Evening star., 1942-11-06
Express Buses
On 18th Street
Start Nov. 16
Rush Hour Service
To Be Expanded as
Conditions Warrant
BY DON S. WARREN.

BY DON S. WARREN.
Rush-hour express bus service will
be inaugurated on Sixteenth street
NV. November Is on an expert
mental basis, beginning with the
operation of two buses, these to be
increased as experience warrants.
under a decision announced today
by the Public Utilities Commission.
The plan is to add express buses
for trips beginning at three starting
points on upper Sixteenth street, as
fast as patronage demands, until
the demand is satisfied, and to drop
express buses if the plan is found
not to suit riding habits of passen-
gers.
However, buses placed in express
service will not be in addition to
those in the present local bus serv-
ice, but will be provided by the grad
ual conversion of, some local We
hicles to express use. The fare for
the special service will remain the
same as the present uniform cash,
token or weekly pass fare.
Compromise Plan.
This plan is compromise arrived
at after a long battle over requests
of the Sixteenth Street Heights Cit
izens' Association for express serv-
ice, petition opposed by the Capt.
tai Transit Co.. which had main
tanned that express service, being
discriminatory as to other sec
tions lacking such super service,
should be granted only on payment
of higher fare.
The commissions decision was
unanimous. The PUG allowed
member Gregory Hankins to an
nounce the plan since he had
"fathered" the idea of a sort OF
selective "limited-stop" service for
Sixteenth street OH the basis of the
PUG origin and destination survey
which was managed by Mr.. Hankin.
The new service will begin No
vember 6 with the operation of two
express buses, starting at Eastern
avenue. One of these will be run
local to Underwood street and
then will 60 express to Eleventh
and K streets (via Sixteenth street
and Massachusetts, avenue) and
then will be in local service to a
terminal at Eleventh and G streets
NV, back of the old Post ONCE
Department Building.
The other will 60 to second
terminal at Eighteenth street and
Constitution avenue NV, the ex-
press run being between Under
wood street and Twenty-first and
G streets NV. The route to be
followed will be. Sixteenth street,
New Hampshire avenue R street.
Twentieth street, New Hampshire
avenue, south on Twenty first
street to Constitution avenue and
then east to Eighteenth street.
To Add Third Starting Point.
The order explains there will be-
ultimately, three starting points on
Sixteenth street, at Eastern ave-
nue., Underwood and Taylor streets,
and two termini, at Eleventh and G
streets NV. and at Eighteenth
street and Constitution avenue NV.
The commissions order stipulates
that the new service shall be pro-
vided out of conversion of local
buses to the new express service
and shall not be assignment of "ad-
ditional' buses to Sixteenth street.
When the maximum" service is
provided at Eastern avenue, depend
ing on available demands, then a
start will be made on express runs
to the two termini from Underwood
street, and then after this has
reached its maximum, similar serv-
ice will be started, with two buses.
from Taylor street.
Reverse in Evening.
From Underwood street the ex-
press buses will run local to Taylor
street, then go express to either
Eleventh and K streets or to Twenty.
first and G streets, and then local
between those points and the two
stated termini. In the evening, the
route will be followed generally In
the reverse.
From Taylor street, the ultimate
express buses will run local to Euclid
street and then 60 express either tc
Eleventh and 4 streets or tt
Twenty-first and G streets, then or
to one of the two termini.
The order also provides that as
some of the buses are converted tt
express runs. the headways between
the remaining local buses shall be
heightened ito the end that the bus
runs shall, so far as practicable, be
so scheduled as to have 100 per cent
: load factors, at the point of maxi
mum load, provided that reasonable
. headways shall be maintained over
all portions of the line"
!. The company is required to trans.
NIT to the PUG a daily traffic count
at the express points for all loca
and express buses for the first II
days after each group of express