Evening star., 1951-12-17
Capital Transit
Asks toCurtaiI
Maryland Lines
Seeks to Eliminate
College Park Service
And Cut Other Buses

Ill Ouo oCl VIC III 1Cdl NY Adl y AdA10
areas, including elimination Of
one line, shortening of two and
reduced service on others. A
total Of II lines will be affected.
The transit company request
also asked permission to establish
one new line in Silver Spring and
two express lines to downtown
Washington.
J. A. B. Broadwater, transit
company president, filed the re-
quest for the changes with the
Maryland Public Service Commits
sion, declaring the company was
reluctant" to reduce further and
to change service on its Maryland
lines. He added:
1T became necessary to do so
in order to reduce its substan-
tial overall loses in its Mary
land operations"
Would Drop College Park Line.
The changes sought include:
Discontinuance of the H6-3
College Park community line.
Cutbacks in the service on the
T3 Alta Vista line and the 70
Forest Glen branch of the Silver
Spring community line.
Lengthening Of the time be-
tween trips on a number of lines.
Rerouting of several, and addi-
tions or extensions of several
lines to take up the slack Of the
other changes.
The changes will mean that two
communities, Landover Hills and
Kent Village, will lose all Capital
Transit bus service.
Other Lines Remain.
Transit company spokesmen
pointed out, however, that the
communities will still have bus
service. Landover Hills residents
may use the Greyhound Bus Line
while Kent Village is served by the
wv. M. & A. Line.
/ Only last March the PSC ap-
proved the discontinuance Of serv-
ice on seven of Capital Transit's
Maryland lines at the request Of
the company.
Pending before the District Pub
lie Utilities Commission now is a
company request for a bus and
: streetcar fare increase in the city.
: Hearings we're completed last
month on the request and the de-
cision of the PUG is being awaited.
Some District Service Cut.
In the District plea the COM
: pany sought elimination of the
tokens. now selling at three for 40
cents, and an increase in the cost
of the weekly pass from So to
S2.25. The 15-cent cash fare would
Iremain.
2 The last year also has seen Cap
ital Transit reduce its service on
certain District lines to save
! money.
: Mr.. Broadwater, in requesting
the further cutbacks, today. said
. the previous elininationS of lines
, enabled this company to con-
; tinue to maintain service in Mary
. land by affecting certain econo-
: mics which reduced it's overall
: losses in Maryland"
However, due to a wage in
Icrease which came about after a
strike in the early part of July"
he continued, ''the above men,
toned economies were more than
f. .off-set by such wage increase"
!, Asks January Hearing.
He said the proposed changes
will laid in reducing the company's
loss and will preserve service" on
the routes affected. He asked that
the PSC hold a hearing during
the week of January 6 so that
the company may be given relief
from the excessive losses which it
is maintaining.
Mr.. Broadwater said that all
though there had been develop
ment of residential and other
enterprises in the area served by
the Maryland lines, patronage had
declined consistently with little
prospect for reversal of the trend.
He said this was due in large part
to the increasing use of private
automobiles.
Capital Transit estimated its
losses each year in it's Maryland
operations at more than $400, 900.
The exact savings to be accom-
plished by the proposed cutbacks
were not estimated other than in
two specific cases where lines
were to be abolished.
i The changes asked by the Cap
ital Transit Co. follow:
Discontinuance.
1 H6-8 College Park Community
:. line-This line will be discon-
tinued over it's entire length. From
!. College Park, one leg operates to
Landover Hills and another to
Kent Village. Losses on this line
were estimated by the company
at $65.000 a year.
Cut-Backs.
T-8, Alta Vista line-Service on
this line between Old Georgetown
road and Alta Vista road and
(See TRANSIT, Page A-2.)
Featured READING