The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-12-30
TOUGH on THE TROLLEYS
(LOwell Courier-Citizen)

lIDWcIl tCurleT-JltlZen)
l have been wondering how
much this prevalent habit among
motorists of picking up passengers
and carrying them is costing the
street railways. 1t must mount in
to astonishing figures if only the
total could be discovered. In the
endeavor to arrive at even guess
| have taken my own experience
and capitalized it at 10 cents per
ride. 1t is all guess, but l must
average more than one passenger
day the year around. There have
been days when | have picked up
six persons waiting for the street
car and brought them down into
the city. There have been many
days when | give two or three or
four ride. And there are days,
of course, when no one gets lift.
But suppose the average is two
day for 800 days in the year. In
that case ! cost the street railway
$3.50 a year at 10 cents a ride.
At six cents | cost the street rail
way almost an even $40.
Multiply my experience with
that of many others and you will
begin to realize why it is that the
street railways are having such
financial hard shedding. II there
are one thousand motorists dupli-
eating my average, we are costing
the railway at least $4,000 year.
Incidentally, we are picking up
passengers whose identity we do
not know, but who pleadingly ask
us to give them lift from point
to point long distances apart.
buying street car rides. We our
selves, who drive cars, are no
longer anything but convenience
riders on the street cars. If the
snow is too deep or it is too cold
for our motoring we adopt the
street car. Otherwise we drive
down town in our own machine
and give half dozen other pros
pective trolley payers a like
chance. 1t is costing the street
car companies a great deal OF
money and there is no help for it,
so far as we can see.
But what are you going to do, il
your neighbOrs are standing on the
corner waiting for the street car?
Are you going to wave merrily at
them and pass on, leaving them to
their fate and to the street cars?
Hardly. The friendly thing to do
is to pick up your passengers and
hasten along with them. There
| q Va hi G
right under the nose and the open
door Of the patient trolley car and
it's operator. 1t superinduces that
guiltiest feeling" but if / SHOULD
let my friends get on the car,
should feel worse. 1t is not that
the dime for the fare counts with
either the passenger or myself, but
it certainly counts with the street
railway.
There are motorists, / am told,
who do not pick UP passengers, and
who will avoid the necessity of do
ing it if they can. l confess l do
not understand this attitude unless
one happens to he in a great hurry
land every second counts. 1t is
true, however, that this habit of
motorless people, in demanding
an invitation to ride with you is
especially pleasant. l do not al
ways accept their pointed request.
Often l do. 1t depends on circum.,
stances. Those boys who swim in
the Mystic lake, for instance, l
habitually carry back and forth,
because l know they must get q
ride or suffer the long walk that
would be inevitable. Now and
. then l take in a lone man who
looks respectable and carry him
along with me, because he is up
against his own difficulties of maxi
ing progress in the direction he
wishes to go. ] find that all such
are uniformly grateful, just as l
should be under their circum-
stances.
But all this is costing the street
railways and the steam roads
much revenue and it looks to me
as if, in time it would make street
cars at least quit their job of serv-
ing the public.