Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-03
BY JOHN F. KELLEY,
TRANSFORMATION Expert.

Government regulation of motor
busses operating as common carriers Of
persons on the public highways. when
! engaged in interstate commerce, IS
practically assured This matter, of
extreme Importance to the travelling
public and the operators of motor BUSES
as well. is again before Congress and
undoubtedly will become law in the not
distant future, for the adequate pro-
| lection of the public and of the legiti-
mate transportation companies engaged
in motor bus operation make Federal
regulation almost an absolute necessity.
| The scope of this Federal jurisdiction
would be similar in a great measure to
that exercised in connection with the
railways of the United States. 1t is said
that the responsible motor bus trans
portation companies will welcome regu-
| lation. In any event the travelling
public will find the story of the develop
ment of highway motor transport an
interesting one, while the motor bus
operators realize that with public I'M
derstanding and cooperation the use
fulness of their industry may be
developed to the highest point in Serv-
, ing the public.
This proposal to designate interstate
motor transit lines as common carriers
! and to make them subject to govern
mental regulation has not only caused
widespread interest, but has focused
public attention on the rapid growth of
bus lines as means of transportation
| for persons throughout the entire
country. 1t has driven home the fact,
as ascertained by the Interstate Com
merce Commission from authentic
sources, that the total common carrier"
bus route mileage, both interstate and
| interstate. is approximately 100000
miles. This mileage is greater than
| that of all the railroads of the United
| States. It must be borne in mind too,
that while motor transport was attain
| ing this growth railroad construction
was at a standstill: if anything, railway
mileage shows a decrease during the
last 10 or II years. due to the abandon
ment of short and improbable lines
and the substitution of motor cars for
! local trains.
| A few years ago President-elect Hoo
yer called attention to the lack of rail-
road building in the United States,
stating that to keep pace with the
countrys growth there should be built
every year the equivalent of a line
from New York to San Francisco. But
while rail carriers have increased the
efficiency Of their existing transporta-
ton machine, there has been no rail
expansion to take care of our natural
| growth. Into this breach has jumped
| the motor vehicle, taking its place as
a new means of transportation for the
| public, not altogether as a competitor
Of existing rail lines; furnishing safe,
| speedy and economical movement of
passengers. The railway companies
claim, and perhaps justly, that the large
reduction in their passenger revenues
is mainly due to motor bus operation
| The railroads carried fewer passengers
in 1927 than they did in 1911. In 1928,
| the common carrier" motor bus lines
carried nearly two and one-quarter bill
lion passengers. This from a recent and
feeble beginning. and with their devel-
opment practically just starting.
Service Grows With Highways.
The demand for transportation in
creases In direct ratio to the growth In
population and production, and at the
present time the outlook is that for
| many years to come the motor bus will
face the task of providing the addi-
tional passenger transportation facili-
! ties required by the growth of the
| Nation.
On January /. 1926, there were ap-
proximately $4,000 motor buses in the
United States. Steam railroads and
electric railways operate today 9,486
buses. either directly or through SUBJ
sidiary companies. 1t is safe to say that
! at the present writing 100000 buses
are being operated on the highways Of
the country, carrying safely and speedily
an ever-increasing volume OF passenger
| traffic. In both speed and safety they
compare favorably with railway trains,
while in frequency of service they excel
| them in many instances. The bus COM
panies are now well financed; nearly all
| of them carry insurance to protect pas
sengers against death and injury, and
their services as a rule are regular,
continuous and dependable.
, Unquestionably the development Of
! motor transport has been made possible
! by the countrywide highway program.
An average of $1,000 100000 has been
expended during each Of the past five
years for road construction in the
States. While railway building has
languished. about 10000 miles OF motor
highways have been built during each
of the past five years, until at the
present time the total improved high
| way mileage Is upward of 100000 miles.
or highway 20 times around the world.
In the beginning bus operation was con-
| fined mainly to short hauls." 1t was
| thought that ride of three or four
hours, covering a distance Of 100 to
| $50 miles, was about the maximum.
But with the improvements in bus
construction-in comfort, convenience.
safety and speed-as we'll as in the
highways motor travel has grown in
popularity until at the present time
long-haul bus trips are featured in all
sections OF the country. Regular
services are maintained from New York
to Boston, 229 miles; from Portland,
Greg. to San Francisco, TIP miles; from
miles; from Chicago to st. Louis, 279
miles; from Detroit to Chicago, 272
miles; from Philadelphia to Buffalo. AIS
miles. Through services in splendid
de luxe buses are also maintained be-
tween Boston, Philadelphia, Washington
and Florida: between Chicago. Pitts
burgh, Washington and New York.
The time tables of the modern motor
bus line are as voluminous and complete
as those of transcontinental railway
line. Through time tables are even pub
lished from coast to coast. Leaving
New York Monday, the traveller is
offered through bus transportation to
Los Angeles via Philadelphia, Wash
| AiBCoi, FlttSpuiSii' CHICdBo, 81. LOUIS,
| thence via Tulsa and FL Paso or Denver
and Salt Lake City, arriving in Los
Angeles on Sunday. You can travel in
de luxe bus from the Canadian border
to the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.
In Texas GOT buSSeS operate over
1878 miles OF bus route; in Missouri
TAO buses cover 14,467 miles of route,
while Kansas. New York, New Jersey,
Ohio, Oregon and Pennsylvania all have
motor bus service over many thousands
Of miles Of improved highways. Every
State in the Union is served by this new
and economical method Of transporta-
ton
One of the larger companies, estab-
lished little over two years. owns and
operates 500 buses, which travel 10000
miles daily. or almost the equivalent
Of three times around the earth This