Evening star., 1935-08-20
Cab Driver Says Transit
Charges Are Excessive
To the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
It seems to me that it's about time
for some, If not all, Of the local civic
organizations to wake up" and find
out why the Public Utilities Commis-
sion has done nothing toward forcing
the local car and bus monopoly, known
as the Capital Transit Co.. to reduce
the notOriously high prices 1t is Charg-
ing for the very inadequate tranSporta-
tion service it is giving the people of
this city.
AS I pointed out in a letter pub
lished in The Star recently, the at
one time almost bankrupt transit mo-
nopoly has been spending money re-
Gently as recklesSly as drunken
sailor" is supposed to do.
Now it appears to be a sure thing
that the present personnel at the P.
U. C. will do nothing to force the
transit monopoly to reduce its high
prices unless they are forced to do so.
AS a matter of fact, in its recent cab
rate order the commission plainly
sought to ruin the little that is left of
the once prosperous local cab industry,
and to increase street car and bus
profits. 1T ordered all cabs to operate
on the zone and rate basis used by the
rental cab companies" the system OF
cab operation that has pauperized the
Cabmen and enriched the car and
busmen.
The only difference between the p.
U. C. rate and the rate used by the
rental cabs is that the commission or
dered all cabs to charge extra for excess
Sive baggage and to charge 10 cents each
for passengers if more than two people
rode in the cab on any kind of q trip
short or long.
The result of this order-if cab drivers
comply with twill be to antagonize
short-trip riders. Extra passenger
charges have been tried in this city
many times in the past They have
always resulted in cabs losing popularity.
The P. U. c. extra passenger charge
I believe. has already greatly decreased
the number of three. four and five pas
Senger cab trips. On my last 30 trips
I have had more than two passengers
only twice. Other drivers tell me they
are having the same experience.
The reason for this condition Is very.
simple. Under the p u. c. rate plan
a ride Of only one block would cost five
people so cents. For instance, from the
Raleigh Hotel to the Columbia Theater,
one block four people 40 cents; five peo-
pie, so cents. The old taximeter rates
were Is cents and Is cents
The same condition will exist all
over the city. That type Of rate charg-
ing Is bound to increase car and bus
patronage and decrease the number of
Short-trip cab riders. The transit mo-
nopoly-already apparently making too
much profit-will get the benefit.
The way the once almost bankrupt
local transit monopoly has been spend
ing money recently indicates that it is
making enormous profits. If an outfit
that was claiming it was too broke TO
make badly needed track repairs five
years ago can now spend hundreds of
thousands Of dollars making track re-
pairs, buying new cars and busses, pay
ing dividends to stockholders, giving
each of its carmen bonus OF Sl00 and
now hand out money in the foregoing
manner, is that not positive proof that
it is making too much profit?
think it is.
Therefore think some effort should
be made by the local civic organizations
to force the P. u. C.-apparently very
much under the influence of the transit
monopoly-to do its duty and force the
car and bus monopoly to furnish ade-
quate service at more reasonable prices
than the notoriously high prices it is
charging at the present time.
BERNARD L. HENNING.