Evening star., 1936-01-07
3-CENT BUS RATE
BOOSTS REVENUE
4,436,042 Fares of Reduced
Scale Collected Last
Year, Charts Show.

Patronage and revenues of the Cap
ital Transit Co. have increased appre-
ciably by reason Of adoption of the
Scent fare for school children. ac-
cording to statistics filed with the
Public Utilities Commission today by
a spokesman for the concern.
Charts submitted by J. E. Heberle.
vice president and controller of the
company, when hearings into COM
plants against street car and bus
service were resumed, showed that
from March, 1881. when the reduced
fare was started. TO the end of that
year, total of 2,220,o94 Scent fares
was collected.
During the u months of the fol-
lowing year. the total rose to 3,652,746.
In 1888, the total was 3827.042; in
1884, there were 4.218.032, and last
year the number was 4,436,o42.
From 1888 to 1884 there was an
increase of 100000 in such fares,
while the 1885 total was about 300
900 more than in 1884. Heberle said
he believed the decline in the rate OF
increase was caused by the number of
children using the weekly pass instead
OF buying Scent fare books.
Heberle also submitted charts show
ing that for the IL month of 1888
school children paid s105,55l, while
for the same period of last year. de-
spite the reduced rate of increase in
use of Scent fares, the revenue from
this class Of patronage amounted to
S121, asa.
Passes Spur Business.
Passenger revenues and the total
number Of passengers carried by the
company increased Immediately after
the weekly pass and universal trans
fer systems were introduced in De-
cember, 1888, Heberle testified yes
terday.
Heberle presented series of charts
and statistical tables to show the
gains made by the company since the
time of the merger. The same changes
have resulted in a decrease in the
average fare paid by revenue passen-
gers and the average fare of all pass
engerS.
During the same period car mileage
increased steadily until the substitu-
ton of buses was begun At present
the car mileage has just about re-
turned to the December. 1888. figure,
whereas the bus mileage has more than
doubled.
The sale of weekly passes at 81 and
$1.25 have jumped from a weekly
average of 1887 the first month they
were placed on sale to 1929 average
per week last month.
I'VE have heard a good deal of COM
plant against the service of the COM
'pany," Heberle said, but I feel this
gain which has been steadily upward
month after month clearly indicates
that good many patrons of the COM
pany are satisfied with the service"
October Peak Month.
The revenue from passengers the
first month of operation of the merged
company was S650,553.18. In Novem-
ber, 1885, it had increased to $783,-
730.o4. The peak month. however,
was October, 1885, when the revenue
totaled 1921 .292.96.
Average fare per revenue passenger
from December, 1888, to November,
1885. dropped from 6.88 cents to SOB;
the average per all passengers dropped
from 5.25 to 4.49 cents. Heberle at
tributed this to the increased use of
passes and estimated that an average
of 3112 rides per week are made on
each pass.
Car mileage the first month of op-
Grafton totaled l,409,343 and advanced
to a peak of 1,709,802 in May, 1885.
In November, however, it was back
down to 1,409,084.
At the same time bus mileage on
regular routes increased from 410,303
to 925,819.
Seeks Chevy Chase Figures.
Col. Dan I. Sultan attempted to get
figures on whether the substitution Of
busses for cars on the Chevy Chase
line had resulted in greater patronage
there.
Heberle said that such figures as
the company has cannot be interpreted
because of such factors as holidays.
unfavorable weather and other facts
that would prevent figures being COM
parable. He did express the opinion.
however, that more passengers actually
are using the line now than before
the change had been made.