Evening star., 1954-10-27
West Montgomery
To Air Bus Plans
Al Meeting Sunday

~ FhA D01 s0shS
Al Meeting Sunday
West Montgomery County
citizens, stirred by the threat
ened suspension of bus service
by the Baltimore & Annapolis
Railroad Co. on Sunday mid
night. plan meeting to devise
alternative transportation.
Drexel Sprecher. president of
the West Montgomery County
Citizens Association, said a
meeting of his organization will
sbe held at 8:l5 pm. Monday in
the Potomac School.
A meeting of the Rockville
KiwaniS Club, which includes
many members of the Potomac
area last night. decided that only
an act of Congress will cure the
situation.
The Interstate Commerce
Commission has held that the
Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad |
Co., which operates buses be- |
tween Washington and Western |
Montgomery County points, sue |
ceeding the Bison Line opera
tions, can not now legally oper-
ate The ICC said bus operations
here are not incident to its rail-
road operations between Balti-
more and Annapolis.
Resolution Rescinded.
At first, the Kiwanis Club
members unanimously adopted a
resolution urging that the ICC
suspend its decision until the
citizens could adequately state
their case. But phone calls and
additional information led to a
decision to rescind the resolu-
ton.
Peyton Mannar. first vice
president of the Kiwanis Club,
said there is a definite need for
the bus service. Other arrange
ments will have to be made, he
declared.
The Congressional Country
Club has been subsidizing the
buSline operation at the rate of
$500 monthly. A. E. Martin,
club manager, explained this
was done for the benefit of mem
bers and employees. Now. ne
said: 1--WE don't know what we
are going to do" Several bus
trips came directly to the club.
Civic leaders in the Potomac
area said they are advised that
the Baltimore & Annapolis Rail-
road Co. has been losing money
on it's Potomac line operation,
but making profit on it's Mas
sachuSettS avenue extended line.
The company said it will dis
continue the service after Sum
day because of the ICC ruling
barring it from purchasing oper-
ating authority and property
from the defunct Bison Bus
Lines, which formerly served the
area.
Other Lines Oppose Permit.
The ICC ruling, handed down
on October 4, denied the rail-
roads petition on grounds the
law provides that a railroad can
run motor carrier only if 1t is
used in connection with rail
transportation. The ICC held it
did not have such service in
Montgomery County.
Representatives of six other
buslines appeared at the hear
ing in opposition to granting the
permit. In general. according to
1CC Examiner Irving j. Raley,
they did not oppose B. & A.
getting the right to perform the
commuter service in Montgomery
but did oppose it because of
competition in the charter serv-
Ice. The right to perform char
ter service comes automatically
with the right to perform COM
Inuter service, Mr.. Raley said.
No Appeal Planned.
The Bison Lines went out
of business last year. Last No
vember, the B. & A. offered to
buy the equipment and was
granted temporary permission to
do so.
The firm, since being denied
a permanent permit, says there
is nothing more it can do. It
does not plan to appeal.
That leaves the area without
bus service. Capital Transit's
nearest line terminates at West
moreland Circle and the firm
said it has no plans to extend
its service.