Evening star., 1951-07-31
Utilities Commission
To Study Reductions
In Transit Service

Cuts in service by the Capital
Transit Co. since new owners took
over were due for study today byI
the Public Utilities Commission.
Hearings on the reasonable
ness" Of the company's service, be-
gun yesterday, were to be resumed
this afternoon. Company officials
planned to continue with an out
line Of their operations, which
they started following a morning
OF criticism yesterday,
The hearings are not concerned
with the company'S proposal yes
terday to increase it's fares. The
company petitioned the PUG for
an end to tokens, a straight Isl
cent fare and weekly passes atI
$2.25 instead of the present 81.
Hearings on the fare question will
be held later.
Testimony on Personnel.
Company testimony yesterday
was concerned chiefly with the
hiring and training of operating
personnel and scheduling of serv-
ice.
The schedules appeared to be of
greatest interest to the commits
sion. Chairman James H. Flana-
gan instructed the transit COM
pany to bring in detailed informa-
ton on two points-wider head
ways" since 1949 and service on
the Massachusetts, avenue (N-1
and No busline. The latter fig
ured in critical testimony earlier
in the day.
Mr.. Flanagan's request regard
ing headways was made on the
suggestion of Commission Coun-
sci Lloyd B. Harrison. 1t followed
a disclosure by Isaac B. Goad.
company director of schedules and
traffic, that headway-the sched-
uled interval between individual
buses and streetcars-has been
stretched, in some cases.
Calls for Schedules.
Mr.. Flanagan instructed the
company to produce comparative
schedules on four major lines for
two years ago and the present
time.
At the same time; he pointed
out that all schedule changes
have been approved by PUG, and
Mr.. Goad emphasized that they
were based, "in every case" on de-
clineS in passenger travel as shown
by traffic counts.
The company has 116 employees
assigned to checking service and
working out schedules, the transit
official said.
Questioning by Herbert P. Lee
man, president of the Federation
of Citizens Associations, brought
out earlier that the company's 2
bus and streetcar operators have {
dropped from a total of 2,706 on q
January l. 1850 to 2.230 at pres q
ent-a reduction of 476.
Control Changed in '4s. :
1t was in September, 1949. that t
a Florida group, headed by Louis
E. Wolfson. purchased control of
the transit firm. Under this
group, the company's net income
has skyrocketed. while acknowl- 4
edged economies have occurred
in daily operations.
j. Godfrey Butler, personnel
director. told the commission the
company had a net gain of So t
operators in the last half of 1949. a
But in each six-month period O
since then, he reported, there has :.
been a net drop, amounting to
176 on July l. 1850: another lot
on January / of this year, and
l25 more this month. Nearly 70IC
men are on leave in the armed 6
forces. but they have not been :
replaced even temporarily. and
1t has been necessary for the =
company to work men overtime
to meet service needs, Mr.. Butler =,
said 9
While the company has not t
tried to replace all of these men, h
it considers itself about 120 men t
short of needs at present, the per- Il
sonnel director said. But it is Il
having diff1culty in recruiting de- II
spite extensive advertising, he L
added.