Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-06-28
CAPITAL TRANSIT
VALUE TO Be SET
Hearings Looking to Recon-
sideration of Fares to Be
Held This Winter.

Public hearings on the value OF The
Capital Transit Co. will be started
next Winter as d preliminary to a re-
consideration Of street car ana bus
fares, under present plans of the Pub
lie Utilities Commission, it was re-
vealed today.
Further simplIfication of the bus
fare system through the adoption OF
more uniform charge for the growing
bus operations will be considered IN
the rate hearing planned to follow the
valuation proceedings.
That the commission contemplated
restudy of what would be proper
rates under merger OF the old street
car companies and under new rout-
ing plans, now practically completed,
was made known heretofore. Com
mission officials today stated an i'm
portant aim would be more uniformity
in bus fares.
Engineers at Work.
The finding of current value for the
Capital Transit Co., to be used as a
rate basis, is outlined as the first
essential in the program. Quietly
commission engineers have Just started
to bring up to date the latest available
figures on the value Of properties of
the company, it was learned tocay.
Gathering of data on the values of
the Washington Railway & Electric
Co. and the Capital Traction Co.
now merged as the Capital Transit
Co-was started about two years ago
This work was dropped to await con-
solidation, which would affect valua-
ton data. Recruiting and other utility
work further postponed the valuation
work.
While valuation studies were in an
advanced stage, considerable work
must be done to bring figures up to
date. The commission has not yet
made final value tabulations.
Value Fixed at S25,756,8S0.
Under a decision by the Court OF
Appeals the value of the Capital
Traction Co., as of January l, 1925.
was fixed at S25,756 $50. This grew
out of an early commission valuation
case. Back in June 30, 1914, the COM
mission set the value of the Washing
ton Railway & Electric Co. Railway
at S14,53O,OO0, but this did not
include materials, supplies and working
capital. In one of the merger plans
proposed several years ago the COM
panies claimed values totaling about
S50000,0O0.
Merger brought about free transfers
hot Nd hotT
cars and buses of the Capital Transit
Co. except as to the extra-fare BUSES.
Fares and transfers on buses were
made more simple by commission order
following merger but still there is a
variety of tariff schedules and two
10-cent cash fare express bus lines
have been ordered.
Regular Car Fare Ordered.
Commission officials explain that
where bus service has been substituted
for street car service, other than in the
case of express lines, the regular street
car fare has been ordered for the
buses.
Present bus fares on different lines
range from Is cents to 5 cents. The
charge for a round trip on the Hams
Point line is Is cents, with stopovers
permitted along the route in the park.
The fare on the Chevy Chase Loop
line is 5 cents. without transfer. The
same fare is charged on the short line
from the Bureau of Engraving to the
business area.
On the new Takoma Park express
bus line the fare is 10 cents cash or
use of the weekly SIPS pass, with free
transfers. The fare on the Chevy
Chase express bus line, to run from
the Chevy Chase Circle to downtown
Washington. will be 10 cents cash or
the S1.25 pass, but the through local
buses from Chevy Chase to Ana
costa will have the regular street car
fare of four tokens for 80 cents or
the ST weekly pass, with transfers.
BurIeith Fare 10 Cents
The fare on the Burleith- Trinidad
buses is 10 cents cash or six tokens
for so cents COR 81s cents, and free
transfers. The fare on the Rhode Is
land avenue line is the same as that
of the Burleith- Trinidad line. On
these there is in use the $125 weekly
pass.
On the so-called feeder bus lines
the fare is 10 cents cash, or four
tokens for 80 cents, or use of the 81
pass, the same as street car fares.
These include the West End, Woodley
Road, Park Road, Benning, H1llcrest,
South Washington and other lines of
the Capital Transit Co.
The Washington Rapid Transit Co.,
operating the Sixteenth street bus
lines and those to Sherman Circle, is
not yet part of the merged system.
the SIPS weekly pass, without trans
the SIPS weekly pass, withous trans
fer privileges.