Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-03
BUSES FEEDERS.
!. TOCARS ARE URGED
Study of Metropolitan Trans.
portation Being Made by
Detroit Experts.

Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
NEW YORK. July 3.--The place of
the motor bus in the transportation
systems of America is gradually be-
coming more definitely defined. This
Is shown strikingly in the report of
William B. Mayo, chief engineer of the
Ford Motor Co. who Is serving as adj
visory engineer of the municipality
owned street railway system of Detroit.
Mr. Mayo asserts that passenger
carrying BUSES in metropolitan centers
necessarily must be operated In con-
nection with existing electric street
railway lines and made to serve merely
as feeders. With all the operating cx-
penseS of Detroit'S combined electric
car and bus system equitably divided
between the two branches, motor
coaches were shown to have been oper-
ated during 1927 at a loss OF $3.50, 1872
This report. which was concurred in
by Fl. NJ, Gould, former assistant gen.
eral manager of the Detroit street rail-
ways, took the position that bus lines
operated to and from sparsely popu-
lated suburbs should receive some form
OF subsidy such as a direct contribu-
ton from the party or parties desiring
the operation of such lines or an in
direct subsidy in the form of a gen.
eral fare increase
Urge Fare Increase.
The difficulty OF properly apportion-
ing the direct contributions among in
terests served and the necessity for
providing greater net revenues to enable
the city to carry out the provisions Of
Detroit's charter requiring municipal
ownership of all electric and motor
transportation lines have led traction
officials of the city to urge a general
fare increase.
At the present time motor bus opera
tons comprise about 20 per cent OF the
Detroit street railway departments
activities. In the annual report sub
mitted there was an inferred profit
shown Of 1921 ,656 for the bus division
OF the system. Immediately there was
demand for additional buses and new
bus routes
Before being Stampeded into more
extensive operation of buses, however.
the transportation committee decided
to delve further into the apportionment
OF fixed charges Under the ANALYSIS
recently made by Messrs. Mayo and
Gould. with reapportionment of inter-
est. sinking fund and managerial
charges. the quarter million of profits
melted away into a deficit of even
SIcAteI amount.
Detroit has a feet of motor buses
adapted TO carrying from Il to 81 pas
sengers each. Under present opera
tons these buses serve many outlying
towns and communities over routes
already covered by express and local
electric lines. It Is In the operation
OF some OF the duplicating lines and
IN the institution of pioneer bus line
service to thinly populated sections that
Detroit Is now shown to have lost con-
siderable of the revenue piled I'D by
the more profitable electric lines and
by bus routes restricted to more logical
areas.
Studying Population Shifts.
The Mayo-Goul report recommends
the purchase of from IS to so new
buses TO care for increased passenger
volume, but the city is also warned to
make continuous research Of population
shifts and traffic trends In order to CO.
ordinate economically the electric rail-
ways and bus services.
In conclusion. the report says: THE
shifting Of population TO the outlying
districts warrants faster service than
that given by any vehicle stopping five
to eight times per mile, and faster serv-
ice, II 1t costs more, warrants higher
rate of return"
This situation Is being closely watched
by transportation men all over the coun-
try. since Detroit. controlling munich
pally all transportation lines. Is with
out the complications arising when COM
petition exists.