Evening star., 1924-04-11
BUS HELD UNLIKELY
TO REPLACE TROLLEY
Street Railway Officials Say Motors
Serve Purpose Of Valuable
Auxiliary.
ELEVEN LINES IN CAPITAL
Utilized in New Sections, as Well
as Suburbs.


Although the motor bus has become
! An established part of the transporta-
! ton system of Washington. there are
no indications that it will supplant
the street car. in the opinion of Off
cials of both railway companies.
The rapidity with which bus lines
have sprung up in all sections of the
city within the past three years has
given rise to the natural query,
What part is the motor bus destined
to play in the transportation Of the
future?"
To this question the operating heads
of the traction companies answer
that the motor bus has an appropriate
field as auxiliary to trolley service,
But they add that there is no likeii-
hood of the electric rail car passing
| into the discard with the Introduction
of the motor bus.
Not Likely Snbstitute.
| The old horse car surrendered 10 the
moving cable under the street tha-
| took the car along with it, and the
! cable in turn gave way TO the more
| expeditions third rail-" but they do
! not believe the trackless gasoline bus
/ could be substituted to haul the $50.
| 100000 passengers who now ride or
/ the street cars of Washington an
| nually
The gasoline coach, however, is be
! ing utilized both by the street rail
way companies and by the independ
! eut Washington Rapid Transit Com
IL 4 4. , TN Il
portation facilities TO those sections
of the city not fully served by the
old established street car lines.
Eleven Bus Lines Operated
It Is interesting TO note that within
| the short space of two or three years
eleven nPtor bus lines have been au~
thorized by the Public Utilities Com
mission, running into communities si
that are beyond 4 convenient ols-
tance from street car line. OF TINS
! number, eight are under managenenL
of the railway companies serving a.
extensions TO or feeders for the car
William Z. Ham, president Of th.
Washington Railway and Eiectfl1
Buses Could be used to Transport th~e
great mass OF rush-hour tTafhc 10 anu
from the heart of the city.
John H. Hanna, vice president anu
general manager OF the Capital lrac
tion Company, takes the view tha1 o1s Ins
scononieaI ana feasible means o
handling the bulk OF city travel
Cannot ForeteII Future.
No man can foretell, Mr.. Hanna
said what future years may bring
in the way Of new developments, our
there are no indications at this time
4 of a general substitution Of Dusses
for street cars.
| ESTABLISH additional bus routes, IKE
| those now being operated, as teeders
| TO the car lines. On the other mana.
he continued. some Of the routes no"
| served by short bus lines may a.
some future time be made rail- eS-
tensions. ,--.,z.,
For example, the Capital Traction
Company operates bus extension
from the end of the 14th street car
Iire 70 Fern street by way OF Ken
redy street 18th street and Alaska
avenue It has been the intention Tor
some time to extend the l4th street
] oar line further out as soon as the
onaninp of that thcruushfare be
yond its present limit is authoT1zeG
by Congress.
Talk Of Extending Tracks.
rrha-a also has been discussion In tns
past few years Of extending the tracks
OF the Washington Railway and Elec-
tric Company out East Capitol street to
the new Eastern High School and
the area being developed in that Vi
cinity.
Definite action in that case has not
hean taken, but within the past TWO
weeks the commission has authorized
both car companies to run bus lines TO
liT 9,.a,,ssfng the question of busses in
the field of city transportation MI
Ham made this observation:
| ''It is said that London is served oy
bussas. But there they have a subway
system cIrcling the city, and the buses
carry the people to the subways.
Mai. ]. Franklin Bell, chairman o.
fhe Public. Utilities Commission, sees
particular advantage in the use OF motor
age where additional service is needed
in an entlyilg. residential neighborhood-
cites Residential Advantage.
ga motor bus running through
street that is wholly residential does
not tend to claange the street into
business thofoughfare as rapidly as
a street car line will do" the major
said.
Not only has the motor bus been
utilized to give the residents of new
sections of Washington better trans
portation, but it is being used in
! increasing numbers to connect the
National Capital with many towns
and villages III Maryland and Nfr-
ginia- --
Scores Of points in Prince Georges
and Montgomery counties. Maryland,
are linked with Washington by bus.
! There are also busses operating
through southern Maryland, in the
direction of Ireonardtown, not served
Iby trolley Similarly, have the buses
spread out along the arteries of Vir-
One of the principal objections
raised against the suggestion that the
| street car give way entirely to
itrackIess buses is the statement that
1T would require so many buses to
haul the crowds now handled on
street cars that the traffic situation
would be rendered more complicated
than II already is.s
! 1t appears, therefore. that the steel
/ rail and electric car are likely to re-
main together with the motor bus,
at least for some time to come.