Evening star., 1926-10-04
SMA[[-TOWN CAR
SERVICE PROBLEM
Buses Fail to Scrap TroIIeys
Subsidy or Luxury Is
Discussed.

| Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. October 4-The future
transportation situation in the Ienaller
| cities of the United States is the
| problem which is agitating delegates
to the American Electric Railway AS
| sociation convention which convened
| in Cleveland today. Over 5000 men,
connected with traction and bus oper-
| alton, assembled in that city to try
| and work out solution to the prob
lem.
The situation in the larger towns
causes little worry to leaders in either
line of transportation.
There are two distinct schools of
thought on how to solve the problem
of the smaller towns
The larger majority maintains the
way to discourage private motor car
competition is to give service so good
that the motOrist will leave his car at
home. Noiseless cars, individual
leather seats, better lighting and low
steps are being added to attempt the
motorist. Whether they will increase
business sufficiently to warrant the
expense is problematical.
Subsidy One Theory.
The second school says all cities
must help support public transporta-
lioI lHIOu6H SuDSluleS. 1neE point
out that New York meets the cents
deficit on it's losing 5-cent rides with
city funds. San Francisco and Seattle
help their municipal lines by relieving
them of taxes Property owner.
berefting by good transportation
should help pay for it the same as
the car rider, it is maintained.
Coordination of rail and bus service
is being brought about rapidly in most
leading cities. There are few fare
wrangles of any magnitude. New
York seems an outstanding case of
lack of progress. Any one who thinks
the New York situation is typical of
the country generally is wrong
Traffic is increasing in practically
all metropolitan centers, figures made
public by Luctus S. Storrs, managing
director of the association. today indi-
cate. The country as a whole has. .
shown an increase, too. but there have
been losses in some sections having
cities around the $4,000 mark
The plain truth is that no traction
or bus man knows just what to say
about the future of small city transit
Such communities need public trans
portation. That Is clear. 1t must he
paid for by some one. That also is
patent. But by what means it shall
be furnished and under what terms
of compensation for the owners is
moot question
Bus men once said they were going
to solve the whole transportation
problem by scrapping all electric lines
and substituting busses. The plan
has not worked
Busses Open Rural Country.
Traction men thus explain the bus
Sltn4t1On' E,Xnpripncp "a
in MaSSa chuSetts transportation it
costs more to carry rider on bus
than 1t does on street car. PaSSen-
ger for passenger riders occupy more
street space on buSSes than on cars
The public in many places has in
sisted it liked cars better because they
ran on rails and were safer in wet
weather. Finally. many of the 900 or
more electric railway properties
which have installed busses have not
found them great profit makers.
The bus has proved it's worth as a
help, though not as a general substi.
tute for cars. 1t has opened much
new rural territory. 1t has supplied
de luxe ride at an increased rate of
fare.
The private automobile is the real
competitor of public service in the
smaller cities. But invariably trac-
ton records show. as traffic conges.
ton increases, trolley and bus busi.
ness gains.
Meantime, the electric railway men
are hopeful Answering pessimsts,
who have been burying the traction
industry daily for 10 years, they point
to progress. For instance. seven
years ago. one sixth Of the industry
was in receivership. Today most of
It is out.