The Fifth Avenue Coach Company is fondly remembered today for their fleets of double-decker buses that plied the streets of Manhattan during the first half of the Twentieth century. Although all of the firm's later coaches were supplied by General Motor's Yellow Truck & Coach Company, for a little over two decades, they built their own coachwork, and even built their own chassis for a short period of time, some of which were sold to other transit operators, most notably in Detroit, Michigan.

Like most other large twentieth century transit operators, the Fifth Avenue Coach Company was descended from an earlier horse-drawn stage operator. In his landmark 1946 history of the Cravath law firm, Robert T. Swaine details the Fifth Avenue Coach Company's beginnings:

“The Fifth Avenue Railroad Company filed with the Board of Aldermen, late in 1885, an application for a franchise for a surface railroad to run from South Fifth Avenue at Canal Street northerly through Washington Square and along Fifth Avenue to Fifty-ninth Street. Its promoters included James A Roosevelt, Thomas Fortune Ryan, William C. Whitney and others of the same group who were promoting the Metropolitan in its fight with Jake Sharp.

“The property owners along the Avenue were stirred into immediate action. A group, including Cornelius Vanderbilt, Chauncey M. Depew, John Sloane, Bradish Johnson and William Waldorf Astor, organized the Association for the Protection of the Fifth Avenue Thoroughfare. Clarence Seward was president, and August Belmont, Josiah M. Fiske, Robert Goelet, Darius Odgen Mills, John Jacob Astor and James Kernochan were on its executive committee. Its purposes were: first, opposition to a railroad on the Avenue; and second, support of a line of stages. The stage line was to be the Fifth Avenue Transportation Company. The Sward firm became counsel for the association and the company.

“Seward’s first move was to induce the Attorney General to give an opinion that an existing Act forbidding a railroad on Fifth Avenue was constitutional. The Attorney General gave the requested opinion but refused to sue the aldermen. Seward had to arrange a suit by a resident of the Avenue.

“His second step was to stimulate as much propaganda as possible. Most of the respectable promoters of the proposed Fifth Avenue Railroad lived on or near the Avenue and might be sensitive to the adverse opinion of the neighbors and friends. Editorials appeared in the Times, the World and the Herald, whose burden was the analogy of what was happening on Fifth Avenue to the Broadway Scandal. The ‘respectable projectors’ could hardly ‘afford to incur the double disgrace of buying the Board of Aldermen and of being in turn bought off by the residents of Fifth Avenue.’ The Times concluded that the ‘most important thing to be done at present is to shame the reputable people engaged in intriguing for the new road out of their connection with this disreputable project. When they are shamed out, it will be comparatively easy to deal with the avowed and shameless strikers who will succeed them.’ (Times Nov. 19, Dec. 5, 1885)

“At a hearing before Mayor William R Grace in December Seward opposed the railroad project and supported the application of the Fifth Avenue Transportation Company for a stage line. His timing was good, for the Attorney General’s opinion, adverse to the proposed Fifth Avenue Railroad, came down on the morning of the hearing, and must have been a substantial factor in inducing the Council to reject the railroad application. The public fury induced by the Fifth Avenue Association had so frightened the proponents of the railroad that they ‘made no real showing before the Board of Alderman.’

“Commented the Herald (Herald Dec. 12, 1885): ‘They are beaten for this time, but the organization of property owners that has been formed to repel their predatory attack should be maintained against the inevitable repetition of the attack.’

“The Herald’s prediction proved well founded. Shortly thereafter, an application was made by the New York Cable Company for a franchise to operate cable cars on Fifth Avenue from Washington Square to Forty-second Street. The Fifth Avenue Association announced that it would ‘resist this attempt to steal the avenue with all it means in [its] power.’

“In a public statement Seward said: This is another attempt to grab Fifth avenue. The most dangerous invention for a city’s use in the transportation of passengers are the cable cars. The records of San Francisco and Chicago show that vast numbers of people, especially women and children, have been killed in thoroughfares where the cable railroads have been introduced. A large number of the horses and a vast amount of property has been destroyed by them. The reason is obvious. They move noiselessly and swiftly and attract no attention in the dark. Carriages and wagons driving at a trot from the side-streets are run into without any warning, the horses killed and the carriages broken up. The cars cannot be stopped under a distance of twenty-five feet, and having no horses, which could be turned aside to prevent collision. Their work of destruction goes steadily on.’

“Meanwhile the Fifth Avenue Transportation Company, which had applied for a permit to run 50 stages from Bleeker Street and South Fifth Avenue to Eighty-second Street and Fifth Avenue, found itself opposed by a new venture, the Fifth Avenue Omnibus Company, which proposed that the northern terminus should be at the Harlem River. While the railroad and cable projects were defeated and Mayor Grace approved the proposed route of the Transportation Company, saying that the Omnibus Company’s proposal went further than was necessary, he held that neither he nor the aldermen had any power other than to determine the advisability of the route proposed: ‘Only that person or corporation can obtain the privilege, when decided upon, who bids the largest sum per annum to the city, with adequate security.’ (Commercial Advertiser, Dec. 12, 1885)

“Seward found that the ubiquitous Jake Sharp held a 30-year-old license in the name of the Fifth Avenue Stage Company for the operation of stages from Forty-third Street down Fifth Avenue to Eleventh Street, thence to Broadway, Fulton Street, Fulton Ferry and return. Seward bought the license for $10,000 plus the $300 originally paid for it. As it was expressed to be non-transferable, he had Sharp endorse it, ‘I hereby deputize the Fifth Avenue Transportation Company, Ltd., to run on Fifth Avenue between the designated Streets and not elsewhere, the Stage authorized by the within License.’

“The Fifth Avenue Transportation Company then petitioned the Board of Alderman to change the old route to let stages go through Washington Square to the Bleeker Street elevated station and return, and also to extend it above Forty-third Street to Eighty-ninth Street. But the Broadway Surface investigation was well on its way toward tracing the boodle of the Broadway Surface franchise to the aldermen of 1884; and Jaehne, who was still vice-president of the Board, moved that a favorable report on the Transportation Company’s application be laid on the table. After several months, Seward reported, ‘it lies there yet.’ To circumvent the opposition of the aldermen, ‘accommodate the local traffic and gratify the wished of the residents,’ the Transportation Company applied to the Legislature for an Act granting the requested change and extension of the earlier route. The bill passed the Legislature and was signed by Governor Hill in June, 1886.

“The Transportation Company was not an immediate success, and required additional funds. Dissension developed between the directors and Elliot F. Shepard, who bought up more than a third of the outstanding stock. To augment revenues the directors in early 1888 began to run stages on Sundays. Shepard brought suit for an injunction on the ground that this was ‘an act of Sabbath breaking.’ Seward defeated Shepard’s suit but the continued controversies between the directors and the principal stockholder became intolerable. Shepard offered to provide funds for ‘permanent stable accommodations’ and to meet other ‘present wants’ if he were given control and allowed to discontinue the Sunday buses. Accordingly a number of the directors, including Morawetz, resigned and permitted Shepard to take control. This terminated the Steward counselship.”

Although the firm appeared to be prosperous, for many years Shepard had augmented the firm’s meager proceeds using his own funds (the wealthy attorney and newspaper publisher - NY Mail and Express - was married to the eldest daughter of William H. Vanderbilt) and after his death on March 24, 1893 his family lost interest in propping up the money-losing enterprise. His brother was allegedly placed in charge of the enterprise and proceeded to run it into the ground. An article describing the pitiful state of the firm’s horses, drivers and equipment; entitled was published in the October 22, 1893 New York Times, its long title:

‘OLD AND DECREPIT STEEDS; PITIABLE EQUINE WRECKS ON FIFTH AVENUE STAGES. No Horses Have Been Bought by the Company This Fall, and Those in Service Are Not Fit To Do the Work -- Some Mystery as to Who Are the Officers of the Concern -- Superintendent Hankinson's Efforts in Behalf of the Poor Beasts.”

Before long the inevitable bankruptcy took place and the firm was placed in the hands of a receiver on February 7, 1895. The auction of the firm’s assets was recorded by the October 18, 1895 issue of the New York Times as follows:

“FIFTH AVENUE STAGE LINE SOLD; The Company's Property and Leases Bought for $10,450 by a Representative of F.S. Smithers & Co.

“All the property of the Fifth Avenue Transportation Company, Limited, held by Receiver Daniel T. Hoag, was sold at auction by Smith Ryan at the Broadway Real Estate Salesroom, yesterday, for $10,450. 

“The first lot offered included the right to run, drive, or cause to be run and driven, a line of stages for the transportation of passengers for hire form Eighty-ninth Street down Fifth Avenue, across Washington Square, and along South Fifth Avenue, to Bleeker Street, and return; also about 349 horses, 71 stages, trucks, carts, harness, tools, feed. &c., and two promissory notes made by J. Rosenfeld for the payment of $300.

“The bidding started at $3,000, and was continued until $10,250 was reached, at which price Ward Campbell, representing F.S. Smithers & Co. of 87 Wall Street, was the purchaser.

“The next parcel offered was the lease of the stables at 55 to 65 East Eighty-eighth Street, subject to a rental of $14,000 a year. The lease runs for twenty-one years from Jan. 1, 1890, and the buyer assumed all taxes, assessments, &c. It was sold subject to back taxes from Jan. 31, 1895. Mr. Campbell was again the purchaser, at $200, for F.S. Smithers & Co.

“Mr. Campbell refused to give any of the plans of the syndicate he represents, saying that the sale is still subject to confirmation by the court.”

The Fifth Avenue Coach Company was incorporated July 25, 1896, under the provisions of the Stock Corporation Law, to take and possess the property and franchises of the Fifth Avenue Transportation Company, Limited. The latter company was incorporated, October 29, 1885, under the Business Corporations Laws, chapter 611 of the Laws of 1875. Franchise for original routes was granted by a special act of the Legislature, chapter 53G, Laws of 1886. Suit for dissolution on the ground of insolvency was brought by the People of the State against the Fifth Avenue Transportation Co., Ltd., in the Supreme Court, New York City, resulting on February 7 and July 17, 1895, in a decree of dissolution, receivership and sale. As the outcome of this, all the property and franchises of the company were conveyed to the Fifth Avenue Coach Company under order of the Supreme Court dated November 18, 1895. The company's routes were extended under section 23 of the Transportation Corporation Law, as constituted by chapter 657 of the Laws of 1900, by proceedings resulting in certificates filed with the Secretary of State, August 4, 1900, February 23, 1901, and April 22, 1912, in pursuance of said act.

[The Receiver of the Fifth Avenue Transportation Company, Limited, Daniel T. Hoag, was appointed February 7, 1895. On October 17, 1895, he sold for $10,450 all the property to Ward Campbell who subsequently became one of the incorporators and original directors of the new company. On November 3, 1897, said Ward Campbell transferred nil rights, licenses, privileges, franchises and property so acquired and all rights and properties subsequently acquired to the respondent for $40,000. The certificate of incorporation provided that maximum amount of the company's capital stock should be $300,000, consisting of 3,000 shares of common stock. By a special meeting held for that purpose on September 3, 1597, the capital stock was reduced to $50,000, divided into 500 shares of common stock, at which amount it still stands.]

The Fifth Avenue Coach Company was incorporated on July 24, 1896, under the provisions of the Stock Corporation Law, to take and possess the property and franchises of the Fifth Avenue Transportation Company, Limited. This latter company was incorporated October 29, 1885, under chapter 611 of the Laws of 1875, of the State of New York. On February 7, 1895, the Supreme Court, New York County, appointed Daniel T. Hoag, receiver of all the property of the Fifth Avenue Transportation Company, Limited, and on July 17, 1895, said court ordered its sale, which sale was made on October 17, 1895, for a consideration of $10,450, to Ward Campbell, who subsequently became one of the incorporators and original directors of the new company.

On November 3, 1897, said Ward Campbell transferred all rights, licenses, privileges, franchises and property acquired from the receiver of the Fifth Avenue Transportation Company, Limited, and all properties and rights acquired by subsequent purchase, to the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, for a consideration of $40,000. The property as purchased contained the right to run or drive stages from 89th street down Fifth avenue, across Washington park, along West Broadway to the Bleecker street elevated station and return. Under the provisions of chapter 657 of the Laws of 1900, and by approval of the Board of Railroad Commissioners, this route has been twice extended on August 2, 1900, and on February 21, 1901.

The certificate of incorporation provided that the maximum amount of the company's capital stock should be $300,000, consisting of 3,000 shares, and all shares should be common stock. By a special meeting held for that purpose on September 3, 1897, the capital stock was reduced to $50,000, divided into 500 shares of common stock at which amount it still stands.

August 21, 1897 New York Times:

“Motors For Fifth Avenue; Coach Company Making Preparations to Abandon the Old-Fashioned Horse Stages.

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Company has employed has employed an expert to examine all the patents now on the market providing for horseless transportation with a view of abolishing their present system and establishing a more modern form of transportation for Fifth Avenue.

