Evening star., 1933-11-30
TRACTION MERGER
GOES INTO EFFECT
EARLY TOMORROW
Capital Transit Co. Will Re-
place TWo-Firm Service
at 1901 AM.
TRANSFER METHODS
), ARE FULLY REVISED
Single Fare for Street Car Ride
Provided Under Plan Climaxing
Long Agitation.

Unified operation OF WaShlngtonS S
two street car systems will become
fact at one minute after midnight to-
night. From then on the Capital Trac-
ton Co. will fade into history. The
Washington Railway g. Electric Co.,
although still alive, will cease to own
any rail properties. new corporation,
the Capital Transit Co., will begin its
business existence.
To all outward appearances there will
be few changes. The street cars still
They still follow the same routes. The
fare is still 10 cents straight, four
tokens for 80 cents.
There will be two important differ
ences. 1t will be possible to take any
journey involving the use of street cars
Tor a single fare, transfers, where
necessary, being provided free Begin
ming Sunday it will be possible to ride
on weekly tickets at SIPS, which allow
unlimited use of the street car or bus
system, or 81, which allow unlimited
rides on street cars, and require trans
fer payments in some cases for bus
rides.
Transfer System Changed.
The transfer system will be changed
after public hearings to be held Febru-
ary 5. For the present single 71a-cent
tare Will allow rider transfers to and
from feeder" bus lines free where such
transfers now are given free with tok-
on fQTe. In other combinations, however,
where such a charge has been made in
the past The same is true Of the 2
cent charge onsbus lines where the fare
is now 10 cents cash six tickets for
SO cents except that the transfer points
are greatly extended.
General transfer regulations provide
that no transfer shall be good for a re-
turn trip, that transfers shall be good
for go to 80 minutes, and that transfers
shall be good for use in journeys re-
quiring more than one vehicle, if the
passenger makes the request when he
receives his transfer on the interme-
diate vehicle.
SO lar the merger affects only the
two street car systems and their af1il-
lated bus lines. 1t does not take in
the bus routes operated by the Wash
ington Rapid Transit Co., although they
are expected to come into the system
later. Questions of rerouting, new
equipment and changes of schedules
will all be taken up.
The new corporation will operate un-
der board of directors headed by
John H. Hanna, long associated with
the Capital Traction Co, and now is
president. William F. Ham, now presi-
dent of the Washington Railway 81
Electric Co., viii be chairman of the
board
Agitation Lasts 20 Years.
Unified operation comes at the end
of 20 years of agitation by citizens as
sociations and others who rallied against
the awkwardness attending the exist
ence of two competing street car sys-
TENS In the city. AS far back as 1912
the Commissioners memorialized Con-
gress requesting it to pass merger leg
iSlation. Records of the Public Utili-
ties Commission show that in the in
tervening years no fewer than 26 bills
were introduced in Congress looking
toward the merger. On many of them
extensive hearings were held. In 1925
a bill authorizing merger was actual
ly passed, although eight years were
to elapse before the merger was finally
accomplished.
One of the most publicized merger
efforts took place in 1927, under the
auspices of the North American Co.,
which owned controlling stock in
terest in the washington Railway &
tors, Harley P. Wilson, was owner Of
record Of the Washington Rapid Tran
sit Co. Known as the Wilson merger
plan, this effort drew considerable civic
fire because of its clause writing a $50,-
100000 valuation for the combined
companies into the law Nevertheless
the Public Utilities Commission ap-
proved the plan, and the House adopt
ed it.
This bill failed to get by the Senate.
however, and it remained for the last
regular session of Congress to enact
the merger resolution. 1t was signed
by President Hoover January IA.