Evening star., 1924-08-24
TAX|CAB BUSINESS
HAS GREAT SPURT
Electric Lines Complain, But
Public Prefers Newer
Means of Travel.
ny Consolidated Press.

ny Consolidated Press.
NEW YORK, August 23.-American
citizens. nowadays, when they say
after the late 1amented Bert Will
fectIy satisfied IL said feet carry
them as far as the step of q motor
car. taxi or bus. More Americans
are riding than ever before but this
trend is particularly noticeable in the
ta1icab and bus fields. Sales of taxis
and busses have jumped tremendously
in the last three months.
Sales of busses are being made in
fleets Of % and so. Suburban, urban
and interurban electric lines are COM
planning of the lack of patronage,
but no one has heard recently any
complaint from the bus companies.
The bus and taxi development. how
ever makes its greatest showing in
tho larger cities.
Cheaper to Hire Taxi.
The automobile owner, who has
acquired the riding habit" and who
formerly drove to his office, now finds
that 1t is cheaper and less trouble
to hire a taxicab or to ride in a bus.
Congestion is growing constantly
and it is now a question whether
measures taken to relieve 1T will
prove adequate. The Delaware River
bridge at Philadelphia, for example,
has been counted on to relieve traffic
between Pennsylvania and New Jer-
ser. but 1t is doubtful If 1t will full
NIL its purpose long in view Of the
fact that ferries now carry nearly
1900 automobiles and around 100000
people on Sundays and holidays. The
bridge originally was to cost $685.
$4,000, but the final cost is likely to
reach $35,00O.0o0. The new vehicu-
York is nearing completion but the
relief is will give is even now in
question.
BuAses in London.
The bus movement has gained far
greater ground in England than in
this country. London has some $500
motor busses on routes totaling 900
miles, while New York has only about
400 busses on Is miles of streets. The
largest days business ever done by
the London busses involved carrying
OF 3,600,000 passengers on August 2.
The greatest number carried in one
day in New York was 290.0 900 during
the Democratic convention.
Thirty-four new bus routes now are
proposed here. The longer lines
would charge 10 cents, but the cross
town and shorter lines would operate
on a five-cent basis. The company
agrees to restrict the number of pas
sengerS to the number of seats pro-
vided. The purchase of fleets OF both
single and double deck busses for
these routes would mean q tremendous
stimulus to the motor industry.
Taxicab building. taxicab buying
and ta1icab riding are on the in
crease both in America and in
countries to which American ma
chimes are shipped. This trend has
been stimulated by recent rate wars
In Philadelphia, New York and other
cities. Thousands of drivers now are
buying their own vehicles.
The popularity of the American taxi
service has extended to South Amer
lea and two companies. running
can-built cars. now are operat-
ing successfully in Buenos Aires. 1t
IS claimed that American "yellows"
average $50 a day more in receipts
than other cars. Montevideo and
Santiago, Chile, have similar services.
Motorists who are buying new ma
chimes of the so-called 1925 models
are paying higher prices than a year
ago. However, this bitter pill has
been sugar-coated by the manufac-
turers introducing cars embodying
sufficient changes to entitle them to
the designation of new models"
The clearing of stocks Of 1924
modelS 10 make room Tor these new
designs has resulted in some rather
unusual procedures by retail dealers
Most dealers agree not to sell new
cars under a certain list price. They
are allowed, however. to make reduc-
tion in the case of so-called demon
stration" cars. Some of them. there
fore, take a new 1924 model out Of
stock. drive it around a few miles
and sell the vehicle, thus become a
demonstration, or secondhand car, at
nrice under ths csfa loCuo listinc