“One of the officers of the company, speaking of the proposed change yesterday, said: ‘When the first horseless carriage rolled down Broadway it became evident to the principal stockholders of our company that only a short time would elapse before the Fifth Avenue line would have to do away with its horses not only for the sake and comfort of its patrons but also as a matter of economy. At present the market is flooded with all kinds of patents and inventions providing for horseless carriages. We cannot select one of them at random, for they cover a wide range of usefulness, and are of all prices.’

‘“I cannot say exactly when the change will be made, but it will be made as soon as a suitable invention is offered to us.’

‘“When the horses are abandoned we can give better service to the public. During certain hours of the day the fare will remain the same as it is now, but it is possible that the fare for the late hours of the night, when travel is comparatively light, will be increased. It is also a project of the company to run express coaches on a regular schedule, stopping only at certain stations, so as to give its patrons the benefit of rapid transit.”’

December 22, 1898 New York Times:

“Fifth Avenue Line Sold

“The interest of the Shepard estate and individuals in the Fifth Avenue Coach Company have been acquired by Henry Hart, A.J. Elias, and Edward Lauterbach of the Third Avenue Railroad Company. The service of this line of stages will be auxiliary to that of the Third Avenue Railroad, of which system it will in time become a feature, as the stage service will be improved and put on a modern footing with, it time perhaps, horseless carriages.

“Of the change in ownership of the service, Edward Lauterbach said last evening: “Negotiations for the purchase of all the capital stock of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, owner principally by the Shepard estate, are concluded, ant the franchise and plant and equipment are owned by Third Avenue Railroad interests, Mr. Henry Hart being the principal acquirer. I cannot give the terms of the transaction. The stage service of the company will be reorganized as quickly as possible, and the road will be an auxiliary service to the Third Avenue system. The Fifth Avenue Coach Company was not at the time of the change in a very prosperous or efficient condition. The line will be well equipped, and, as a feeder for the Third Avenue, will be made useful to the public by transfer systems. At present the principal one will be Forty-second Street. It will be operated for transfers wherever practicable. In time it will be a very desirable adjunct to city transportation, and a plant to equip it with automobile carriages, for which both electricity and compressed aid will be used, will no doubt be carried out.

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Company has had this title about a year. It has been known as the Fifth Avenue Transportation Company Limited, and the Fifth Avenue Stage Line. It was first operated sixteen years ago but was never a paying corporation. It now operated on Fifth Avenue, between Eighty-eighth Street and the Washington Arch, in Washington Square. The stables and offices are at 55 East Eighty-eighth Street, and the equipment is fifty coaches, with a rear end entrance, and horses to furnish a team for each. The President of the late company was E.C. Converse, and the Secretary W.G.A. Hemming.

“The late Col. Elliott F. Shepard was largely identified with this stage line. It was regularly earning a deficit, and the stockholders favored increasing its gross receipts by running the stages on Sundays, but Col. Shepard opposed this, and to gain his end obtained proxies which enabled him to oust President E. Ely Goddard and get control of the road. Then Col, Shepard levied an assessment of 95 per cent on the stock and froze out enough stockholders to obtain complete but unprofitable sway. His burdens were increased by an act of the Legislature, which required stages to have both a conductor and a driver, but this measure was finally repealed.

“The time schedule of the stage service at present is 7 A.M. to 9:30 P.M. This will be changed so as to give early morning and after theatre service.”

May 9, 1899 New York Times:

“FIFTH AVENUE STAGE LINE SOLD; Said to Have Been Bought by Electric Vehicle Transportation Company or Auto-Truck People.

“Henry Hart, the Vice President of the Third Avenue Railroad Company, has sold all of the stock of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, of which he is the President, to another corporation. The sale was made through the banking house of Strong, Sturgis & Co.

“A report was current yesterday that the purchase of this stock was for the account of the New York Electric Vehicle Transportation Company, which operated the Electric Vehicle Company’s auto-mobiles in this city. President Hayes of this company refused to either deny or confirm this report. He said that no official action in regard to the matter had been taken by the Board of Directors of his company.

“F.K. Sturgis of the firm through which the purchase was made said that it was a cash transaction and that he was not at liberty to disclose the names of his firm’s clients. Edward Lauterbach, the personal counsel of Henry Hart said: ‘Mr. Hart sold his stock in the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, and he owned about all of it, some days ago. He got more than he paid for the stock, but I cannot tell you who bought it. The details will probably be made public within a few days.’

“The capital stock of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company is $50,000. The officers for the past year have been: President – Henry Hart; Vice President – Albert J. Elias; Directors – Henry Hart, Albert J. Elias, Edward Lauterbach, David C. Andrews, S. Howland Leavitt, John Beaver, and John H, Robertson. The company holds a franchise which has several years to run.

“One Wall street rumor had it that the purchaser of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company’s stock was Richard Croker’s New York Auto-Truck Company. Joseph H. Hoadley, the President of that company, was out of town, but another officer of the company said that he had looked over the franchise of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, but he did not care to say anything about the recent sale of Mr. Hart’s stock. He remarked that his company was making progress in the work of getting auto-trucks ready to be operated in the city.

“From another source it was ascertained that an order for two-score of auto-stages had already been awarded. The new vehicles were described as being out of the ordinary, in that they are to be ornamental and handsomely appointed. Each auto-stage will accommodate thirty persons.”

May 10, 1899 New York Times:

“Fifth Avenue Coach Line; Believed that the Whitney-Elkins Syndicate Has Obtained Control

“Those who were interested in the transfer of stock and franchise of the Fifthe Avenue coach line from the control of the Third Avenue Railroad Company to that of another corporation were as reticent yesterday as on the previous day, when the transaction was first made known. It was ascertained on excellent authority, however, that the other ‘corporation’ was practically the Whitney-Widener-Elkins syndicate, which owns the Metropolitan Street Railway system in this city.

“This syndicate also has a large interest in the Electric Vehicle Company and the recently organized New York electric Vehicle Transportation Company. The original report that the old Fifth Avenue stage line had been bought by the New York electric Vehicle Transportation Company was not, probably, therefore, far from correct. It is believed that automobiles will be operated in Fifth Avenue shortly by the last-named company.

“Henry Hart, Albert J. Elias, Edward Lauterbach, and the other Directors of the old Fifth Avenue Coach Company resigned yesterday after electing a new President in place of Mr. Hart. The new President is William H. Stonebridge of 31 Nassau Street, who refused to say anything for publication. He was busty during the day arranging for the election of a new Board of Directors. The names of the new Directors, it is expected, will clearly disclose the identity of the new owners.”

November 14, 1899 New York Times:

“Fifth Avenue Line Deal; Wall Street Says Mr. Whitney’s Electric Company has bought it.

“The Fifth Avenue stage line, it was reported in Wall Street yesterday, has passed into the formal control of the New York Electric Vehicle Transportation Company. The stock of the Fifth Avenue Company was purchased some time since by William C. Whitney, and it was said at the time that Mr. Whitney had bought the stock with the intention of turning it over to the New York Electric Vehicle Transportation Company, a subsidiary company of the Electric Vehicle Company, which is controlled by Whitney interests.

“It is said that Mr. Whitney received from a Philadelphia syndicate an offer of $1,000,000 for the franchise of the Fifth Avenue Company, which is supposed to be much in excess of the amount paid for the stock by Mr. Whitney. The price paid was not made public, but it was said that the stock has been turned over to the New York Electric Vehicle Transportation Company for what it actually cost.

“An officer of the New York Electric Vehicle Transportation Company said yesterday:

‘We know of no such deal having been consummated. It has been talked about for some time. When Mr. Whitney obtained control of what was the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, formerly Elliot F. Shepard’s Fifth Avenue Stage Company, it was announced that the stages would be succeeded by automobiles. So far as we know no automobiles to take the place of the present stages on Fifth Avenue have yet been decided upon. The vehicles would need to have the capacity of from sixteen to eighteen inside passengers. A vehicle with half that capacity now exists, but it would not suit Fifth Avenue, as its weight is 3,500 pounds. The project, then, so far as the vehicles are concerned, is in the air.’”

January 3, 1900 New York Times:

“AUTOMOBILE STAGE TRIED; Electric Omnibus Makes Its First Appearance on Fifth Avenue - Trial Trip Satisfactory.

“No one would have predicted several years ago, when the Fifth Avenue Stage Company and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals were having so much trouble, that some day or other, and in all likelihood before the end of the century, horseless vehicles would take the places of the antiquated stages then running on Fifth Avenue. But the horseless era in the history of Fifth Avenue ended yesterday, and within the year it is likely that automobiles will have completely taken the place of the old Fifth Avenue stages.

“At present the stages care for a heavy traffic during shopping hours, and the animals used to haul the ‘buses are fairly representative of the genus equine, but the Fifth Avenue Coach Company which operates the line, is seeking cheaper motive power, as well as more stylish vehicles, and the proposition made by a Hartford concern to use automobiles. The proposition was taken to kindly by the management, and yesterday, for the first time, a trial trip of an automobile over the line was made. The trip was not a regular one for passengers, although some of the patrons along the lines seemed to think it was. It was for the benefit of the officers of the company and their guests, a body of newspaper men, and it was a successful one from all standpoints. The vehicle was the largest suitable for the purpose that could be obtained at present, and it will be run daily with the horse stages for probably a month, in order that its advantages or disadvantages for transportation purposes may be thoroughly tested.

“The proper size for an automobile ‘bus, the power necessary to operate it, the capacity of the batteries, and the average speed when taking up and letting down passengers will all be determined upon through the test vehicle, and when the test is completed the company will, if it deems the automobile more suitable, order a sufficient number built.

“The trip yesterday was novel one to those who made it. Manager Howard Scribner and two of his guests occupied the outside seat, while eight others sought more comfortable quarters within. On down grade the ‘bus ran freely, even under the motorman’s brake, and on up grade its speed slackened perceptibly. Pedestrians along the line looked at the’ bus curiously, and at Forty-fourth Street a pair of horses, attached to a fashionable Brougham, shied to one side as it approached. A young woman at Fortieth Street did not consider the ‘bus anything extraordinary, for she stepped out briskly and hailed the motorman as she would have done ordinarily to the stage driver, and them looked embarrassed when the vehicle did not pull up.

“The new ‘bus made the trip from the stage barn to the terminus, on Washington Square South, and return in one hour, which is a gain of about forty minutes over the schedule time of the horse stages.”

August 3, 1900 New York Times:

“New Stage Coach Line; Extensions Granted to Fifth Avenue Company

“The State Board of Railroad Commissioners held two sessions yesterday,  at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, at which a number of matters were disposed of, among them the application of the Fifth Avenue Stage Coach Company for an extension of its lines. The extensions, which will give the company an east and a west side line to Harlem were granted.

“Fifth Avenue from Washington Square to One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Street, will be the route of the eastern line. For the western branch the following route has been selected; Fifth Avenue, to Fifty-seventh Street, to Broadway, to West Seventy-second Street. Here the line divides, one division going up Central Park West and Eighth Avenue, the other up Riverside Drive. Both branches will extend as far north as One Hundred and Twenty Fourth Street. Cross-town lines between the east and the west side will be established at intervals.”

January 22, 1901 New York Times:

“AUTOMOBILE OMNIBUSES. Fifth Avenue Line Leases Three from New Haven Company.

“Manager Howard Scribner of the Fifth Avenue Stage Coach Line has completed arrangements for the transfer of the New Haven Stage Line to the Fifth Avenue line. A deal by which the New Haven automobiles come into the possession of the Fifth Avenue line was closed yesterday in New Haven by him.”

September 16, 1905 New York Times:

“MOTORS MAY REPLACE FIFTH AVENUE STAGES; Company Experiments with a Specially Modeled Car. SEAT FOR EVERY PASSENGER New Vehicle Designed for Speed and Comfort -- Saves Forty-five Minutes in Round Trip.

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Company has placed on trial for Fifth Avenue service a gasoline-electric motor omnibus, which will begin running on regular schedule between Washington Square and Eighty-eighth Street within the next few days. It is now being run for experimental purposes in the evening.

“In designing this bus the object was to produce a vehicle that could be operated with safety and speed through the heavy traffic on the avenue. The vehicle has cross seats, with a centre aisle, so that passengers face forward and have a good view of the sights as they go along. The company declares that five-cent fares would not yield a profit, but in return for the ten-cent fare it is proposed to give every passenger a seat and allow no one to stand in the aisles.

“The motive power of the omnibus is the design of the General Electric Company, and consists of a forty-horse power engine and two forty-five-ampere motors. It is brilliantly lighted from a small storage battery, which also supplies current to start the engine, thereby avoiding the ‘cranking’ operation customary on gasoline cars.

“This is the latest of a series of experiments which the Fifth Avenue Coach Company has been conduction for several years to obtain a satisfactory motor omnibus for its stage routes. When a vehicle is found which is adequate to its needs the route will be completely equipped and horse operation discontinued.

“The ‘bus makes the round trip from Eighty-eighth Street to Washington Square in about an hour as against an hour and forty-five minutes with the old horse omnibus.”

October 17, 1905 New York Times:

“300 Horses Saved At Fire; Blaze in the Fifth Avenue Coach Company’s stables.

“These was a little fire last night in the Fifth Avenue Coach Company’s stables at 68-70 East Eighty-ninth Street. Manager William O’Halloran, with the assistance of neighbors got out the 300 horses that had been stabled at the building after the day’s work.

