The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-11-20
Trends
Bus Travel Increase
Partly Explains
Rail Depression.
By VINCENT s. LYONS
Ttmss Financial Editos

COMMON carrier bus lines in
~ 1893 transported I.672.0I 900
passengers. an increase Of more
than 100000 over the preceding
year. according TO the National As
ISOLATION OF Motor Bus Operators.
Putting these figures under the
microscope undoubtedly will go a
long way toward explaining some
Of the economic phenomena Of the
last few years.
For instance. segregating the to-
tai shows that I.323 OBS. 900 revenue
passengers we're carried on city bus
lines. 32s. 10000 on intercity lines
and 2O.2l00O0 on sightseeing and
other buses.
Thus, IL is revealed that IS per
cent Of the nations bus travel was
limited 70 intra city traffic This
disclosure would seem 10 indicate
that lust as surely as the electric
street car replaced the horse drawn
moded BY the motor bus. The
progress made by the bus in the
last few years. while the electric
trolley was on the wane, has been
manifest in hundreds Of cities
throughout the country.
THE 32s, 100000 carried on inter-
u city lines constitutes approx
mately 20 per cent OF the entire bus
passenger traffic. II is here that
the country's railroad systems are
concerned. The latter have been
persistently complaining Of the in
roads made upon their traffic by
the advent OF the motor bus. The
figures presented would seem to
indicate that their lamentations
were not idle pratter.
In 1898. the class l railways Of
the country carried a total Of 432.-
$50. 900 passengers. Starting with
1923. when the number of paSSen-
gers totaled 9s6.9l3.O75. the rail-
roads have shown a decline in every
year. with the aggregate recession
for the ten-year period being more
than so per cent. While all OF this
drop can not be attributed TO motor
bus travel. il is safe to say that a
large portion Of 1t is.
The National Association of Mo-
tor Bus Operators study would
have been a bit more Illuminating
II they had taken A leaf from the
railroads by showing the traffic in
terms Of passenger-mil The rail-
roads report one passenger-mile as
representing the transportation Of
one passenger for the distance Of
one mile. In 1893 the class l roads
performed a revenue service for the
public equivalent to the transpor-
tation Of l6.345 DAT 900 passengers
for the distance Of one mile.
II the bus operators had utilized
this method il would have been
possible 10 make more equitable
comparison OF passenger traffic be-
tween the railroads and the buses.
A ND il must be remembered
IA that bus passenger traffic IS
only one phase. Motor buses have
garnered a large share Of the
freight business which ordinarily
was carried by the railroads. AS
the National Association OF Bus
Operators study is merely con-
cerned with passenger traffic, no
figures are presented of freight
volume. Other bodies. however,
have shown that the railroads have
lost A substantial volume of freight
tonnage to their bus competitors.
The motor bus industry is not
10 be regarded as an interloper;
more than 1891 100000 had been
invested in rolling stock at the close
Of last year. The number OF miles
Of route operated increased from
400 600 in 1892 to 100000 in 1888.
In the matter of creating Jobs, the
industry had S5.578 employees on its
paw rolls at the close Of last year.
Despite burdenSOme taxes ana
other retarding factors" the asSo-
riation SAYS. 1898 was a period
marked by substantial progress IN
the industry. following two years
Of declines in the number of pas
sengers carried and IN bus miles
operated. II furnished many rea-
sons for optimism among those
concerned with the future OF bus
transportation"