s5 passengers.
or these, 900. more than half. rode on passes.
These passes sold at 81 each and entitle the
holder to ride as often as he desires. They are
transferable.
During the whole period of the experiment the
company's revenues from fares has not varied $500
"cSh iioih thc iibuteS Piioa w aic Pioh . "o"P-
ton.
The number of the passes started at 7o07 and in
creased in the first three months at the rate of $50
a week until they reached nearly / 900. The week
ly pass sale is now increasing by $50 week, and
officials of the T. X. & p. Co. anticipate that the
Christmas rush viii bring the weekly total to $4,000
The car-miles operated has remained almost sta
tionary. For the week before the passes were is
sued the figure was "a, ,045 car-mes; for the 18th
week of operation 1t was 95,3l7.
The cost of operating the system has not in
creased. Savings made in printing and handling
transfers and in accounting. Also considerable
saving is made in efficiency of operating the cars
due to faster loading and unloading made possible
thru time saved in making change and issuing
transfers
canvass of Tacoma's business community shows
great enthusiasm for the pass plan among all
classes of merchants theaters and downtown
churches. Some report their increase in business
directly attributable to the pass plan as high 25
per cent
An incidental effect In Tacoma which would not
apply to Seattle was the result on jitney compet-
ton When the passes were started 10 or IL jit-
neys were beginning operations with the approval
and support of Mayor Fawcett. Their number in
creased in four or five weeks to 49, but has gradu-
ally declined until only 10 of them have sur
vived, the competition being too KEEN
Men who have studied the Tacoma experiment
with view of seeing the idea adopted by the mu-
ncipal system here urge that the passes be sold at
q slightly higher rate than 81, perhaps for S1.15,
and aim not only to increase greatly the systems
service to the riding public but at the same time 10
considerably increase the revenues. BY such plan,
they urge, the Seattle railways can be brought to
a having basis, while at the same time doing the
maximum of transportation good for the commu-
nifty
To back up this contention they point to the
example of Youngstown, o., where II weeks oper-
alton of the pass plan, with passes selling at 81. .25.
resulted both in SO per cent gain in the number
&c nassenoers carried AND A 81 PER CENT IN
CREASE IN THE GROSS REVENUE.
THE SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL SHOULD
TAKE ACTION.