“When the firemen arrived they found that the fire, which was probably caused by the overturning of a lamp, had taken hold of the entire northeast wing of the building. The soon had it out. One of the coaches was badly damaged. The total damage was estimated at $1,000.”

November 1905 Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal:

“The General Electric Company has just placed in service on the Fifth Avenue Bus Line of the New York Transportation Company, in the nature of a test, a 30 passenger motor omnibus equipped with the combination gasoline electric propelling system developed by them. The vehicle is equipped with a 40 H.P. 4-cylinder vertical 6 x 6 in. engine, to which is direct connected a 12 kilowatt generator. The speed is almost entirely controlled by means of a foot pedal. The weight of the omnibus with load is about 9 tons, and the gearing is calculated to give a normal speed of 10 miles per hour. The wheels are shod with 7-inch solid tires. The running gear was constructed by the Vehicle Equipment Company, of Brooklyn, and is of that company's well known pedestal type. The body was built by G. J. Brill & Co., Philadelphia.”

August 10, 1907 Ogden Standard:

“Fifth Avenue Auction Sale Marks the Passing of the Historical Coach

“New York, Aug. 9, 1907—With the auction sale on Wednesday of all the Fifth Avenue Coach company's horses, omnibuses, stages and harness, the last of the stage coaches passed away from New York. The new electric omnibuses, with a fare of ten cents have now completely replaced the old system on Fifth avenue.

“The first public stage for local service made its appearance in New York —June 1830. It ran hourly between Wall and Bleecker streets. In time the stages ran on all the principal streets and connected all the principal points of the city. They came to represent an invested capital of more than a million dollars. Instead of street car accidents and automobile collisions, people in these days read of stage drivers striking against the rule compelling them to wear tall hats, or, stage coach races between rival drivers down Broadway. One by one the stage lines were supplanted by street cars and now their last Stronghold has been stormed by the automobile.”

September 5, 1907 New York Times:

“Coach Line Wants Right to Put Advertising on Its Vehicles.

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Company, which operates automobile buses in Fifth Avenue, and which was formerly owned by Elliott F. Shepard, and was known as the Fifth Avenue Transportation Company, applied for an injunction in the Supreme Court yesterday to restrain the city from interfering with its putting advertising signs on its buses.

“Some time ago the Corporation Counsel caused the arrest of one of the operators of the buses and had him brought before Magistrate Barlow in the Jefferson Market Court on a charge of violating Section 41 of the Code of Ordinances, which forbids ‘any advertising truck, van, or wagon being operated or driven through the streets of the Borough of Manhattan,’ and which makes the penalty $10 fine for each offense. Magistrate Barlow threw the case out of court and said it must be tried by civil process.

“The company contends that putting advertising signs on its buses is not illegal, that they do not obstruct or interfere with traffic, and that they are tightly secured. The company now seeks to prevent the city from attempting to bring prosecution of further interference. Decision was reversed.”

Despite a number of appeals by 5th Ave Coach, the city ordinance stood and the signs were removed from the exterior of the vehicles, however advertising inside the omnibus remained a lucrative sideline for the carrier for the next half century.

The May 2, 1908 issue of Motor Traction included an article on Manhattan’s Delahaye taxicabs which were operated by the New York Transportation Company, the holding company that owned Fifth Avenue Coach:

“The New York Transportation Company, which operates the fifty Delahaye cabs, is controlled by, and is really a part of, the big street railway combination of the city. A subsidiary organization of the Transportation Company, which is known as the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, operates twenty De Dion motor 'buses on Fifth Avenue—the fashionable drive that extends down through the centre of the island city. A first lot of twenty motor cabs were received from France by the New York Transportation Company last August at about the same time that the New York Taxicab Company got its first shipment of Darracqs. They were followed in the fall by the other thirty.”

June 11, 1908 New York Times:

“More Motor Omnibuses

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Company, which operated a line of motor omnibuses on Fifth Avenue, will to-day inaugurate a new service by which cars of the same type will run from Washington Square up Fifth Avenue to Fifty-seventh Street, thence over to Broadway, up Broadway to Seventy-second Street and across to Riverside drive, returning by the same route. The round trip will take about an hour, and the omnibuses will be run on a ten-minute headway.

“Ten new omnibuses will be put on this line soon, and the service will be extended up Riverside drive, over the viaduct, to 135 th Street. The Riverside Drive cars will carry a red ball by day and a red light by night, to distinguish them from the cars which run only on Fifth Avenue, and which carry a green light at night.”

The Commercial Vehicle, November 1908:

“MIXED-SYSTEM OMNIBUSES FOR NEW YORK.; Details of the Gas-Electric Machines Built by the General Electric Company for Passenger Service on Fifth Avenue— Features of the Electric Drive

“In previous issues we have illustrated and described the foreign built De Dion motor 'buses with which the old established passenger service has been maintained on Fifth avenue, New York, since the abandonment of horsed vehicles, and now through the courtesy of Mr. H. S. Baldwin of the General Electric Company we are able to present illustrations and data of the mixed-system 'buses of American build which have recently been added to the equipment. The 'buses of this type were ordered by the New York Transportation Company, which operates the line, with the intention of eliminating the clash change-speed gears, that in 'bus operation, with the frequent necessary stops, demand a considerable degree of expertness on the part of the driver and create a not inconsiderable item of expense in the upkeep account. In a round trip of a Fifth Avenue 'bus fifty to sixty stops are made on the average during the busy hours.

“In the mixed-system or gas-electric machine the gasoline motor is employed to drive an electric generator which supplies current to electric motors that in turn are geared to the rear road wheels. Thus instant changes of speed of the vehicle or reversal of the direction of motion can be made quite independent of the rotative speed of the gasoline motor. There are other advantages derived from the use of the gas-electric drive. In the G. E. 'buses the series motor employed gives high torque at low speeds and ability to pick up rapidly, and as two series motors are used, one to each wheel, two objects are gained: first, the motors may be operated in series or parallel with each other, giving either large torque or high speed; and, second, when the motors are run in parallel—on Fifth avenue the motors are parallel for most of the time its own work, and the danger of skidding, which is not eliminated by the use of a mechanical differential gear, is greatly decreased.

“In working out a suitable gasoline motor and electric generator for the work it was found that the complete set need not weigh more than 1,000 to 1,200 pounds for a 34-passenger omnibus. The generator should preferably be compound wound, with dropping characteristic and designed electrically for practically constant output. It should be able to withstand heavy overloads for short intervals of time, with good commutation throughout its operating range. Further, it should be self-exciting, otherwise sluggish acceleration would result; and, finally, it should be mechanically substantial and rugged. Such a generator can be short-circuited at full load, or high overload, without stalling the gasoline engine.

“These requirements are embodied in the machines built for the Fifth avenue service by the General Electric Company, and which are here illustrated. The bodies are of the standard London type, and the chassis are specially designed to accommodate the electric motors and generator. While there is a controller in the electric circuit, it serves mainly for reversing or throwing the driving motors into series connection for hill climbing or very rough roads. Ordinarily, it is not used during a trip on the Avenue, since it is not necessary to open the generator circuit; for, by reducing the engine speed, only sufficient energy is developed to move the 'bus slowly. This action is equivalent to letting the friction clutch slip, in the case of an omnibus with mechanical transmission. With the gas-electric omnibuses, aside from steering wheel and brake levers, there is only one control lever required for driving. This is a spring-returned throttle pedal operated by the driver's right foot. If, for any reason, the driver were thrown from his seat or incapacitated, the omnibus would very shortly come to rest, as the throttle would automatically close when released.

“It may be thought that the electrical drive would have considerably more weight than has the mechanical transmission, but actual comparison under the same conditions shows that the gas-electric omnibus outweighs the ordinary type 'bus by less than 100 pounds, its weight being 9,150 pounds complete with supplies. The passenger load brings the total weight up to about 14,550 pounds.

“Road trials have demonstrated that the gas-electric omnibus has a speed, when loaded, of about 18 miles an hour on the level. For straight-away service it will run from four to five miles on one gallon of gasoline; but on the Avenue, these figures are somewhat reduced.

“A very noticeable feature, due to the electric transmission, is the smooth acceleration of the new omnibus. Measurements show this to be about 1¼ miles per hour per second, or substantially that of the omnibus with mechanical transmission. The acceleration of the gas-electric omnibus is somewhat deceptive, owing to the freedom from the shock which accompanies the operation of clutch and change gears in the case of an omnibus of conventional construction, and has been the cause of favorable comment. This advantage is especially pleasing to the passengers.

“Another important feature of the gas-electric omnibus is its quietness of operation, which can be accounted for by the comparatively small number of gears required in the transmission with chain drive.

“A brief description of the generator, used in the G. E. bus, will be of interest. It is a six-pole machine, each pole being slotted on the entering side, forming a small auxiliary pole about which most of the series turns are wound. By saturation of this tip, series excitation is limited, and a drooping characteristic is the result. A further effect of this saturation is to give good commutation at times when the field is otherwise weak. Several series turns entirely encircle the pole, the shunt winding being placed over all. Here is, in effect, a commutating pole generator, with high overload characteristics and fine commutation at all loads; which is quickly self-exciting and at the same time is of light weight. This machine is known as the TD-6-7½  kw. generator, and is rated at 125 volts, 60 amperes, at 900 r.p.m. It may be run at 100 per cent, overload for two hours with a 70° C. rise of temperature, and at 50 per cent, overload continuously. It has an efficiency of 85 per cent, at normal load, and weighs about 435 pounds. When in operation it has been short-circuited, without stalling the engine, taking 285 amperes at 2 volts.

“The two electric motors are of the GE-1026 back-geared type, rated at 125 volts, 30 amperes. These are practically small railway motors having the back gear brackets and supporting lugs all cast on the magnet frame in a one-piece steel casting. A hardened steel herring-bone pinion, with teeth of large pitch, meshes with a phosphor bronze gear, both being enclosed in an aluminum alloy housing which is grease tight. All bearings are waste-packed lubricated. Provision is made on the inner end of the countershafts for motor brake drums.

“The gasoline engine which is used to drive the generator is of special design, and is of the four-cycle type with four cylinders, each 5 by 5 inches. It is rated at 27-30 horsepower, and weighs about 700 pounds complete. All valves, both intake and exhaust, are located in the cylinder heads, which arrangement tends to high efficiency and power for a given displacement.

“The chassis construction includes a main frame of double armored wood with pressed steel cross members, all hot riveted with stout gussets and corners. The subframe for the engine and generator has three points of suspension, which arrangement relieves the motive unit from undue twists and strains. Both electric motors are suspended from a strong cross member, side by side, somewhat forward of the rear axle. As has already been stated, each motor is complete with back gearing. Transmission from the motor countershafts to the driving wheels is by roller chain of 1¾ inch pitch, and the total ratio of reduction of gears and sprockets is about 14½  to 1. Long half springs support the omnibus at front and rear in an effective manner, resulting in easy riding. Steering and driving wheels are of artillery design, 34 and 40 inches diameter, respectively. The tire equipment consists of 4-inch single solid tires for the steering wheels, and 3½-inch twin tires of the same kind for the driving wheels.

“The front axle is a steel forging, the steering wheels being mounted on pivots of the inverted Elliott type. An axle of the built-up construction is used at the rear. This consists of a large steel tube with heavy walls, on each end of which is securely fastened a steel casting forming not only anchorage for the main driving wheel brakes, but a support for the axle arm stubs. All wheels run on conical roller bearings. The chassis has a wheel base of 168 inches, with front and rear wheel gauges of 67½ inches and 72½ inches respectively.”

General Electric Review, November 1908:

“GASO-ELECTRIC MOTOR OMNIBUSES ON FIFTHE AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY. By H.S. Baldwin

“For many years the transportation facilities on Fifth Avenue, New York City, were not in keeping with one of the finest and most wealthy thoroughfares in the world. In the early days dilapidated omnibuses were drawn by decrepit horses, and the service was inadequate and precarious. Later, ownership of the omnibus line changed hands, and it was recognized that both good business judgment and the public demanded better horses, which were accordingly purchased and placed on the Avenue. This was a marked step in advance, but the old omnibuses still survived. Not that the operating company was wanting in a desire to improve matters, but with the advent of the automobile, some ten or a dozen years ago, it was obviously only a question of a short time before motor omnibuses would be available, and any extraordinary expenditure of money on horse-drawn equipment would be inexpedient from a business standpoint. They therefore turned to the new idea, and many an embryotic omnibus, either electric, steam, or gasoline, wended its way up and down the Avenue in an attempt to meet the demands of the public, as a rule, exciting as much criticism as did the horse omnibuses. None of these long survived the experimental period; but in the meantime the omnibuses with their animal motors were depreciating, and public opinion was not to be set aside.

“The development of reliable and practical motor omnibuses had been made the subject of much study and experiment in Europe, competent engineers having utilized the material which had been rapidly accumulated in the art of pleasure automobile manufacture, adapting and proportioning it for commercial uses, both in the transportation of passengers and merchandise. The result was soon visible in the hundreds of motor omnibuses in London, Paris, and some of the larger Continental cities. It is not difficult to find a reason for the impetus that this line of activity obtained abroad, since the surface street railway is not so extensively found there as here.

