Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-01
RAILROADS MEET BUS RIVALRY
WITH MORE AGGRESSIVE SPIRIT
Period of Lying Down Before Auto Com
petition Passes-Have Eye Also on
Airplane Developments.

Railroads are showing new fighting
! spirit in meeting bus and truck compe-
tition, and the battle promises to give
the public higher standard of comfort
and luxury in railroad transportation.
The period of Lying down" before the
| motor invasion appears to be passing.
Proof of this new policy is furnished
by New York railroad, which recently
inaugurated de luxe passenger day
coaches on the line between New York
City and Buffalo. II the experiment Of
giving the ordinary traveller better serv-
ice proves to be a winning stroke, the
people who do not ride In Pullmans will
not be so far behind the Injuries of
those higher-priced coaches.
Street car companies are getting the
same viewpoint. Instead of bemoaning
the loss of traffic to the bus lines they
are trying out more attractive trolley
cars, as may be seen in the cars recently
put into service by a traction company
in this city. Individual upholstered
seats IN these cars compete with the
bus standard for comfort.
Will Be Friendly Fight.
The fighting is to be friendly, in the
opinion OF r. H. Ashton, president Of
the American Railway Association, who
convention of that association in At
lantic City on June 20:
The railroads have never offered a
word OF opposition to any other form of
transportation, because Ii that form of
transportation is what the public wants,
and if 1t is in the public interest, the
railroads are for It,"
Mr.. Ashton cited the growth of the
commercial airplane also as another
form of transportation which the rail-
roads must meet. His idea of meeting
auto and airplane competition is to give
the public better, or equally good, serv-
ice, and many railroads are proceeding
upon that idea in ordering new equip
ment.
The old day coach often was not a
pleasant mode of transportation. Seats
usually were hard. Consider, however,
the type of day coach the New York
railroad Is adopting as result of COM
petition with buses. For no extra fare
the ordinary day coach traveller will get:
Windows Are Screened.
Observation car with movable wicker
chairs. from which passengers may
view the scenery in greater comfort and
from various angles: day coaches with
soft, roomy, individual seats, and with
windows screened and hot and cold
running water In the washrooms, while
extra porters will assist the passengers
with their baggage.
The coaches cost $4,000 each and
are decorated in brown and walnut
grain finish and brown carpet in the
aisles. The observation car also has
warm tones and figured upholstery to
harmonic with the wicker chairs To
arouse interest in the innovations a
band was taken along on tour of the
cities on the line. In New York City
more than 5000 persons inspected the
new day coach in one day.
Can any one imagine the railroads
going to such expense before the auto
and bus began taking business away
from them? How much traffic the rail-
roads will gain from the new policy re-
mains to be seen. but the public Is the
gamer in the meantime.
Commercial Cars Increase.
High executives of railroads are aware
of the fact brought out in report of
the Department of Commerce recently
that while the number of passenger
cars far exceeds the number OF trucks
and buses, the statistics nevertheless