Evening star., 1933-12-03
PU. c. SEEKS VIEWS.
+. ON TRANSFER RATE
Citizens Associations Asked
to Help Solve. Street Car.
Bus Problem.

matter Of arranging transfer rates
throughout the city under the system
of merged transportation lines which
went into effect Friday.
The commission has dispatched to
each association mimeoraphed copies
Of Its temporary order, which Is to last
only up to the public hearings Feb
ruary 5. The associations are asked
to come the the public hearings armed
with suggestions. The Federation of
Citizens Associations is in favor Of uni
VerSal free transfers, including street
car to bus transfers and vice versa,
and fought bitter. though losing fight,
for this before Congress while the
merger resolution was under consider.
alton. William NICK. Clayton. chair
| man OF its Public Utilities Committee,
has already let it be known that he
| will take the stand once more that all
transfers should be free.
Problem Is Explained.
Under the system temporarily ordered
into effect, there will be free transfers
for continuous street car rides There
! are still, however, some cases where
there is two-cent charge for street
car to bus transfers. In its recent order,
now sent to the associations, the COM
| mission outlines the problem before it
at length, as follows:
| With the use of such a temporary
transfer arrangement within the Dis
trlct OF Columbia as contrasted with
that in current use, it will be possible
for patrons of street cars to select,
without additional cost, a more direct
route between their homes or places
| OF business and various parts of the
District OF Columbia. It will obviously
| be impossible to ascertain in advance
| the ERECT OF such transfer arrange
ments upon the existing service and
revenues Of the combined properties.
| 1t Is entirely possible that. because of
the use Of the transfer ARRANGEMENTS
hereinafter authorized, the elimination
OF pay company transfers, and the
! addition of a large number of transfer
| points to the limited number now in
use, lines which are not now patronized
extensively may carry a greater por-
ton of the passengers
Weekly Pass Helps Some.
The introduction of the weekly pass.
In addition to the elimination Of pay
nter-company transfers, will be, it is
believed, a means of reducing the cost
of transportation to a considerable
number of passengers The experience
gained in other communities where
similar passes are in use shows that
between 80 and 40 per cent OF the
riders avail themselves OF their use.
| With such a pass system in effect, it
will be possible to select any route. or
combinations of routes, which the rider
may elect without additional cost on
practically all bus lines and the street
car lines in so far as the S125 pass is
concerned; or without additional cost
to ride on the street cars and certain
bus lines SO far as the 81 weekly pass
Is concerned. The use of these passes,
II their popularity becomes as great
as anticipated, will reduce materially
the number of transfers issued.
With respect to the provisions Of the
law heretofore cited regarding trans
fers, 1t is provided that transfers be-
| tween busses and streets cars and be-
tween bus lines shall be granted under
such reasonable terms and conditions
as the Public Utilities Commission may
prescribe" In accordance Herewith,
the commission has made a thorough
study of existing regulations governing
transfers between street cars and buSses
and the revenues derived from pay
transfers. 1t is found that the aggre-
gate sum Of money identifiable. as be-
ing paid annually by passengers for the
privilege of transferring between street
cars and buses is not large relatively
and the elimination of this sum would
neither seriously impair the revenue Of
the Capital Transit Co. nor materially
benefit the riders of the busses
Problem One of Service.
1t is not. therefore. so much a uues-
tlon OF revenue as of service Some of
these bus lines were established on Pc
tition from communities which. because
| of lack of transportation facilities were
Wiling TO pay special rate Of fare, Be-
cause OF the lack Of PATRONAGE the
con eombined 1i1ra S. revenue Of the bus lines Of
10 meet tne cost OF operation, and about
$4,000 annually has to be taken from
pay ras T Che Paid dos by y. street car 5ids5s to
lines, although only a small percentage
Of such riders have an interest in the
bus service. The commission has not
permitted the abandonment Of any un-
remunerative bus lines except where
there was little demand for service, al
though urged to do so, In some in
stances. by the street car companies.
| The commission is of the opinion that
when private enterprise undertakes to
furnish public services of a variable ma
ture, 1t can not anticipate that all serv-
ices performed will be Immediately re-
munerative.
Fare Variation Cited.
At the present time there is a uni
form fare structure on the street cars.
to wit, 10 cents cash fare, or four to-
kens for 80 cents. Fares on bus lines,
however, vary from cents to Is cents.
There are straight 10-cent bus lines
with transfer privileges, serving rather
sparsely settled sections of the District
with limited opportunity for the deve!-
opment of patronage. The 10-cent cash
fare of some of these bus lines does
not produce sufficient revenue to meet
operating expenses. The lines are. how
ever, necessary and essential to the
communities which they serve. There
are other bus lines which have a 10
cent cash fare but sell six tickets for
so cents. There are other lines which
have the same fare structure as the car
lines. In addition, there are special
bus lines charging Is cents and Is
cents, respectively, and two short bus
lines having Scent cash fare, in each
case without transfer privilege.
The commission proposes to under
take comprehensive study Of the ef-
feet under unified operation of trans
fers between street cars and buses and
between bus lines. It is probable that
elimination or reduction in the cost of
pay transfers between street cars and
busses would result in a considerable
movement of passengers from street
cars to buses where both street car
and bus service are convenient. If sucn
a movement were to take place, avail
able bus equipment would be inadequate
and the transit company would be
forced to purchase considerable addi-
tional equipment, Notwithstanding the
fact that street car facilities would be
more than adequate to take care Of
any demand for service.