Progress abroad was closely observed by American engineers and business men; and the New York Transportation Company, having acquired the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, purchased, about two years ago, a DeDion motor omnibus having a double deck body of the London type, capable of carrying thirty-four passengers in addition to a driver and conductor. Eighteen passengers were accommodated in crosswise seats on the upper deck, and sixteen inside.

“This was a step in the right direction; and about a year ago fifteen of the same type were placed in operation, being followed six months later by ten more, making a total of twenty-six, all of which are now in active service.

“The prime mover of the DeDion omnibus is a 4-cylinder gasoline engine, which, through clutch and change gears, drives the rear wheels. In a general way the arrangement of parts is the same as is found in the modern touring car, except that the rear wheels are mounted on a dead rear axle and receive their motion from spur pinions engaging with large internal gears bolted to each wheel.

“This combination is known as the ‘DeDion drive,’ which, for omnibus work, has the advantage that it permits the use of the propeller shaft transmission without necessitating a live rear axle.

“Information from abroad as to the maintenance of clash change gears of motor omnibuses, especially from London, indicates that the frequent stops and starts necessitated by the nature of the service and general traffic conditions introduce a serious item of expense not encountered in the touring automobile, where frequent change of gear is not required. Motor omnibuses may, for example, stop as often as once in every two blocks, of which there are twenty to the mile in New York City. On this basis, it is easily estimated that in a round trip on Fifth Avenue, of approximately eight miles, there would be eighty stops. Actual figures indicate from fifty to sixty stops during the hours of maximum traffic. Assuming again that each omnibus makes ten round trips a day, it is clear that the change gears receive frequent use, and, without doubt, much abuse. It is of course understood that at each stop some change of gear is necessary, unless on a down grade, even though the driver should start on the second speed without going through first.

“It is well known that a gasoline engine cannot give high torque at low speed; also, that this peculiarity demands some compensating device, usually a series of trains of spur gears, which can be shifted at will by the driver to meet the conditions of road grade or load at any given instant. Again, it is not practicable to reverse the gasoline engine; hence an additional set of gears must be used for running backwards. As has already been pointed out, some form of friction clutch is essential, since it would be impossible to shift gears under load without first disconnecting the engine.

“With automobiles of small size, carrying from one to six or seven passengers and used mostly for touring or short runs, little objection is found to clash change gears; since as a rule such cars have relatively large engines, and are often run for many miles without a change of gear. With the public motor omnibus it is different, and engineers throughout the world have long sought a satisfactory solution of the problem. Given a gasoline motor omnibus, find the transmission or change gearing which shall correct the lack of flexibility of the gasoline engine as to torque; give reversibility; insure smooth yet rapid acceleration; and withal be simple and have low cost of maintenance. To fulfill the conditions and solve the problem is to eliminate one of the greatest objections to public motor service, especially in large cities.

“The series electric motor has many of the desired characteristics; namely, high torque at low speeds, ability to pick up rapidly, and to reverse without gearing. If two series motors are used to drive the omnibus, one for each wheel, two objects are gained: first, the motors may be operated in series or parallel with each other, giving either large torque or high speed; and second, when the motors are run in parallel—and on Fifth Avenue the motors are in parallel for most of the time—each will do its own work, and the danger of skidding, which is present when a mechanical differential gearing is used, is largely eliminated.

“The series motor is to a marked degree an automatic torque and speed changing device, reversible, and of simple, durable construction, not easily injured, and at the same time easily repaired. It has but one rotating part, the armature, provided with two plain bearings; and there are no other highly machined or closely fitted parts, of expensive material, as in the mechanical transmission. The motor is controlled by a small drum switch, and does not require a multiplicity of levers and rods, all in proper adjustment and alignment with relation to each other. Lubrication of the motor is most simple. When two motors are used, as on the omnibus, no accurate alignment is required, and each can be suspended from the running frame or dismounted with little delay. There is no complicated countershaft or propeller shaft with several universal joints.

“In order to profit by these advantages, there must be a supply of electric energy to drive the motors. The storage battery first offers itself, but owing to its comparatively small capacity, rendering either frequent change of battery or long intervals of charging necessary, it has not been found suitable for long distance omnibus work.

“If, now, a specially designed generator be directly coupled to a gasoline engine, so as to furnish energy to the motors, the mileage of the omnibus will only be limited by the supply of gasoline. The engine and generator together need not weigh over 1000 to 1200 pounds for a 34-passenger omnibus. A generator suitable for the purpose can be made of simple construction and the gasoline engine of to-day presents no unusual difficulties. The generator should preferably be compound wound, with drooping characteristic, and designed electrically for practically constant output. It should be able to withstand heavy overloads for short intervals of time, with good commutation throughout its operating range. Further, it should be self-exciting, otherwise sluggish acceleration would result; and finally, it should be mechanically substantial and rugged. Such a generator can be short-circuited at full load, or high overload, without stalling the gasoline engine.

“The General Electric Company has developed apparatus which meets in a practical manner the requirements of an ideal transmission or change gear, as set forth above, and has built for the New York Transportation Company, a number of equipments for omnibuses, embodying the electric transmission.

“The accompanying illustrations will give a good idea of the appearance of these omnibuses; while the assembly drawing will show the relative location of the several parts of the motive system.

“The bodies are of the standard London type, and the running gears are specially designed to accommodate the electric motors and generator. While there is a controller in the electric circuit, it serves mainly for reversing or throwing the driving motors into series connection for hill climbing or very rough roads. Ordinarily, it is not used during a trip on the Avenue, since it is not necessary to open the generator circuit; for, by reducing the engine speed, only sufficient energy is developed to move the omnibus slowly. This action is equivalent to letting the friction clutch slip, in the case of an omnibus with mechanical transmission.

“All motor vehicles suitable for use on highways must have a steering gear and one or two brake levers. With the ordinary gasoline omnibus there are provided, in addition to these, the change gear lever, the throttle and spark levers, and the clutch pedal. With the gaso-electric omnibuses, aside from steering wheel and brake levers, there is only one control lever required during the round trip from 88th Street to Washington Square. This is a spring-returned throttle pedal operated by the driver's right foot. If, for any reason, the driver were thrown from his seat or injured, the omnibus would very shortly come to rest, as the throttle would automatically close when released.

“It may be thought that the electrical apparatus described would have considerably more weight than has the mechanical transmission, but actual comparison under the same conditions shows that the gaso-electric.omnibus outweighs the gaso-mechanical omnibus by less than 100 pounds, its weight being 9,150 pounds complete with supplies. The passenger load brings the total weight up to about 14,550 pounds.

“Road trials have demonstrated that the gaso-electric omnibus has a speed, when loaded, of about 18 miles per hour on the level. For straight-away service, it will run from four to five miles on one gallon of gasoline; but with the frequent stops on the Avenue, these figures are somewhat reduced.

“A very noticeable feature, due to the electric transmission, is the smooth acceleration of the new omnibus. Measurements show this to be about 1¼ miles per hour per second, or substantially that of the omnibus with mechanical transmission. The acceleration of the gaso-electric omnibus is somewhat deceptive, owing to the freedom from the shock which accompanies the operation of clutch and change gears in the case of an omnibus of conventional construction. This advantage is especially pleasing to the passengers.

“Another important feature of the gaso-electric omnibus is its quietness of operation, which can be accounted for by the comparatively small number of gears required in the transmission with chain drive.

“It is claimed for electric transmission that it will maintain its full original efficiency with little repair, even after long usage, while mechanical gearing will require constant attention, and unless kept in good condition will decrease rapidly in efficiency.

“A brief description of the generator may be of interest. It is a six pole machine, each pole being slotted on the entering side, forming a small auxiliary pole about which most of the series turns are wound. By saturation of this tip, series excitation is limited, and a drooping characteristic is the result. A further effect of this saturation is to give good commutation at times when the field is otherwise weak. Several series turns entirely encircle the pole, the shunt winding being placed over all. Here is, in effect, a commutating pole generator, with high overload characteristics and fine commutation at all loads; which is quickly self-exciting, and at the same time is of light weight. This machine is known as the TD-6-7½ k.w. generator, and is rated at 125 volts, 60 amperes, at 900 r.p.m. It may be run at 100 per cent, overload for two hours with a 70° C. rise of temperature, and at 50 per cent, overload continuously. It has an efficiency of 85 per cent, at normal load, and weighs about 435 pounds. When in operation it has been short-circuited without stalling the engine, taking 285 amperes at 2 volts.

“The two electric motors are of the GE-1026 back-geared type, rated at 125 volts, 30 amperes. These are practically small railway motors having the back gear brackets and supporting lugs all cast on the magnet frame in a one-piece steel casting. A hardened steel herring bone pinion, with teeth of large pitch, meshes with a phosphor bronze gear, both being enclosed in an aluminum alloy housing which is grease tight. All bearings are waste-packed lubricated. Provision is made on the inner end of the countershafts for motor brake drums.

“The gasoline engine which is used to drive the generator is of special design, and is of the 4-cycle type with 4 cylinders, each 5 in. by 5 in. It is rated at 27-30 h.p., and weighs about 700 pounds complete. All valves, both intake and exhaust, are located in the cylinder heads, which arrangement tends to high efficiency and power for a given displacement.

“The chassis or running gear of the new gaso-electric omnibus is designed and made specially for the purpose. The following is a short description of its principal features:

“The running frame is of double armored wood with pressed steel cross members, all hot riveted with stout gussets and corners. The sub-frame for the engine and generator has three points of suspension, which arrangement relieves the motive unit from undue twists and strains. Both electric motors are suspended from a strong cross member, side by side, somewhat forward of the rear axle. As has already been stated, each motor is complete with back gearing. Transmission from the motor countershafts to the driving wheels is by roller chain of 1½ in. pitch, and the total ratio of reduction of gears and sprockets is about 14½ to 1. Long half springs support the omnibus at front and rear in an effective manner, resulting in easy riding. Steering and driving wheels are of artillery design, 34 and 40 in. diameter, respectively. The tire equipment consists of four inch single solid motor tires for the steering wheels, and three and one-half inch twin tires of the same kind for the driving wheels. The front axle is a steel forging, the steering wheels being mounted on pivots of the inverted Eliot type. An axle of the built-up construction is used at the rear. This consists of a large steel tube with heavy walls, on each end of which is securely fastened a steel casting, forming not only anchorage for the main driving wheel brakes but a support for the axle arm stubs. All wheels run on conical roller bearings. The chassis has a wheel base of 168 in., with front and rear wheel gauges of 67½ in. and 72½ in., respectively. There are two independent sets of brakes of liberal dimensions. A foot pedal operates the two motor brakes, while a hand emergency lever actuates two large internal brakes on the driving wheels. Steering is effected in the usual manner by means of a hand wheel operating through gear and sector.

“On trial tests, the first gaso-electric omnibus chassis, with a load of 6,500 pounds, was run up grades of 12 to 15 per cent, without stalling. At this time the two motors were in series connection. For grades of 4 to 5 per cent, it was not necessary to change from the parallel position.

“It is thought that there is a large field for the equipment which the General Electric Company has developed, and the operation of the new omnibuses is being watched with much interest.”

March 3, 1909 New York Times:

“WOULD BAR RIVERSIDE 'BUSES; Chauffeur Arrested in a Test Case to Oust Them.

“A test case was begun in the Morrisania Court yesterday as to the right of the Fifth Avenue motor omnibuses to use Riverside Drive. Park Commissioner Henry Smith contended that the 'buses were so high that the low-hanging limbs of the park trees along the drives were injured.

“Recently the Park Department issued an order that no vehicles more than ten feet high should be allowed in the Drive, and accordingly the Park Commissioner on Feb. 15 had Eugene Schellenberg arrested for running one of the big twelve-foot double-decked Fifth Avenue ‘buses in the Drive.

“To the assertion of the Park Department in its order officers of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, which owns the Fifth Avenue ‘buses, replied that it has a franchise from the State of New York giving it the right to operated its vehicles in Fifth Avenue, Seventy-second Street, and Riverside Drive, and that the vehicles in present use do not injure the trees of the park nor endanger the passengers on top of the ‘buses.

“It is also asserted that the company has just purchased for $125,000 twenty-five additional vehicles with the purpose of extending the ‘bus service up the Drive to 135th Street, and that this sum will be a dead loss if the Park Commissioner’s contention is sustained.”

April 12, 1909 New York Times:

“STOP AUTO BUSES IN RIVERSIDE DRIVE; Many Chauffeurs Arrested When Company Tries to Start a Stage Line There. VIOLATES NEW PARK LAW Commissioner Smith Declares the Double-Decked Vehicles Damage the Trees Along the Drive

“With the appearance in Riverside Drive yesterday afternoon of the double-decked automobile stages belonging to the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, the concern controlled by the New York Transportation Company, which runs the Fifth Avenue Stage Line, the bicycle police promptly began to arrest the chauffeurs of the vehicles, charging that they violating an ordinance of the Park Board, which prohibits the use of vehicles on any road of a park or parkway which are more than ten feet in height from the tread of the wheel to the highest part. Any vehicle over that height, the park authorities say, damages the trees.

