The New York herald., 1922-02-26
ELECTRIC RAIL MEN
TO DISCUSS BUSES
Question of Coordination With
Trolley Lines Will Be
Debated.
SESSION IN INDIANAPOLIS
American Association Will
Listen to Address by Mrs.
AntOinette Funk.
SESSION IN INDIANAPOLIS

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 25.-How track
less transportation-eithe bus. truck
or trackless carriers run on trolley wires
may DO coordinated with regular cleo
trio railway service will be discussed
thoroughly at the meeting of the Ameri-
can Electric Railway Association here
next Tuesday. The occasion is the regu-
lar midyear meeting of the association.
A new feature this year will be an
address by a woman. Mrs. Antoinette
Funk OF Washington will answer the
question: do Women Get OFF Street
Cars Backwards?'
The discussion OF trackless trans
portation follows an extended investiga-
tion by leaders in the electric railway
industry. c. ID. Emmons. president OF
the United Railways and Electric Com
pany of Baltimore, who will lead the dis
cussion, has studied the question at
home and abroad and made practical ex-
periments with buses to supplement his
electric car service. Mr.. Emmons re-
Gently returned from England. where he
went into bus service thoroughly. His
talk will not only deal with the foreign
situation. but also with his first hand ex-
perience in practical operation Of buses
in Baltimore.
Question OF Coordination.
Whether trackless transportation can
be coordlnated with interurbans will be
discussed by Harry Reid of Indian
apolis, president Of the Interstate Public
Service Company. Mr.. Reid has used
buses In some instances as feeders to his
interurban line and therefore Is quail
a. hxr fo
this subject. Paul Shoup. president of
the Pacific Electric Lines. will discuss
the traclsless transportation situation In
California. Bus and truck service In
California has been developed as far as
it has in any section of the country. 10.
B. Whitman, Public Service Com
missioner of Maryland. also will discuss
the subject of coordination.
This is the first time in the history
of the Electric Railway Association that
the question of trackless transportation
has been made a major subject on the
program of its annual meetings. The
question, however, has been under con-
sideration for some time and association
committees and individual members have
been making careful study OF the
question.
While the association never has gone
on record as a body in regard to its
attitude toward trackless transportation
the general feeling among members Is
that it should be studied most thoroughly
and If feasible be Incorporated as part
of the electric railways regular local
transportation service. Members ex-
press themselves as favorable to sup
plenentInc their service with buses,
trucks or trackless trolleys If IT can be
proved that such supplemental service
! -. nd
None OF them believes. however. that
| the bus ever can wholly supplant the
| electric car, basing this view partly on
| the failure of buses in Des Molnes,
Bridgeport, Toledo, Saginaw and Muske-
gon to handle crowds in recent months
when electric railway service stopped.
Fullest study Urged.
Robert 7. Todd. president OF the asso-
| citation, urges the fullest study or the
tracl.--ss transportation question.
"The question of motor bus conlpetl-
ton and the general subject Of track
less transportation should be given
consideration by the association" he
| said. THE subject is of such Importance
that the committee cannot go too fully
| into II.
This Is not said with the thought
that the motor bus can, in any way.
supplant the electric railway. The field
OF mass transportation doubtless will
continue to be left largely to electric
railway operation. Nevertheless, we
should determine how far the bus can
| be successfully employed as feeder
| to electric lines, to supplement rush
| hour service and TO act in other ways
| as an auxiliary to the fundamental rail
| system.
at should be plain in all OF our ac-
! tivities, however, that the association
believes that one co-ordinated transpor-
tatlon system should have charge OF
the traffic in each community and should
be free to develop tho physical agen-
ces best suited for the service desired.
The irresponsible and piratical 1itney
certainly has no place In such a pro-
gressive plan"
Mr.. Todd's views regarding the
jitney bus express not only the COM
bined view Of the association, II is de-
| oil o rod b,r r,narrhara Of tha orr-a mi IN fion.