’BUS V. TRAM

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12181, 4 July 1925, Page 18

’BUS V. TRAM

EXPERIENCE IN AMERICA. Some enlightening and instructive details are' given in reference to the tremendous advance made in motor’bus traffic in the United States of America during recent years. A. few years back there was strong opposition in America by the railway and tramway authorities to the advent of the motor-’bus; they argued, just as they are doing in New Zealand to-day, that the motor-’bus Was a competitor that meant ruination to their transport and passenger carrying corporations. The Minister for Railways, the-Hon. J. G Coates, has expressed- a desire to .coordinate the ’bus services with the railway, and the city authorities intend to try and keep the ’buses olf the road. But the American public demanded the motor-’bus, and the resujt has been that during the past two years there has been a complete ■ reversal of attitude. To-dav the leading cities and transport corporations of U.S.A. have a true appreciation of the value of the pneumatic shod motor'bus, and a new and broader, vision of the future of such transport, 'bus being viewed not as a competitor of *ail and tram transportation systems, but as valuable adjuncts and auxiliaries thereto; and to-day these corporations who in the past fought the mo-tor-’bus are using large numbers of these vehicles to enlarge their own passenger carrying businesses. They art laying down no .-new rails where nrntor’buses can serve, using instead pneumatic tyred ’buses and motor t.ruek< as feeders to their systems. The result has been remarkable development m the use of ’buses' and trucks for tranport purposes. STARTLING FIGURES There are now 175 tramway companies using over 3000 ’buses, as against 100 companies working 750 ’buses in the previous year. Furthermore there were 174 railroads using motor-’hus and truck service at the beginning of 1925. Statistics compiled in America disclose the fact that 2,500.000,000 ’.bus miles were travelled- in 1924, an av„.age of 500,000 miles a day, and, ht»p> as these figures are, it is predicted that they ,will be nearly doubled this year, carrying billions of passengers.

There are now in use over 53.000 pneumatic tyred ’buses, and provision is being made for a further 20.000 being placed on the roads this year. It is significant that out of the ,12.500 new ’buses made in 19iJ4 cne-fourth of them were bought and operated by tramway companies, and indications are that one-third of the 1925 output of' These vehicles will fce used as auxiliaries to city and interurban electric , railway systems. Even the country schools in centralised t.ros have their ’buses to bring, the children to and from «chooK. It wMI surprise those who oppose, the motor’bus in the Dominion'-that no less than 13.037 American schools have one. fA more ’buses, and that that, number is being-added to ranidlv. ' * The daily milegge of the American ’bus systems raifges from 120: to 290 miles, and the average life - per ’bus is 300,000 miles, , The,; cost per vehicle averages about £IOOO. but; mahy of this Pullman type of, vehicles cost upwards of £2OOO. In some bf the States ’buses run on routes extending to 500 miles,, and even, to 1000 miles in a few nstances, a sleeper, ’bus having been designed and made for tlie long-distance ruris. It is worthy of note that some of the inter-urban lilies and railioads are riot only using motor ’buses/ at . auxiliaries' to their Systems, : biit are running ’buses in; dirdqt competition' to their own lines. In all directions American railway apd tramway companies are ceasing extending lines and arerinstalling ’bus systems- to fill the gaps. The motor-’bus has won its battle - in America, and, despite all opposition in New Zealand, it will do the same in this country.

The reckless , piedestrian has been taken in hand by Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where the 'municipality has passed . tlie following by-law: “No pedestrian, when in or upon any public street or thoroughfare, shall by liii conduct or by any act or deed so behave therein or thereon that he shall carelessly, negligently,, or recklessly disrecard or endanger his own safety or the. safety of any person therein or thereon. No pedestrian, when in or upon any public street or thoroughfare, shall wilfully refuse or neglect to ohey tlie signal or order of any policeman in uniform when such signal or order is in regard to the control, rcstrictidn, or safeguarding of the traffic in such public street or thriroufbfarc.” The Rand Motor-cycling Club held a trial recently to compete for what is known .as the vacuum vase. The distance of the race was 132 miles, and the roads were rough and heavy, with ■ tlie added difficulty of negotiating many creeks overflowing with swift-funning flood water.