“Before the day was over the schedule of the company, which had undertaken to run the two-decked automobiles on a six-minute headway, was shattered. Ten drivers with their stages and in many cases most of their passengers went to the West 100th Street Police Station. The passengers sat outside in the coaches while the drivers were arraigned....”

April 1909 Commercial Vehicle:

“MOTOR OMNIBUS SERVICE ON RIVERSIDE DRIVE

“THE first of a lot of new De Dion motor omnibuses were put in operation in New York City in March on a route extending from Washington Square out Fifth avenue, across town to Riverside Drive, and north on that boulevard to Grant's Tomb and Claremont Inn. These machines are the first of an order for twenty-five given by the New York Transportation Co. to the De Dion factory in France. The first fifteen have been landed, five more are on the ocean, and the rest are ready for shipment. The chassis only are imported, the bodies being built in Philadelphia by the Fulton & Walker Co. With the exception of a number of minor improvements, all tending to the more satisfactory operation of the machines, the vehicles are practically the same as those which the company has been operating on Fifth avenue for more than a year and which have given great satisfaction to both the operating company and the public.

Up to the present time the service has extended only from Washington Square to Seventy-second street and Riverside Drive, but, with the additional equipment, the route has been extended north on the Drive to One Hundred and Twenty-fifth street. This gives a ride of 7½ miles for 10 cents, and makes one of the most popular and attractive rides in the city, affording the only direct transportation to the city's magnificent public park extending along the bank of the Hudson River. The right to operate public stages on this route was granted by the State under a franchise acquired by the New York Coach Co., a subsidiary organization controlled by the New York Transportation Co., during the governorship of Theodore Roosevelt, the ex-President. The same franchise gives the right to run stages as far north as the Harlem River at One Hundred and Fifty-fifth street.

“Although the operation of the new motor 'buses, which replaced the decrepit old horse stages formerly run on the Fifth avenue route, has proved increasingly popular with the public, which patronizes them liberally, the Park Board controlling Central and Riverside Parks and the streets contiguous thereto for a distance of 350 feet from the park edge, recently passed an ordinance prohibiting the running on the parkways of vehicles of a greater height than 10 feet. Practically the only vehicles affected by this order are the motor omnibuses, which have a height of 12 feet to the top of the rail that encloses the seats on the upper deck. The order is clearly aimed at the 'buses with the object of excluding them in this way from enjoying the privileges granted by the State franchise, the reason given by the Park Commissioner for the move being that the 'buses, because of their height, injure the branches of the trees along the driveways. The matter is now being tested in the courts of the city, the driver of one of the 'buses having been arrested and the case continued, to come up later for trial.

“Meanwhile, the company intends to continue running the motor 'buses as planned, said President Richard Meade, of the New York Transportation Co., when seen by a representative of The Commercial Vehicle. Mr. Meade pointed out the absurdity of the allegation that the 'buses injure the trees, making it evident that the upper seats could not be occupied by passengers if the branches hung low enough to be damaged by the vehicles. He also called attention to the fact that the machines used in New York are identical in general form and dimensions with the public conveyances that are used by thousands in London, Paris, Berlin and other European cities where they are recognized as standard, and that similar 'buses are operated on the famous Champs Elysees and other boulevards of Paris which are bordered by magnificent chestnut trees that are the pride of the capital.

“In some of the European cities motor 'buses are operated which are fitted with an ‘imperial,’ or roof, covering the seats on the upper deck and which increases the over-all height to 15 feet. It is further asserted by the officers of the company that the new self-propelled omnibuses on Fifth avenue and Riverside Drive arc no higher than the old horse-drawn stages which it operated for twenty years on Fifth avenue, and which were withdrawn and replaced by the modern form of transportation after years of criticism and ridicule directed at the antiquated horse service.

“These and other arguments are being incorporated in the answer which the attorneys for the company arc making to the charge brought by the Park Commissioner against the company in the case now pending. As this is the first case of its kind in America directed at the operation of motor omnibuses, it will be watched with interest because of the precedent which it will establish. If a park board can enforce such a ruling, it is probable that one of the same nature can be enforced by a board of councilmen for an entire city, which would prevent the operation of motor 'buses of the double-deck type anywhere in the city where such action might be taken.

“Secretary William H. Palmer, of the New York Transportation Co., speaks with enthusiasm of the service that the De Dion 'buses are rendering. They have been operated continuously through two winters without serious interruption even during heavy snowfalls; have not been the cause of serious collisions due to careless operation, failure of brakes to hold, or as a result of skidding; have developed only a few minor objectional constructional features that have been corrected in the new ones now being added to the service, and have not been the object of complaint by property owners anywhere along the routes covered, Mr. Palmer asserted. The company is especially pleased with the fact that they are very easy on tires, despite the great weight that the tires have to carry. This is attributed to the construction by which the weight of the driving parts is removed from the rear axle and carrier! by the springs. Some of the Goodyear tires that were fitted to the first machines put in operation in October, 1907, are still in use, having run 15,000 miles, and evidently having enough rubber left for 5,000 more miles.

“The twenty-five new 'buses are being equipped chiefly with Hartford tires, a contract having been given recently for twenty-five pairs of single tires for the front wheels and an equal number of twin tires for the rear wheels, constituting the largest single order for motor omnibus tires ever placed in America. It is a ‘repeat’ order, as many of the earlier vehicles were already fitted with Hartfords. Not all of the tires on the new 'buses will be Hartfords, however, as about ten spare rear wheels and half as many front wheels are held in reserve to be supplied in case of damage to tires or wheels on 'buses in use.

“Consequently, a considerable number of Goodyear tires will be put on the new machines, while a very large proportion of them are fitted to the thirty vehicles of this class previously put in operation.

“The company is operating ten American-built gas-electric omnibuses, constructed by the General Electric Co., and fully illustrated and described in the November, 1908, issue of The Commercial Vehicle. These machines are particularly economical of tires, due in large measure to the flexible electric drive which permits of gradual pick-up of the load in starting after the frequent stops. The electric transmission, with its smoothness of operation and freedom from noise, is especially pleasing. Most of the troubles that have taken the cars out of service temporarily have been due to the gas engines, which were in the nature of experimental motors, built quickly for this especial purpose, because no other of suitable type were available within the required time. These are now being replaced by De Dion engines, this make having been selected because of the satisfactory service the engines in the imported 'buses have given, and also with the object of having the equipment as much alike as possible, which has its obvious advantages in the repair shop and garage.”

December 6, 1909 New York Times:

“Fifth Ave. ‘Bus Profits; Report To Utilities Board Shows Annual Returns of $144,700.

“The first annual report of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company to the Public Service Commission, covering the year ending June 30, 1909, was issued yesterday. This company operated the electric stage coaches in Fifth Avenue.

“The company has a total investment of about $400,000. total revenue from passengers carried comes to $369,405; total expenses of bus operation to $225,566, leaving a gross income of, approximately, $144,700. There is marked off to depreciation about $65,595.”

February 15, 1910 New York Times:

“New York City Park Commissioner Stover:

“I have most decidedly not ‘eagerly granted’ the Fifth Avenue Coach Company permission to resume it route up Riverside Drive. What I did was to allow it to go up to Seventy-ninth Street, then cross the Park and up the west side. As for hurting or detracting from the beauty of Central Park. I won’t even destroy the spirit that broods over it.”

The December 8, 1910 issue of the Automobile reports:

“ACCORDING to announcement made by Mr. Lascaris, manager of the American branch of the De Dion-Bouton Company, shipment has been made direct from the factory of the De Dion-Bouton Co. at Puteaux, France, to Manila, P. I., of the cars purchased last September by the Bureau of Insular Affairs of the War Department on the recommendation of Mr. W. Greene, Director of Public Works in the Philippine Islands.

“This shipment comprises three 8-cylinder, 50 horsepower cars for mail and passenger service, four 40-horsepower trucks, one double-decker 34-passenger auto-bus, a duplicate of the auto-buses used by the Fifth Avenue Coach Co. on Fifth avenue, N. Y., and four trailers of two tons each carrying capacity.

“The omnibus and the trucks are provided with a 4-cylinder. cast separate, motor of 120 millimeter bore by 130 stroke : high-tension Bosch magneto, and except for the radiators and hoods, which are of the same design as those used on the 8-cylinder cars, the construction of these vehicles does not differ from the usual De Dion-Bouton cars.”

May 30, 1911 New York Times:

“CAN'T ADVERTISE ON 'BUSES.; Supreme Court Decides Against the Fifth Avenue Conveyances.

“WASHINGTON, May 29. -- No advertisement signs will adorn the outside of the omnibuses on Fifth Avenue, New York, hereafter.

“The Supreme Court of the United State to-day upheld the constitutionality of the city ordinance against such advertisements.

“The question of the advertising signs on the Fifth Avenue stage came up in the Fall of 1907. The Corporation Counsel had caused the arrest of the driver of a stage on the grounds that the carrying of advertisements was in violation of Section 41 of the City Code of Ordinance. Which prohibits ‘any advertising truck, van or wagon being operated or driven on the streets of the Borough of Manhattan’ under penalty of a fine of $10.

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Company applied on Sept. 4, 1907 to Supreme Court Justice Leventritt for an injunction restraining the city from interfering with its signs on the ground that the ordinance was unconstitutional. It also argued that it made $10,00 a year by letting space on its stages.

“On Jan. 18, 1908 Justice Leventritt refused the injunction, and declared that he could not authorize a breach of the city’s ordinances even if thereby money would be made. He also pointed out that the signs were painted in startling colors with no thought of artistic effect.”

November 24, 1911 New York Times:

“LOSS FOR FIFTH AVE. 'BUSES.; Show Deficit for Year, Though Carrying Nearly 6,000,000 Fares.

“Running motor buses along Fifth Avenue does not appear to be a paying business, according to the annual report of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company for the year ended June 30, given out yesterday by the Public Service Commission. It operated at a net loss of $34,761, though it took in $599,737 in fares, made $13,002 from its livery service, $17,875 from advertising, and had a total revenue of $631,310.

“The company carried 5,997,372 passengers and the average amount each omnibus eared fore each mile it ran was 44.28 cents, but the running expenses were very heavy. Reckoning that the life of each of its eighty buses is only three years, the company wrote off to its depreciation account $101.511, and the cost of conduction transportation was $249,989. Then the item for new tires alone came to $67,563, so that, though the number of passengers increased by 242,151 and the number of round trips was decreased by 22,987, the result of the year’s operations was deficit.

“This it was explained at the commission, is more apparent that real on account of the steady building up of the company’s reserve. An allowance for damages and injuries at the rate of 3 cents a bus mile is charged, and this totals $41,080, more than double the amount set aside in 1910, but actually only $19,092 was expended in this account. The accidents for which this fund will have to be used consisted last year of one death and thirty-four injuries.”

July 1912 Power Wagon:

“Motor Buses in New York.; A Service Which Would Be Highly Profitable With American Machines. By P. C. JENNINGS.

“Introduction.—Although the motor bus Service In New York, according to the bookkeeping figures of the operating company shows a small deficit for the year 1911, an examination of the statistics herewith presented proves that this deficit is more apparent than real. With receipts at 47.08 cents per bus mile, all other precedents in motor bus operation prove that there should be a handsome profit on the undertaking. The depreciation charge of 33 1/3 per cent on the buses and motors is not justified by any other known example of public motor vehicle operation on such a scale under similar conditions. This depreciation charge, which is a purely arbitrary book account, amounts to the enormous sum of $112,583.28 for the year 1911. A reduction of this charge to 20 per cent — still a very high figure — would convert a nominal book loss of $38,820.89 into a profit of $6,212.42. The figures given are not complete enough to permit of a correct cost accounting of the service, but it is quite certain that the deficit is only a book loss. There are some other points it is well to add here. The machines are imported, and thus subject to a high import tax. All spares must be imported, and the loss of time which must necessarily accrue in many cases is undoubtedly one of the reasons why only an average of 54 out of 80 buses are in constant service. There is no good reason why at least 70 machines should not be always available for the road. If this were the case, the presumed increase in revenue would be nearly $180,000, against which there would be only a comparatively small increase in working expenses, as depreciation, fixed and administrative costs would remain practically the same as before. It is worthy of note that De Dion-Bouton buses of Identical design are giving a profitable account of themselves in London and Paris, where they are employed in greater numbers than in New York. No reflection is intended here on the proved abilities of President Meade. Probably the chief reason for the deficit, as pointed out by Mr. Jennings in his article, is that the company is a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Street Railway Company, and ‘does not care to appear too prosperous.’—The Editor.

“OF THE THREE methods of surface transportation in New York City, street railways, cabs and motor buses, the street railways are so far ahead in numbers carried that no comparison is possible with the other methods. The cab service is second in numbers carried and the motor buses third, though not greatly inferior to the cab service. The motor buses are thus by no means as proportionately popular as in London, and they do not cut a very important figure in the city transportation, although their annual haul amounts to over six million passengers.

“Various reasons are ascribed for the failure of the motor buses to carry a larger amount of traffic, among them being the difficulties of securing franchises, opposition of the public to having the streets filled with vehicles so large and ungainly, veritable camels of transportation, and the fact that as a business proposition bus transportation under the methods employed in New York is far from being as profitable a means of conveyance as street cars and cabs. The surface car carries a greater number of passengers over far greater distances at greater speed and with less expense, while the cab derives a greater revenue per passenger and gives a higher value in transportation than the bus.

