THE BUS IN AMERICA

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 61, 15 March 1929, Page 16

THE BUS IN AMERICA

RAILWAY? OWNERSHIP

AVER GROWING POPULARITY

Motor buses are becoming increasingly popular as a means of summer travel in America, and railroads are using buses to open up now sightseeing territory. Approximately 17,000 miles of sightseeing bus routes were Aerated in the 19l!S season, and it i» estimated that more than 5,000,000 poisons were carried in the 3000 buses engaged irir'tliis' type, of service. Tours operated "ranga froni: trips in tho city, of a - few .hours' duration, to longdistance joWneyS of ono ' and two weeks,. Lo'caT sightseeing services■-a.ru, provided -iii-sixty cities, of, the .United States,'.- ■The, longer .tours are principally 'of the "all-expense" variety, whore 'the fare includes meala '. and hotel accommodation....

i3ix.; railroads are now engaged iii operating highway tours, offering side trips to scenic points along their lines hitherto--.-closed to train passengers One railroad operates a tfiree-aay,' all-expense, bus tour through: tlio;; historic Pueblo: district of. New Mexico. Passengers board buses directly from trains and are returned to trains three days later. Guides, familiar vrith historical and geological facts of'the region, conduct the trip. 'Similar tours are operated by railroads in Colorado, Utah, Ari- f zona, Califoruia, and, Oregon. Long-distance tours in the .Eastern States followed, well-defined . routes, which ar'o"'altered but slightly fr«si years to ,v.years. .-. Niagara Falls, The White Mountains, Montreal, Boston, New York, Atlantic City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington are favourite points-of to motor-bus tourists in the East, while the .national parks attract touring throngs in tho West. TWO BIG COMPANIES. The, New , England Transportation Company, a subsidiary of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Kailroad, together with the Northland Transportation Company, a subsidiary of tjie Great Northern Railway,; are among' the largest operators of intercity bus services'in .the .United States. Both companies expanded their services in 1928. The Heading, on many of its lines in the Philadelphia district, V:haS'«ubstiiuted: bus Services iii the nonlush hours. The Pennsylvania Kailroad has applied to the Commonwealth for permits to operate an extensive inter-city bus system. In Arkansas, the, Missouri Pacific and the St. Louis Southwestern have bought existing inter-city lines for welding into complete systems. Both the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific are attemptiingsi J6''"dHn^in'ate outside motor-bus coniij'petition with their steam lines by ithenisolves operating buses. The coming ;year may see further expansion in the : use of buses by the steam railroads.

Buses to the number of 9621 are { now operated by 300 electric- railways over 16,577 miles of route. These companies include- most of the large and .'progressive electric railways in tho : country. The majority of tho others, not now operating buses, are small pro■perties or aro interurban railways. The of the motor bus by the street 'railway industry has boon not only ' widespread but has occurred in a remarkably short period of time. On Ist January, 1925, there were 272 electric railways operating buses. While tho ■ number of companies is increasing only 'slowly, tho number of buses 'operated continues to increase- with rapidity. In September of last year there were 1281 more buses operated by electric rail'v,£i}%than there were in September, 1927. This means that the amount of jscnico rendered by those bus operating 'companies is increasing in direct pro--1 portion to traffic demands.

; POWERFUL, FAST,- COMFORTABLE,

ilueh of the increased popularity of ;the bus as a medium for travel is due in no small measure to improvements in design. In tho past.fivo years the motor-bus has undergone many-.import-ant changes both in its mechanical structure and its appearance, all of which have increased tho general effi- ' cioncy and dependability, of the vehicle. '< Greater. passengor comfort, too, has /been a most impoitant consideration. ■i'JThe- present-day- parlour car with its /'luxurious appointments and improved 1 riding qualities compares favourably ■/with other de luxo means of travel. i'fhe bus of to-day is a far, cry from i'iihe crude vehicles of a fow years ago. tThese had high frames, stiff springs, ; and engines designed for high power : output at low road sp6ed. More noise :;than speed was often a feature. Within tho intervening period the bus has ■ reached its','present -high plane of do■velopmerit; possessing tho speed of a 'automobile and the • stamina of a truck.: ' ■

> Six-cylinder engines—and . more recently an eight—that respond instantly 'to the throttle havo replaced -the slowspeed truck engines. Improved braking system arid steering gears have made for safety and case of operation, while developments in springs, shock-absorb-ving devices, and tires are other major .contributions that have made for better riding qualities. Then, too, noises incident to operation have been reduced to a minii/ium or eliminated. It is these and othor advances in motor-vehicle engineering that have, in a largo measure, been responsible for popularising the bus.