Evening star., 1932-01-11
TRANSIT UNITS OF u. S. CARRY
14BILLION PASSENGERS IN YEAR
Street Cars, Buses, Interurbans and Taxis
Had Revenue of 81 ,307 ,511 900 Dur
ing 1881, Says Trade Survey.

to the decrease in traffic. Fares and
wages held remarkably steady. Con-
struction and material costs show a
marked downward trend. Expenditures
by the electric railways for extensions,
betterments and maintenance totaled
approximately 1910, 600, 900, a decrease
of little more than 8 per cent from
the year before. Estimates for 1882
show approximately the same expendi-
lures as in 1881 for maintenance, but a
somewhat smaller budget for new plant
and equipment.
The past year witnessed substantial
increase in the number Of motor busses
operated In city service, the survey re-
port shows. In all 1,750,000 900 pas
sengers were carried last year on the
lines Of organized motor bus companies
engaged in community transit in the
larger cities.
Trolley bus operations, continuing the
trend of several years past, were ex-
panded to a notable extent in 1881
Eight additional railways joined the
ranks of trolley bus operators, and for
the year the number of such busSes in
the United States increased approxi-
mately 40 per cent, with a correspond
ing increase in route mileage. Addi-
tional important extensions of trolley
gus opcLatiou uIluoupteoly WILL OCCUR III
1882.
Electrified suburban railroads devel-
oped a marked increase in track mile
age last year. While the volume of
traffic handled BY this form of transit
is still small compared with that of
several of the other forms, it is in
creasing steadily, and will become more
and more important as time goes on.
Passenger Volume.
Summarizing the totals OF transit
passengers carried in 1881, Transit
Journals shows that a total of 7753,-
$4,000 passengers were carried by elec-
trio surface railways, rapid transit lines
electrified suburban railroads, trolley
buSses, motor buSses operated under
auspices Of electric railways and organ
lied taxicabs in the larger cities of more
than 100000 in population. OF this
total the electric surface railways car
ried 4,l50,000,000 passengers, trolley
buses carried 30,669000 and organized
taXicabs accounted for 1l3, 300, 900 per-
sons In the intermediate cities of from
100000 to 100000 population $780,
296, 900 passengers were carried by elec-
trio surface railways, trolley buses, mo-
tor busses aRd organized taxicabs. In
this division the electric surface rail-
ways accounted for the greatest num-
Der of passengers, namely, 1880, ,000,0 900
persons. In small cities whose popula-
tions range from $4,000 to 100000, in
communities under $4,000 population
and in interurban areas of the United
States the transit industry carried
2,818, 8,314 900 passengers in 1881.
Tabulation of gross revenues for the
year 1881 shows that the electric sur
fare RAILWAYS received from navino nas-
sengers total of $678,000, 900 Rapid
transit lines received S157,0 900; cleo
tri1ed suburban railroads, $4,000 900;
trolley buses, 81 623,000; motor busses
in city and suburban service, S134,8 $685.
900, and organized taxicabs, S252 ,000,-
900. The income of the electric surface
railways in cities of more than $4,000
was S559,000, 900, and the income of the
surface railways in communities under
$4,000 population and in the suburban
areas was S1l9,000,000.