“In New York City there is but one company of any consequence. It is now known as the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. This company showed a deficit for the year 1911 of $38,820.89, and this in spite of the fact that heavy traffic was carried largely under a three minute headway.

“The company operates several lines of buses, mostly from Washington Square up Fifth Avenue and branching off in a number of directions. The various routes are given in full later in this article. The mileage of the longest route, from Washington Square to 135th Street and Broadway, is between seven and eight miles, and the total mileage of the routes covered is slightly over 19 miles.

“The buses carry 35 passengers, and make an average speed of 7.2 miles an hour, including stops, which is about the speed of a trotting horse driven to a buggy at a good clip without stopping. The average time lost in making stops is about half a minute, although considerable time is lost by traffic delays, particularly along the central portion of Fifth Avenue from Twenty-third to Fifty-ninth Streets.

“The buses are very popular with visitors and sightseers because the principal routes of travel are up Fifth Avenue, past the houses of the wealthy, including the residences of the Astors, Vanderbilts, Carnegie and others, and along ‘Millionaire's Row’ on the east side of Central Park and also up Riverside Drive on the west side, past the Soldiers and Sailors' Monument. Grant's Tomb and Riverside Viaduct.

“The buses are mostly double-deckers, and the upper deck offers unexcelled facilities for sightseeing, superior even to the special sightseeing or ‘rubberneck’ buses devoted to that particular purpose and operated by private owners and small corporations. Riding on the upper decks of the Fifth Avenue buses is a sort of exercise in itself, since any small inequality in the street is magnified, and the sensation is not unlike that of riding on a camel or an elephant.

“As will be seen from the illustrations, access to the upper deck is gained by an exterior stairway at the rear, a rather dangerous looking climb, but one which on that account perhaps does not prove particularly so as passengers are put on their guard and exercise greater caution that would ordinarily be the case. During rainy weather the upper decks are exposed so that travel is considerably cut down at such times.

“There is a large traffic carried by the bus lines of residents of New York who ride simply to take the air, as the ride is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and enjoyable that it is possible to take in the city. On Sunday there is always a great rush of business, the bus line forming the principal route to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Central Park.

“The buses were formerly horse drawn, and were at that time most primitive looking affairs with small seating capacity. The passenger was compelled to deposit his own fare in a small box at the front of the coach, receiving change from the driver through a small hand hole from the front. The present buses, while considerably larger, are by no means all that could be desired. They have, however, conductors to whom the fares are paid. The coins are dropped into a small metallic box attached to their persons, a tiny bell being rung at the same time.

“The change from horse drawn to gasoline motor buses was made about twelve years ago, and the fare was at the same time increased from five to ten cents. The traffic increased slightly in spite of the added fare.

“The horse drawn buses carried advertisements on the exterior, and the motor buses have attempted to do so, and recently another effort was made to display advertisements on the exterior, as was also done by the receiver of the Second Avenue Street Railway, which runs the blue lines of street cars, but these efforts were promptly discouraged by the city authorities.

“A few years ago the motor bus operators experienced considerable difficulty retaining their Riverside Drive route, because the trees along that thoroughfare interfered with the cars, but after a while the trees were pruned and the traffic was allowed to continue, although a determined effort was made by the wealthy residents of the drive to prevent the continuance of the bus line. The buses are not, however, allowed to invade the parks.

“A considerable part of the objection raised to them is due to their inartistic and clumsy outlines, as they are heavy and ungainly in appearance and look stuffy and crowded. They appear to be a sort of traffic juggernaut, but as a matter of fact they do not prove in operation to be particularly dangerous, as compared with other methods of street transportation. During 1911 five persons were struck by the buses, of whom three were killed, while 25 persons were injured in other ways, mostly passengers hoarding and alighting from the cars. Damages paid during the year 1910 for injuries to persons amounted to $35,996.44, while damages to property amounted to $3,999.59, mostly in collisions with other vehicles. During the year 1911 there were filed 51 damage suits, while there were 23 suits for claims and damages against the company up to June 20, 1911. Forty-four of these were settled subsequent to June 20, and 30 remained unsettled.

“It will be seen from these figures that the operation of the buses is carried on in as safe a manner as can well be asked, especially considering the great weight of the vehicles, the crowded condition of the streets and the heavy traffic carried. The appearance of the buses themselves is one of the causes for the safety with which they are operated. They are large green monsters which approach with considerable noise, and are well calculated to strike terror to all other occupants of the highways. They appear far more dangerous than a street car or even an automobile going at a high speed, and the pedestrian holds them in no little respect, exercising good care to dodge them, which is, indeed, a wise precaution, for while few persons are struck, the killing of three out of five of those that were struck during the year shows that it is no chance to be taken lightly.

“It would appear that the buses would do well to be fitted with fenders or cowcatchers, after the manner of a new type of street car that is being tried out in New York. In this form of street car the entrance is through a door at the middle of the side of the car and the main floor is but one short step above the level of the street.

“There is no good reason why the present motor buses could not be similarly arranged, as at present the first passenger floor is as high as, if not higher, than that of the ordinary street car, while the upper deck towers above everything on the street. A lowering of at least two feet could be easily accomplished. This would greatly lessen the weight of the vehicles, which now amounts to 9,500 pounds. The lessening of weight would make their operation much more economical through lessened fuel consumption, since the mere hauling around of so much lumber amounts to a large sum annually. Their handling would be facilitated and their speed increased without an increase in the size of the motors.

“Wear and tear would also be greatly reduced and a great saving made in tire expense. This at present amounts to $2.21 per day per bus. This is figuring the total number of buses in service, 80 in all, but as an average of only 34 buses are in service, the remainder being in reserve or under repair, the daily tire cost for actual service is $3.43 per bus. The tire cost for the year amounts to $67,563.96, or $844.55 for each of the 80 buses. Any appreciable saving in this respect would be an important item, for as the gross receipts of a bus average $30.59 per day it will be seen that the tire expense is more than 10 per cent of the gross receipts.

“A considerable saving should result in this department with a lighter and better designed bus. A low, rakish, roomy, easily accessible bus, with a prow or fender such as is used on the form of street car mentioned above; one of a design that would please the eye and give an appearance of speediness and style, would not only thus be highly desirable from an economical point of view, but would increase the patronage of the lines, its psychological effect inviting greater traffic. At the present time, the lines of pleasure cars are highly developed and have reached a point from which nothing further can very well be expected, but such is not yet the case with motor buses and trucks, which appear unnecessarily heavy and cumbersome. The prospective passenger has to summon a good deal of moral courage to stop a Fifth Avenue bus. It becomes almost an event in his life. It is as if a mountain were rolling up and an entire reorganization of the surface of the earth were necessary to get him aboard and started on his way again. This of course is much more apparent than real, as the buses can stop within ten feet if necessary and are quickly under way, but the appearance of a great operation is there, and the passenger, once on board, is considerably relieved; but when the time for alighting comes his nervous tension increases and he begins to make preparations several blocks in advance, and is much worried for fear he will never get safely on the ground again. All this has a great effect on traffic, since the average person would rather walk half a dozen blocks than go through the process of hailing a bus and getting off again.

“A speedier looking bus, stopping and starting more gracefully, and built on better lines, would undoubtedly change the operations of the company from loss to profit and perhaps considerable profit, while being a great benefit to the city in every way.

“The present buses have a life of only three years. Their cost is $5,400, so that the depreciation charge is quite high. This is one of the principal causes why the lines do not show a profit. With lighter vehicles, the depreciation and garage expenses would be very much less.

“During 1911 the buses made some 153,609 round trips, carrying 6,305,175 passengers, so that there was an average of 41 passengers carried per round trip. The average receipts of the buses in service amounted to $30.59 per day, while 26 buses on the average were idle, being in reserve and undergoing repairs and renovation.

“The gross receipts amounted to 47.08 cents per bus mile, or 1.36 cents per bus seat per mile. As the blocks in New York run 20 to the mile along most of the route this means that a new passenger was taken on about once every three blocks.

“The daily earnings of the line amounted to $1,652.54. The 54 buses in active service make each 2,844 round trips a year, or 7.7  round trips per day. The average number of hours a bus is in service during the year is 2,222, or 6.1 hours per day. This applies to the whole 80 buses. Each bus in active service, that is, each of the 54, averages 23,716 miles in a year, which is 64.9 miles a day, or 7.2 miles an hour. The average number of hours that the 54 buses in active service travel in a year is 3,293, or 9.01 hours per day, making 64.9 miles, or the average of 7.2 miles per hour in service.

“The number of passengers carried in each bus is limited to the seating capacity and no one is allowed to stand in aisles or on platforms, except where a passenger has been deprived of his seat after paying his fare. Children in the arms of adults are carried free. Hand baggage is also carried free, but the company assumes no responsibility for the safety of baggage or other property.

“The company employs 277 men, of which 80 are conductors, 80 are drivers and 115 are in the garages. The wages amounted to $218,326.03 last year. Any material saving in this department would result in turning the balance sheet well toward a profit.

“Two repair shops are maintained by the company, the principal one being located at the main garage, Eighty-eighth to Eighty-ninth Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues. This main shop is equipped with three lathes, two grinding machines, two planers, a milling machine, a shaper and two drill presses, besides other small machinery necessary in making repairs.

“Of the 115 men employed outside of the men conducting the traffic, 12 are cleaners. A large number of the men are engaged in overhauling the buses, as they are repainted and gone over thoroughly once a year.

“The location of the main shop and garage is placed at a favorable point, about midway of the routes of traffic. The smaller repair shop is near the lower end of the line.

“The routes of the company are mainly up Fifth Avenue branching off into four great stems, and penetrating the most desirable and interesting residential parts of the city, furnishing a means of travel between the shopping and residential districts.

“There are ten routes at present, no new ones being added during the past year. The routes are as follows:

(1) From Washington Square up Fifth Avenue to Ninetieth Street. This is a direct line up Fifth Avenue and passes along ‘Millionaires' Row,’ that is, the east side of Fifth Avenue from Fifty-ninth Street to Ninetieth Street, adjoining Central Park. At Fiftieth Street is St. Patrick's Cathedral and on either side of the avenue are noted residences, the Plaza and Gotham and St. Regis Hotels, to Fifty-ninth Street, where the park begins.

(2) From Washington Square up Fifth Avenue to Fifty-seventh Street, where the line crosses to Broadway, goes up Broadway to Seventy-second Street, thence across to Riverside Drive, past the Soldiers and Sailors' Monument, Grant's Tomb, over the Riverside Drive viaduct to 135th Street, crossing to Broadway. This route affords a splendid view of the west side of the city and runs for several miles along the Hudson River.

(3) From Washington Square up Fifth Avenue to 110th Street, being an extension of route No. 1; westward on 110th Street, which is the northern boundary of Central Park, to Riverside Drive and thence to 135th Street and Broadway along the route of No. 2. This route adjoins the east and north sides of Central Park and the south side of Morningside Park, with a splendid view of the new cathedral of St. John on Morningside Heights and Columbia University.

(4) A limited portion of route No. 2, up Fifth Avenue from Washington Square to Fifty-seventh Street, thence over to Broadway, up Broadway to Seventy-second Street and thence across to a terminal point at Seventy-second Street and Riverside Drive, the lower end of the drive. Many leave the bus at this point to walk up the drive.

(5) From Washington Square up Fifth Avenue to 120th Street, thence westward a short distance and up Mount Morris Park west to 124th Street, back to Fifth Avenue and up Fifth Avenue to 135th Street. This route circles three sides of Mt. Morris Park, but is not as interesting as the west side routes.

(6) From Washington Square up Fifth Avenue to Seventy-second Street and eastward to First Avenue.

(7) From Washington Square up Fifth Avenue to 110th Street, west to Seventh Avenue, up Seventh Avenue to 153rd Street to Central Bridge over the Harlem River, via Macomb's Dam Road.

(8) From Washington Square up Fifth Avenue to 110th Street, thence via Manhattan Avenue, St. Nicholas Avenue, St. Nicholas Place, 155th Street Viaduct to Central Bridge. This is a route somewhat more westerly than No. 7. and affords a good view of the Harlem River, Jumel mansion, speedway and polo grounds, as well as the University of the City of New York.

(9) From Washington Square up Fifth Avenue to Fifty-seventh street, thence via Broadway to Central Bridge.

(10) From Washington Square south along South Fifth Avenue, now known as West Broadway, to Bleecker Street. This is a short route in a tenement and manufacturing district.

“The routes all follow Fifth Avenue, since that is the only longitudinal avenue in the city without railway transudation, street, elevated or subway. In addition, there is a short spur to the Queensboro Bridge at Fifty-ninth Street and East River. An excellent knowledge of the middle and upper portions of the city is gained from traveling the bus routes.

