Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-12-21
Taxpayers May Have to Subsidize Transit Lines
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1uNP~/SSS" ~"
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cilities, replacement Of worn out
equipment and improvement OF
service"
The Capital Transit Co. so far
is in much better shape than the
majority as pictured by Mr.. Ed
wards. But what the future holds
for the Washington transit COM
pany with increased costs remains
to be solved.
Transit Men Cite Facts.
Why is this big city problem?
Transit men cite these facts:
l. The wage differential, with
the rate of pay generally higher
in large cities than in small ones.
2. The longer haul that has to
be provided in large cities.
3. The rush hour demands with
their peaks of service high above
the basic operations.
Here is an example of the wage
differential: In Washington the
top wage for streetcar and bus
operators has just been raised
from $1.45 an hour to $1.55. In
Louisville population 319.077 in
1940) the wage was raised last
June by cents to $1.31. In
Denver population 322.4lO oper-
ators who received $1.26 up to last
May l, obtained two increases and
the rate is now $1.35.
AS a city expands the length OF
the haul the average passenger
gets for his fare increases also.
This means more equipment IS
necessary.
Four Mile Average Haul.
The average haul in Washing
ton now is figured at about four
miles. In Chicago it is ~ miles
on the surface lines and about
7 miles on the rapid transit sys-
TEN.
One of the dilemmas OF in
creasing fares is that, as the fare
goes up, the length of the average
ride goes up. too. Passengers who
formerly took a bus or trolley for
short rides walk instead.
The necessity of providing ade-
quate service in the rush hours
means, in Washington, that. for
several hours of the normal bust
ness day, about 800 costly cars
and buses are idle and producing
no revenue. 1t means also that
the men who operate them work a
swing shift. This adds to costs by
reason of overtime payments for
spread" time, that is, the elapsed
time between the start OF the
first piece of work and the end
of the second.
The peaks demands here come a
little after 8 am. and at about
$50 pm. To meet the demands
of these rush hours, Capital
Transit has about 1850 buses and
street cars on the streets. In the
period from II am. to about 2
o m. the demand is met with only
about $50 vehicles.
Fares and Wage Rates.
In the six largest cities where
there is municipal ownership, the
fares are about on a level with
those of the six largest cities,
where there is private ownership.
Wage rates, however. are higher
on the average in municipal own
ership cities. =. --~
Here is the data on the NUM-
lcipally owned properties:
New York-Fare, 10 cents on
subways and elevators. On some
divisions of the New York City
Transit System-Queens and Stat
en- Island, for example-the fare
is 7 cents. The fare Of the pri~
vately operated Fifth Avenue
Coach Co. is IL cents.
The transit systems wage scale
generally is this: For conductors
who open and close doors on the
subway trains, $1.34 an hour; rail,
bus and trolley-bus operators,
s1.44; motormen on trains. $1.59.
The largest group gets $1.44. The
C1O Transport Workers Union is
asking a 21-cent wage increase,
which the transit board has re-
jected. Since strikes by municipal
workers are barred by law a slow
down has been threatened.
Fare Raise in Boston.
Boston-In August there was a
fare increase from a 10-cent
straight fare with free transfers.
The new scale is S cents for single
rides on 125 Of the 129 lines, 10
cents for rapid transit system and
four surface lines, IS cents for
combined surface and rapid trans
it ride, and 20 cents for a surface
rapid transit surface ride.
AS for the pay scale, just re-
Gently an arbitration board granted