Evening star., 1945-05-29
BusFareCut
1ovirgiiniia 10
Take30Days
Companies Declare
Adjustment Will
Require Study

S.1y Va w Adyo VI ulOIC D6lOTe
reduced bus fares are put in effect
Tor commuters between the District
and Government buildings in nearby
Virginia was indicated today as the
bus and transit firms involved re-
ported the change would take that
long.
The reduced fares were ordered
yesterday when the Supreme Court
upheld Interstate Commerce Com
mission orders reducing bus fares on
lines serving the District and
Arlington County.
A spokesman for Capital Transit
Co., one Of the companies involved
indicated that the company would
comply with the order after the
decision is studied by counsel.
OfhciaS of the A., B. & w. Transit
Co., which runs to four Government
buildings in nearby Virginia, and of
the Arlington & Fairfax Motor
Transportation Co., which also
serves Government establishments
south of the Potomac, likewise said
1t would take about 80 days for the
OlOCl W pcCOulG cueCClVe,
Transfers to Be Free.
At present, Washington resident
employed at the Pentagon pays 10
cents cash or an 8b cent token fare
to the transfer point at Ninteenth
and c streets NV, plus an addi-
tional 5 cents from there to the Pen
tagon. Under the decision, transfers
are to be provided free.
A Washington resident travelling
between outlying areas of the Dis
trict and Government installations
in Virginia not served by Capital
Transit, but by the Virginia lines
only. now pays the District fare plus
10 cents on the Virginia lines.
Under the ICC order upheld by
the Supreme Court. the Pentagon
and other Government installations
in Virginia would be included in the
District zone, Between outlying
areas of Washington and the Penta-
gon served by Capital Transit there
would be one fare, as described. If
the Virginia lines must be used, the
Washington resident would pay
token fare of 81s cents on the Vir.
ginia line, or he would pay a 1874
cent fare for travel on joint facili-
ties by buying a book of IL tickets
for $1.60.
Virginia Residents.
Virginia residents would still have
to pay 10 cents for shorter trips on
the same vehicles of Virginia lines,
and the existing rate of 1872 cents
for ride from Arlington into
Washington Q0 cents on the Vir-
ginia lines, plus 81s cents token fare
on Capital Transit) would not be
altered.
President Franklin K. Lane of the
Arlington g. Fairfax Motor Trans
portation Co. said: 1T probably
will mean a severe hardship for all
Virginia companies. There is no
way of ascertaining the volume of
travel which will be affected. A lot
of the carriage will be free, for the
District fare, instead of the pas
senger paying the 81s cents on Capt.
tai Transit or a dime on U.S."
3SAAs A1AAC coA0 AC4ClANCo WOO1O
be held among the companies to
agree on a division of the joint rates.
Great Power for ICC.
"This is the greatest grant of
power to the ICC since it was
formed in 1887" Mr.. Lane said. ut
gives the ICC complete control over
all commercial transportation,
whether interstate or intrastate. It
gives the commission control which
it never had before over every
streetcar company. Few recognize
what a sweeping decision this is"
The Supreme Courts decision
ended a long legal battle which
started after the ICC had been re-
quested by the War and Navy De-
partments to investigate fares paid
by the thousands of Government
workers employed in various Fed
eral Offices in Virginia, especially
the Pentagon. where 10000 are en-
ployed.
The ICc found that the prevail
ing 10-cent fare had caused some
employees to quit their jobs, and
subsequently ordered a reduction of
fares. The case finally reached the
Supreme Court after the carriers
had been successful in their fight
to set aside the commission order in
a niStrict Court hoo orinu ord thu