Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-10-22
Transit Unit Pushes
Air Conditioning
Non-Rush Hour
Conversion in
"a Suggested
BY DAN GOTTLIEB
Star staff Writer

II Sn0uld De a cooler summer
next year for Washington area
bus riders if the bus companies
regulators have their way.
The Washington Metropoli-
tan Area Transit Commission
announced today that it wants
all non-rush hour bus service
to have fully aforementioned
equipment next summer. The
commission has been working
toward this goal since its es-
Enlistment in early 1861. but
this is the first time a target
date has been set.
Cooler riding is one Of six
service improvement goals
which the commission has d.
rected the staff to work on.
Executive Secretary Delmer
Ison said.
Urge One-Way Streets
The goals, which were dis
cussed at the first full meet
ing of the commission with the
Districts new member, District
Commissioner Charles NJ.
Duke, last week, included:
Establishment Of exclusive
bus lanes during rlsh hours
on Pennsylvania avenue Sc.
between the Capitol and Barney
circle.
More one-way streets in the
District.
Operation Of buses from the
suburbs directly to additional
downtown areas, particularly
the Seventeenth and K streets
NV. area.
Studying the impact on costs
lof running more buses during
rush hours to reduce the num-
Der Of standees.
Discussions with area high
way departments to provide
bus stops and stations on the
Shirley highway and on free@
ways being constructed, in
lcluding the Inner Loop.
3 Have Air Conditioned Buses
Mr.. Ison explained that three
of the four bus companies in
the area Cd. c. Transit System
ABB &W Transit and Wv &M
Coach Coz viii have enough
: aforementioned buses by mex
summer to meet the goal o.
4 using them exclusively in non
: rush hours. The other com
d pany, VIVA Transit, has fivt
. more air conditioned busei
on order. The problem, Mr.
/ Ison said. has been that the
companies have been using
: some of their air-conditioned
buses for sightseeing opera
, tons.
The commission held a meet
! ing with D. c. Transit officials
last July on some of the sug-
gested service Improvements,
So far, the company has at
tackled one problem, improving
its phone : answering service,
which has given rise to the
most complaints. Mr.. Ison said.
The commission staff found
that more than half of its test
calls to the company's sched-
ule information service were
not answered by an operator
for periods of four minutes or
: more.
New Equipment Soon
; President o. Roy Chalk ex4
plained that the new phone
equipment to handle the jam
ups on the switchboard will be
installed soon and that mean
while additional operators have
been hired on a temporary
basis.
The Star, in connection with
a series of articles on D. C.
{ Transit published last June
found that delays up to eight
> minutes were experienced in
reaching the company's infor-
: nation service. During the de-
lays. a recording announcement
that all lines were busy played
Repeatedly. The commissions
checks were made between Au-
gust 80 and September II.
A commission check on CON-
plants of crowding on D. C.
Transit buses revealed that the
company was operating well
within" the standards pre-
scribed, Mr.. Ison said.