Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-04
NEW BUS MERGER
LINKS Z SYSTEMS
Short Line Group Is Formed
After Greyhound Unites
Five Large Routes.
BY GEORGE e. DoYING.

While the railroads continue TO pom
der over the matter Of consolidation.
the bus lines are being merged into
large operating units.
+ Announcement today Of the CONSOLE
dation OF II major bus transportation
and town in the Central Atlantic and
New England States. and announcement
a few days ago Of the merger OF five
large bus lines serving nine Eastern and
Southern States, indicate important
steps toward the elimination Of efforts
to combine comparatively local opera
lions into Nationwide networks.
The Greyhound system. in which
Pennsylvania Railroad interests are
large stockholders, has been active IN
this endeavor for the last few years and
has established q bus transportation
network OF tremendous Importance, ex-
tending almost entirely over the United
States
New Short Line System.
Now comes the Short Line System. a
new organization headed by William H.
Vanderbilt p j. Scarr and Charles E.
Croker, which may become an tmpor-
tant competitor Of the Greyhound
Pennsylvania lines.
According to announcement today
from the New York ONCE Of Mr..
vanderbilt. the short Line system con-
sists of the Great Eastern Stages, Inc,
operating between New York, Buffalo.
Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago: between
New York Philadelphia. Baltimore,
washington and Norfolk; between
Philadelphia, Scranton and the West,
and between washington, Pittsburgh
and Sc. Louis: the Boston, Worcester
ing bus lines between New York and
Boston via both Providence and
Worcester; the Adirondack stages.
operating between New York. Albany
and Saranac Lake; the Blue Coach
Lines, between Jersey City. New York.
Bridgeport and New Haven; the Coastal
Transit Co., the Acme Lines. the Yankee
Lines and the Short Line, Inc, all
operating in New England, and the
Chester Valley Bus Lines, operating
through Delaware Pennsylvania, Mary
land and the District Of Columbia.
The Greyhound System recently an
nounced the formation Of the Atlantic
Greyhound Lines. consisting Of the
Camel City Coach Co. Of North Carolina,
the Camel Lines Of Georgia. the Blue q
Gray Transit Co. Of West Virginia, the
Old Dominion Stages OF Virginia and
the Skyline Stages Of North Carolina.
Pennsylvania, Ohio. the District Of
Columbia. South Carolina, Tennessee
and Florida.
Each Covers 5000 Miles.
I. The Short Line system win cover
5.s56 miles Of highway, while the At
lantie, Greyhound lines will serve APP
proximately 5000 miles. The Grey
hound system, through its afnhated
companies, already operates buses from
coast to coast. The Short Line system
at present extends only as far West
as Chicago and st. Louis, bu5 an
nounces booking arrangements with
other lines to the West Coast and to
Florida.
Mergers Of interstate bus lines are
not subject to the APPROVAL Of any gov
,ernmental agency. although most al
1.-THE States exercise some control over
the operations. With the opening of
1.-THE more favorable season for bus
travel, the irresponsible interstate OPP
kerator Is again attracting attention.
STRANDED passengers and others falling
have paid are appealing to State COM
missions and other public authorities
tfor redress.
This situation has led the Illinois
tCommerce Commission TO issue q state
! ment in which It Is asserted that
neither that commission nor any other
regulatory body has any authority
whatsoever over operations Of inter
,state bus companies The Illinois COM
mission Is one of the few. If not the
Sonly one, that does not keep an &C
Icurate record Of all interstate opera
,tors. Nearly al State commissions re-
Squtre even the interstate lines to secure
certificates Of convenience and neces-
|Sity and otherwise conform TO STATE
regulations, and many Of the States
collect special highway taxes from in
terstate buses.
(Copyrisht, 1eSi)