Evening star., 1942-10-14
A Single Problem

- oiH9Ie FrODlem
There is evident need for a Trans
portation Authority for the Metro
politan Area of Washington. No
single agency has the power to deal
with the transportat ton problem as
whole. Numerous agencies are
whiting away at localized parts of
1t, But this is being done without
any definition of overall detectives
and with authority strictly limited by
jurisdictional lines.
Expansion of the Government es-
tabllshment into Maryland and Vir-
glnla makes it all the more important
to conceive of the TRANSFORMATION
problem as the problem of the Met
ropolltan Area-not merely the prob
lem OF the District of Columbia. It
is desirable now that the service
and the fares to the Pentagon Build
ing in Arlington County be as con-
Venlent and as cheap as to the
munitions Building; that census en-
ployes who work in Suitland be pro-
Vlded with transportation facilities as
good and relatively as cheap as when
they worked at the Commerce Build
Ing. Yet a constantly increasing
number OF Federal employees are be-
Ing penalized by higher carfare and
less convenient service. And no one
agency is dealing with the situation
as whole in seeking a remedy.
The Capital Transit Company is
now dealing with two agencies on
matters which present, fundament-
ally, the same issue. 1t is seeking
authority from the Interstate Com
merce Commission to stop it's Mont
gomery County buses at the District
Line and transfer passengers to Wis
consm avenue streetcars, with free
transfers. One objective is to COM
ply with orders of the Office of De-
tense Transportation to eliminate
unnecessary bus mileage. At the
same time, the transit company and
the Marlboro and Annapolis Motor
Lines, Inc, which serves Suitland, are
appearing before the District Public
utilities Commission in connection
with proposal for free transfers
between the lines. While the COM
panles are willing to eliminate the
existing tWo-cent transfer charge,
they wish to do it by temporary stip-
ulatlon and not submit themselves
to formal order of the Public Utili-
Ties Commission, whose Jurisdiction
IN the matter is questionable.
Extra fares with no transfers are
now charged on a Capital Transit
BUS line serving the new Pentagon
Building under an ICC permit. Some
10000 employees soon are to be housed
In this building, and the fares thev
pay Should be no higher than fares
between points in the District of Co.
lumblal Yet the Public Utilities
commission, regulating fares in the
District, has no jurisdiction over
fares to the Pentagon Building and
as policy the commission does not
include operation expenses of the
company outside the District in COM
putlng the company's earnings with
in the District-though it is the same
company A proposal by the So
called Washington Regional Com
mlttee OF Defense Transportation
Admlnistrators-which has no real
authority-for saving bus mileage bv
transfers from buses to Streetcars at
Rosslyn has come to nothing. There
evidently was no authority anywhere
to order free transfers between the
two transportation companies or any
plan that was wholly acceptable to
all elements concerned, including the
riding public.
In addition to the ICC, the District
Public Utilities Commission, the
Washington Regional Committee of
defense Transportation Admins
traitors and the Office of Defense
transportation, the Virginia and
Maryland public service agencies and
one or two voluntary committees
have their fingers in the pie. But
what is needed is an agency that can
cross boundary lines, pool equip
ment when necessary, fix rates of
fares and transfers and generally to
regulate single transportation serv-
ice in the interests of the public,
though the service may be furnished
by half dozen competing COM
! panies. The objective should be good
service at low rates, with any elimi-
nation Of wasteful and duplicated
facilities that can be made to save
rubber and fuel. Until the problem is
approached from such q point OF
view. satisfactory service will be
doubly dimcult to obtain.