“The following table gives the principal statistics of the various lines during 1911:

	Fifth Ave. and East Side	Fifth Ave. and West Side	Queensboro Bridge	other small routes	total
Passengers carried	2,985,175	2,707,664	549,954	62,382	6,305,175
Amount of passenger fares in $	298,517.50	270,766.40	27,497.70	6,238.20	603,019.80
Average number of buses per day	23	21	9	1	54
Round trips during the year	70,132	65,018	15,904	2,555	153,609
Bus miles during year	557,316	646,565	56,185	20,598	1,280,664
Bus seat miles	18,948,744	21,983,210	1,910,290	700,332	43,542,576
Bus hours traveled	82,624	85,164	7,041	3,003	177,832

“The number of bus seat miles taken in consideration with the number of passengers carried indicates that it was necessary to carry a seat 6.9 miles for the accommodation of a passenger, the proportion of vacant seats being indicated by the difference between this figure and whatever length of the ride the passengers actually averaged, which, of course, is not ascertainable.

“The amount charged to depreciation of vehicle service was $101,511.53. Wages were $218,326.03, cost of tire renewals, $67,563.96, and maintenance and equipment, $99,809.62. There was a net loss of $38,820.89 for the year 1911.

“An itemized statement of the operating expenses for 1910 shows, in an interesting way, the division of costs among the various departments.

“Maintenance

Superintendence	$	3,424.32
Repairs of bodies	$	14,387.98
Repairs of running gear	$	13,462.75
Repairs of transmission	$	24,105.94
Repairs of motors	$	18,083.86
Repairs of buildings and factories	$	4,288.91
Repairs of shop tools and machinery	$	883.52
Tires	$	55,125.76
Other expenses	$	574.91
Depreciation of vehicle equipment	$	112,583.28
Total (maintenance)	$	246,921.23

“Conducting Transportation

Superintendence and clerks	$	4,731.17
Starters, receivers and inspectors	$	8,819.51
Oilers and washers	$	7,395.92
Shifters and other garage laborers	$	6,256.96
Drivers and conductors	$	115,263.23
Gasoline	$	37,360.61
Oil and waste	$	6,744.58
Water	$	378.90
Light for buses	$	4,587.82
Light, heat and power	$	3,006.51
Other garage expenses and supplies	$	1,393.88
Rent of buildings and other property	$	14,086.12
Damage to property	$	3,999.59
Damages to persons	$	35,996.44
Other expenses	$	14,651.46
General expenses	$	21,179.71
Total salaries of officers and clerks	$	6,197.88
Insurance	$	3,490.89
Stationery and printing	$	783.69
Legal expenses	$	7,576.37
Other expenses	$	2,697.54
Total operating expenses	$	532,773.64

“The buses are equipped with 35-horsepower DeDion-Bouton motors, four cylinder, vertical, 110 and 130 millimeters bore and stroke, respectively. The life of the motors is taken as three years. Some of the buses are chain driven, while the others employ different forms of transmission. Various types of tires and wheels are used.

Charges for depreciation appear high, and the life of the buses and motors short, but this may be more a matter of bookkeeping than a true index of the cost, so that the company may in reality be in better condition than its books seem to indicate.

“The officers of the company are Richard W. Meade, president and general manager; Samuel E. Morrow, auditor and assistant secretary, and George L. Willems, assistant treasurer. Arthur H. Kink is the company's attorney.

“The company has a legislative franchise which was issued on June 2, 1886, to the New York Transportation Company. This franchise was confirmed in 1900 by legislative action, Chapter 657, of the laws of 1900.

“A license fee of five per cent of the gross receipts is paid to the city for its franchise rights. The company is capitalized at $50,000 and was incorporated in 1886. It has no bonds outstanding and its franchise is perpetual.

“The lines are now operated by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, which has outstanding 30,000 shares of stock $100 par value amounting to $3,000,000. On June 10, 1910, all the stock was held by the Metropolitan Street Railway Company, except the director's classified shares. The lines thus are supplementary to the surface railway system. The total voting power of all the members of the company is 300. The stockholders number ten and all reside in New York State.

“No dividends were declared during the year 1911, owing to the deficit above noted. It would seem likely, however, that the deficit is more apparent than real, as the company, being a subsidiary of the surface lines and charging ten cents fare over a route that was formerly five cents with horse drawn vehicles, probably does not care to appear too prosperous, lest a demand arise for a reduction of the fare to the former figure.”

Volume 15 of the General Electric Review, published in 1912, included an article by H.S. Baldwin, an engineer in General Electric Company’s Automobile Motor Department. The article, ‘Some Special Applications of Gasolene-Electric and Storage Battery Automobile Equipments’ included pictures and a short description of the system produced by G.E for the Fifth Avenue Coach Company:

“The specially designed generator of light weight and high overload capacity has been successfully employed in conjunction with electric motors, to replace the regular change gear box on vehicles for passenger and mercantile service. A number of examples descriptive of this development are herewith briefly cited. While this form of drive and control is as yet not widely known and appreciated, it has been proven entirely practicable, and the possibilities of the system in the near future are exceedingly attractive.

“Fifth Avenue Gasolene-Electric Omnibuses

“Over three years ago ten gasolene-electric omnibuses, equipped with the General Electric system of drive, were placed in commission on Fifth Avenue, New York City, and with the exception of a short interval, have been in regular operation since that time. Records show that they have covered to date an aggregate of 350,000 miles. They are run daily over the same route with other gasolene vehicles of practically the same design, capacity, weight, engine and constructional details, but having the regular sliding gear drive and clutch. It will readily be seen that an unusual opportunity has been afforded for a comparison between the two systems of drive, under identical conditions of service and when operated by the same company.*

(*A description of the gasolene-electric busses will be found in the General Electric Review for November, 1908)

“For years, numerous gasolene-electric systems have been devised and tried out, both in this country and abroad, but as a rule they have been too complicated to last. The Fifth Avenue record is without doubt unique as to duration, and probably stands as the first instance of an engineering and commercial success of the gasolene-electric road vehicle on any considerable scale.

“One of the greatest difficulties found with mechanical drive omnibuses, is the rapid wear of change gears and clutch rigging, entailing high expense for maintenance, and what is almost as bad, noisy operation. The frequent change of gear accompanied by the use of the clutch, not always in skillful or careful hands, racks both transmission and engine. As a result, acceleration is uneven, with excessive back-lash, in spite of constant attention. It was to overcome these objections that the electric drive was suggested and tried, and it is generally admitted as a result of observation and experience that the claims of simple and easy control, relatively low cost of maintenance, reduction of wear and tear of transmission and engine, and smooth acceleration and quietness, have been substantiated.

“Omnibuses of both types operate under the same conditions of headway, although the later models with mechanical drive have somewhat larger engines and are therefore more powerful. The mechanical system has a slight advantage in fuel consumption, as was anticipated, but this is practically negligible as compared with the factors already referred to.

“The electrically driven omnibuses, as originally designed, were equipped with two 125 volt, 30 ampere double reduction motors and a 7½ k.w. generator which was specially designed for gasoline-electric work, being provided with split poles and possessing exceptional overload capacity for its weight.

“During the past year a single motor equipment has been developed using a 125 volt, 60 ampere motor with a special gear housing on its pinion end head to receive the bevel gear and differential of the mechanical omnibus. This motor is interchangeable with the gear box and can therefore be used to replace it. Omnibus No. 15, show in Fig. 5, is so equipped, and also has the modified generator with double bearings. The omnibus is in regular service on Fifth Avenue.”

November 7, 1912 The Automobile:

“NEW De Dion Bus — The Fifth Avenue Bus Company, Aeolian Building, New York City, recently purchased a De Dion bus. Its horsepower is 36, bore 110 millimeters, stroke 130 millimeters; the wheelbase is 13 feet, and the weight 10,000 pounds. Its inside carrying capacity is 25 and the outside is 22. It has three speeds forward and one reverse. The above photograph gives a comparison of the old style of bus and the new.”

December 1912 Power Wagon:

“MORE BUSES FOR NEW YORK.

“Sixteen new motor buses were recently installed in New York City by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. These machines are double-deckers and have a capacity for 48 passengers, as compared with 34 for the old double-deck buses and 32 for the single-deck vehicles put in service about a year ago.

“The new buses, like the others, are mounted on De Dion-Bouton chassis. They have 30-horsepower motors and have a carrying capacity, including body and passengers, of 12,000 pounds. The bodies weigh about 3,000 pounds, so that an allowance of close to 200 pounds is made for each of the 48 passengers.”

November 11, 1913 New York Times:

“BUS COMPANY PROSPERS.; More Coaches, More Trips, and Accumulated Deficit is Cut.

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Company, one of the corporations which is trying to obtain permission to extend the motor bus service of the city, for which it at present holds the monopoly, has filed its report for its operations up to June 30, 1913, with the Public Service Corporation. From this it appears that the company made last year a net profit of $130,351.

“This was applied to the reduction of its accumulated deficit, and cut that down to $286.057. During the year the company laid aside 33.33 per cent of the cost of its equipment for depreciation, and also paid into a reserve to meet claims for damages and injuries the sum of $66,034. The actual amount paid out last year in payment of such claims was only $18,028, so that it increased by $48,005 the reserve created to take care of these possible liabilities. The reserve now is $142,941.

“During the last year the company increased the number of its ‘buses by 24 to 105, and made 81,325 more round trips. Altogether it operated 2,176,790 ‘bus miles, an increase of 735,949, and carried 8,884,534 passengers at 10 cents each, an increase of 2,545,462 passengers.”

November 30, 1913 New York Times:

“MODEL GARAGE THAT SAVES TIME; Home of the Omnibuses Has Rainbow Piping and Many Other Improvements.

“Time saving and efficiency are vital factors in garage management on a large scale. It was with the realization of this fundamental that the Fifth Avenue Coach Company planned its new garage on East 102d Street, where there is accommodation for about 150 big motor omnibuses, sufficient to take care of the present lines on the eastern side of the city and allow for growth.

“Some of the devices installed to make the handling of cumbrous buses less difficult ate ingenious and have a direct application in the motor truck field. On the main floor, where the buses roll it, there is an abundance of natural light, and the floor has been pitched so that drainage is to a central grill, and the machines may be washed  wherever they stand. A row of tile-lined repair pits runs along the north wall. These are of course, fitted with electric light and with pneumatic supply for power tools, &c. At several points on the walls are gasoline outlets connected with a huge fuel tank sunk in the floor, which is equipped with a settling tank, in addition to the separator required by law. When a bus comes in its fuel supply is measured with a dipping stick, and the new fuel put in is also measured by a meter.

“One of the odd things that strike the visitor on this and the other floors of the building is the brilliant painting of the exposed pipe system. This is known as ‘rainbow painting’, and makes for simplicity. The red pipes are the sprinkler connections; the aluminum, steam; green, gasoline; yellow, electric wire carriers; and gray, compressed air.

“By this method it is possible to identify any desired pipe at once by its color when there is a leak or other trouble. The practical value of this identification can be realized if one will glance at the maze of pipes that all look alike when they are exposed by a little excavating in the street.

“Opposite the main entrance of the model garage is the largest elevator for vehicles in the city. It can handle the biggest bus with ease and deliver it to any desired floor. There is also a passenger elevator near by, and an electric dumbwaiter for sending up small parts or materials for which the big freight elevator is not needed. On the upper floors are the body shops for repairing, the room where the chasses are assembled as they come from France and the forge shops. Overhead craneways make the transportation of parts or even whole chasses about the floors an easy matter. On the north side of the building one of the upper floors is the supply department where, in steel bins, tier upon tier, are the spare parts for a dozen different models of buses. The bins run into the thousands. In another part of the building, handy to the machine shops, is a washing room where the larger engine parts, such as clutches and the differentials are cleansed of road dirt and grease in a huge bath of kerosene.

“Watchfulness has been found to be a paying habit in this modern plant so that now every bus receives an overhauling at the pits on the ground floor after each 1,400 miles of travel. Then, if necessary, it is taken down and sent upstairs for more radical repairs. But by constant tuning up this is rendered comparatively infrequent. Every bus, however, is taken down and completely overhauled once each year.”

An article on Gasoline-Electric Vehicles in the 1914 edition of SAE Transactions makes brief mention of Fifth Avenue Coaches’ gasoline-electric DeDion-Bouton buses:

“FIFTH AVENUE BUSES

“Prof. W. C. Marshall: - How does the Fifth Avenue Bus Company find that this electric transmission compares with the mechanical? There is a case of buses running under the same conditions exactly, some of which are running electrically.

“R. McA. Lloyd:—I think we have a pretty big subject and that it is impossible to cover it all. There is not any doubt in my mind that there are special fields for the application of the electric transmission. I think that it was desired more ten years ago than it is now, because people used to be afraid of sliding gears. Now everybody is used to them and there is less demand for the electric transmission in the case of the ordinary pleasure vehicle.

“There are inherent reasons why the electric transmission cannot be a success as so far applied. It is never big enough to transmit the power that you can get out of the engine.

“The transmission described by Mr. Parkhurst is undoubtedly about the same thing as that on the Fifth Avenue stages. In the system applied to some of these buses there is a 35 horsepower engine, a 7-kilowatt generator and two 3-horsepower electric motors. The best you can get out of the two motors is 18 horsepower when they are slowed down to a bus speed of about two miles an hour, at which time the engine develops 35 horsepower. If they put in a motor big enough and generators big enough to chase the straight mechanical transmission over the streets, the weight and cost of construction would be prohibitive. The system can be used only in places where you do not object to going slowly on hills. It has been for that reason more or less cut out of calculations on commercial vehicles, excepting where it is difficult to get in a mechanical transmission.

