Evening star., 1936-08-16
BY JACQUES FUTRELLE, JR.
IME was when there was little
pleasure in pleasure travel.

" 1ME was when there was little
pleasure in pleasure travel.
And 1t was not SO long ago, In
L the light of speed and comfort
Of present commercial transportation
standards. Smoke and cinders used to
baptize the train vacationist, but lovely
and interesting places beckoned ir-
resistibly, and America Travelled. Air
conditioned rail coaches and sleepers,
born in the depression and developed
along with streamlined trains, changed
that. Airlines have introduced heated
cabins, sleeper planes and luncheons
In the air-and virtually cut Americas
vastness in half by new speed ships.
Buses. little more than coach bodies
on numbering trucks. have become
speedy, easy. specialized types OF
vehicles.
America has entered what seems to
be a golden age in commercial trans
portation The word entered" is used
adHsedly, for in view Of the startling
innovations In comfort, luxury, safety
and dependability within the last
decade it is unreasonable to believe
that the doldrums will embrace this
ver-changing business. Paraphrasing
two old savings: Competition Is the
mother of invention. And the public
constantly is learning Of more pleasing
pleasure travel facilities as the trains.
the air lines and the bus lines strive
to outdo each other.
Asst YEAR bus lines surpassed
II class l railroads in the number
of passengers. Roughly, the ousses
carried 652, ,OOO, 900 passengers, to 446.-
900 900 who patroniDed trains. But
the bus industry was not content to
rest there, and only a few days ago
the Greyhound lines placed into
service between Boston and New YORK
the first of its new 3O0-odd monster
buses, with innovations that may
reyclutionize commercial highway
travel. This type Of super coach was
to 90 into service today between Wash
ington and Cincinnati. connecting
with similar busses operating to st.
Louis.
The new busses carry SO passengers,
three more than the present Grey
hound equipment, yet roomier seats
have been made possible by a some
what radical design. Through the
center Of the bus runs an aisle, prac-
tically on the foor-level of the old
busses. From this level, passengers
step two feet up to deck on which
the seats are placed. Thus they ride
over the heads Of other highway
vehicles This arrangement also elimi-
mates seats directly over the wheel
housing, which experienced bus travel
ers have learned to shun.
NOR has improved bus service
stopped there. New to the East.
although they have been in operation
in the West since 1923. sleeper buses
began to run last month between Chi
cago and New York. So popular have
they become that they are now opera
ting at 95 per cent capacity. These
| All-American Bus Line monsters
brought with them air-conditioning,
which. after much experimentation, has
been adapted to highway trarsporta-
ton, challenging the exclusive claim
Of the railroads to cool comfort.
In outward appearance, the ALL
American sleepers resemble the new
Greyhound day coaches. Inside, how
ever. are four separate compartments,
each providing seating and berths for
three people. Each compartment is
equipped with a lavatory. Air condi-
tioning is provided by new system.
Finding previous cooling machinery
too bulky and weighty to be practical,
the line turned to dry ice, over which