“There is no particular advantage in an electric transmission, it seems to me. A good many men would rather run a gas car with a mechanical transmission than an electric car with an electric control. The beauty of the electric transmission is that the motors respond to the demands upon them; when you strike a steep hill they do not stop going. On the other hand, you are converting all the mechanical energy into electrical energy, with some loss, and back into mechanical, with some more loss, and are bound to get greater consumption of gasoline over a long period. The Fifth Avenue Bus Company gas-electric buses consume twenty-five per cent, more gasoline in the long run than those with ordinary gear-box. . If you look over the field you will find there are forty or fifty systems, .and more coming out every day, particularly abroad, where they drive direct part of the time. Something can be said in favor of the addition of a small storage battery to help on hills. This can be charged going downhill. Here there is the disadvantage of additional weight.

“I do not mean to say that I have exhausted the field, but I have certainly investigated most of the systems that are known. I think all have inherent disadvantages in the way of cost construction and inefficiency, and that the only thing they offer is the possibility of a little easier control, which I do not think is necessary, and certainly is not in as great demand as it was ten years ago.

“M. R. Machol:—The hydraulic transmission with a gasoline engine will enable you to get on the rear wheels any torque from zero up to maximum, regardless of the speed of the gasoline engine. That is, as long as the gasoline engine is running fast enough to overcome its own internal friction, and give any appreciable power at all, the hydraulic transmission will enable you to get any drawbar pull that you happen to want. In climbing a hill it is not a question of horsepower; you can get up any hill that the motor is capable of climbing if you have only two cylinders going; on five or six horsepower you can climb the steepest hill the truck is capable of climbing at any time. At the same time you still have the absolute range of horsepower. I think that is an advantage.

“W. P. Kennedy:—What Mr. Lloyd says merely expresses the opinion that the electric transmission equipment is very much more expensive than the mechanical transmission. Yet when we consider the commercial or manufacturing side, it must be recognized that when a device is put out in experimental quantities, as is the case with these Fifth Avenue gas-electric stages, the price of such equipment is bound naturally to be very much higher than if it were the product of a very large factory making a great quantity of machines.

We have heard that the operating cost is very much higher than with the mechanical transmission in the consumption of gasoline. My information may not be correct, but I am of the impression that when the Fifth Avenue Coach Company undertook to place these electric transmission buses on Fifth Avenue they were prompted to do so by the existing high cost of mechanical transmission upkeep, and that when these electric transmission buses went into service their cost of upkeep was remarkably low. Therefore it would seem rational that even though the gasoline consumption were higher than with the straight mechanical transmission bus, if the cost of that increased consumption were not so high as to compare unfavorably with the cost of mechanical transmission maintenance, this ought to be given due weight.

“We also have, aside from the Fifth Avenue bus application, considerable evidence of the practicability or utility of this type of device in the Coupled Gear gasoline-electric machine. Of course that is a motor truck or tractor, and it is not expected to go very fast. In the majority of cases which I have been able to investigate, the service rendered has been very satisfactory. I know of one case where a machine having a gasoline-electric transmission did work in moving heavy weights that never could have been moved with any other form except perhaps the hydraulic transmission. An engineering contractor who wanted to transport structural material and equipment from a railroad station over a nine-mile course to a point where he was constructing a hydro-electric power plant, used successfully a Couple Gear gasoline-electric tractor. He told me that he never missed a single trip in his schedule of operation, and was able with this machine on one occasion to transport something like fifteen tons with the use of a trailer, up a 13 per cent, grade.

“Do we not condemn the gasoline-electric type of machine for engineering or theoretical considerations rather than practical, for instance, by laying stress, as pointed out, on the gasoline consumption or some minor consideration without reference to its economy or practicability as a whole? I would like to have Mr. Lloyd's expression on that with reference to the Fifth Avenue bus case.

“R. McA. Lloyd:—I know that the gasoline-electric-transmission buses cost several hundred dollars more than those with mechanical transmission. I do not say it is impossible to reduce the cost. In the meantime, the cost of mechanical transmission has gone down enormously and the cost of the electric dynamo and motor has not gone down very much.”

The 1914 Fifth Avenue Coach Company Annual Report reveals:

“Stockholders and Members.— The number of stockholders at the end of the year was reported as one; number of shares held by the New York Transportation Company, 500.

“Important Changes During the Year.— Leasehold acquired on September 1, 1913, of garage, Nos. 4 to 20 East 102d street, New York City. The term was for 20 years and 10 months with option of renewals. On February 6, 1914, the company acquired $100,000 par value of Canadian Pacific Railway Company's 6 per cent note certificates, cost, $101,125.

“On June 1, 1914, a $5,000 mortgage on No. 643 West 130th street. New York City, matured and was paid. During the year $12,750.60 was expended in the reconstruction of the 88th street garage.

“George L. Williams was appointed Assistant Secretary, August 27, 1913.

“Officers.— President and General Manager, Richard W. Meade; Vice-President, Herbert H. Vreeland; Secretary and Auditor, Samuel E. Morrow; Treasurer and Assistant Secretary, George L. Williams; Claim Agent, Louis Goldstein; Chief Engineer, G. A. Green. (H.H. Vreeland was formerly president of the New York City Railway – 1908)

“Directors.— Philip I. Dodge, Andrew Freedman, Horace M. Fisher. Richard W. Meade, W. Leon Pepperman, Henry Sanderson, Theodore P. Shonts, Herbert H. Vreeland, Edmond E. Wise.

“Main Business Office.— 10 East 102d street. New York City.

Report verified by Richard W. Meade, President and General Manager, September 30, 1914.

“Fifth Avenue Coach Company Rents Payable Charged to Operating Expeneee.— Garage, 57-65 E. 88th street, payable to Margaret L. V. Shepard, (4,471.47; garage, 4-20 E. 102nd Btreet, payable to New York Transportation Co., 341,916.82; starter's booth, 90th street and Fifth avenue, payable to Heracles Paragisticlis, $240; basement used by starters and crews, 244 Thomson street, payable to Italian Benevolent Institute, $300; storage lot, Fifth avenue and 102nd street, payable to John J. Halleron, $200; general offices, 33-35 W. 42nd street, $845.83, payable to Aeolian Co.; total, $48,034.12.”

March 5, 1915 New York Times:

“FINER FIFTH AVENUE BUS.; Many Improvements in New Type of Passenger Vehicles

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Company, which operates the buses on Fifth Avenue, riverside Drive, and other thoroughfares, tried out yesterday a new style of bus. They announced it to be ‘almost the last word in omnibus comfort.’

“The heaters are under the floor, giving more foot room for the passengers. There is a push button for each seat and double handrail on the rear stairway to insure greater safety. Ten square feet more of glass has been added to the window space, and the electric lighting facilities of the interior are increased. By the use of aluminum panels and high-test alloy steel, the company states, it has been able to economize space without sacrificing strength. Cross seats have been installed for twenty-two passengers on the lower deck, all but two of which face forward.”

August 1, 1915 New York Times:

“Fifth Avenue Buses Have Been Fitted With Fenders

“Long wooden safety fenders have been hung beneath the bodies of all motor buses operated by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company on Fifth Avenue, Riverside Drive and other thoroughfares in the city. The fenders are hung on either side of the buses, between the front and rear wheels, and curve outward toward the rear, so that the rear wheels of each vehicle are protected.

“Oddly enough, the majority of accidents to pedestrians in the streets of both New York and London on account of the motor bus have been rear-wheel accidents. People have a way of waiting for the front wheels of the bus to pass them and then heedlessly walking into the path of the rear wheels. New York bus accidents last year were only one pedestrian injured to over 1,500,000 miles of service. With the installation of the fenders it is believed that mishaps to persons standing in the streets are very much a thing of the past as regards the motor bus.

“The installation of the fenders called for an interesting bit of shop management at the company’s garage on 102d Street, just east of Fifth Avenue. It was desirable that the full fleet of vehicles should appear upon the streets with fenders attached. This called for rapid work on a wholesale way. Everything was in readiness for the installation when the crews brought in their buses late Saturday night, July 17, after the last trips. A corps of mechanics was on hand and the fenders, fully assembled, were piled at convenient points nearby. As each big green vehicle rolled in, it was quickly attacked by the workmen. And long before daybreak the installation had been accomplished upon each of the 150 buses.”

August 16, 1915 New York Times:

“BUS KILLS WOMAN.; Confused, She Ran in Motor’s Path and Was Crushed.”

May 26, 1916 New York Times:

“PLAN TO REDUCE CAPITAL.; New York Transportation Co. to Vote on Proposition June 14.

“Stockholders of the New York Transportation Company, owning all of the stock of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, which operates the motor buses on Fifth Avenue and Riverside Drive, will meet in Jersey city on June 14 to vote on a proposed reduction in the corporation’s capital from $5,000,000 to $2,500,000. The reduction will be effected by cutting the par value of the shares from $20 to $10. R.W. Meade, President, says that while earnings, both present and prospective, are highly satisfactory and would seem to justify from this date a distribution of profits, the books still show a deficit, owing to heavy losses sustained by the company in its earlier and experimental days.”

June 25, 1916 New York Times:

“REMEMBER FIGURES BETTER THAN COLORS; Interesting Test on Public Made by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company.

“New York people have better memories for figures than they have for colors or letters is the conclusion arrived at by the operating department of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, which has been trying for several months to fix upon the form of sign which will best distinguish the different destinations of its big green buses. For a long time the buses carried signs of assorted colors, and the public was urged, if it wished to take in the beauties of Riverside Drive, to hail a vehicle bearing a sign with white letter on a red ground, or if its immediate objective chanced to be the Pennsylvania Station one with white letters on a black ground, and so on and Down through all the half dozen or more routes over which the buses ply their way.

“The public, however, showed but little ability to profit by these chromatic expedients. Attempts to designate the buses by means of capital letters, a different one for each route, were no more successful. Now, for the past few weeks a few of the buses have carried a brand-new sign, of which the striking featured is a large numeral boldly outlined in the left hand corner. For example, all those displaying a big ‘5’ are engaged in transporting their passengers between various points along the ‘avenue’ and Riverside Drive, while the figure ‘3’ presumably indicates a coachload of happy enthusiast on their way to the Polo Grounds via the scenic St. Nicholas Avenue route. Thus far the public mind has responded much more readily to the call of the figures than to that of either the colors or the letter, and so the company proposes to equip all its buses with signs of this kind.”

June 29, 1916 New York Times:

“5TH AV. BUS SERVICE TIED UP BY A STRIKE; Chauffeurs of the Coach Co. Quit Work, Demanding Increase in Pay. EVERY LINE AT STANDSTILL A Few Cars Operated Early in the Day, but Traffic Completely Paralyzed by 6 P.M.

“The Fifth Avenue bus service was paralyzed by a strike yesterday that put out of commission all but a dozen of the 140 buses of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. Service in the Riverside Drive line ceased and, although a semblance of service was kept up on the Fifth Avenue, Seventh Avenue and St. Nicholas Avenue lines during the day, until, between 4:30 and 5 o’clock yesterday afternoon, only one bus passed Fifth Avenue and Thirty-fourth Street. A statement by the company last night said, ‘There was practically no service after 6 o’clock’.

“The strike followed the organization two weeks ago of the chauffeurs as members of the Chauffeurs’ and Cab Drivers’ Union. At a meeting Tuesday night the men decided to strike and yesterday morning only a handful of the chauffeurs appeared for work at the bus garage at 102nd Street and Madison Avenue and pickets were placed about the place.

“The demands of the men were that membership in the union should not imperil their jobs and that they should get an increase in pay. The chauffeurs demanded a flat rated of $3.50 for an eleven-hour day, with an hour for dinner, the chauffeurs now receiving from $2.80 to $3.30 a day, according to the length of service. For the conductors there was demanded 28 cents an hour during the first year of serviced and 30 cents an hour after the first year. Although the conductors reported for work yesterday morning, they could not go out because of lack of chauffeurs and from union headquarters at 806 Eighth Avenue, it was said that the conductors had joined the union yesterday afternoon.

“The men asserted that the discharge of seven men who were known to the company as members of the union was the immediate cause of the strike. Richard W. Meade, President of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, said the men had made no demands and that, even after talking with a number of strikers, he couldn’t tell just what they wanted. The strikers replied that they had sent a committee to treat with the officials of the company but had met with no success, and that the strike had followed.

“Last night Mr. Meade sent this letter to the striking drivers:

‘“It ought to be well known to all our employees that the company’s officers have always been ready to confer with the, either singly or by committees, whenever they felt they had cause for complaint. Therefore it is very disappointing to have our men adopt the wasteful and unfriendly plan of striking, instead of coming to us straightforwardly and stating their grievances.’

‘“We would regret being obliged to replace the old men with new material, but unless they report for work and appoint a committee to take up with the management the adjustment of any grievances, we shall be compelled to resort to that course as the only alternative.’

“Mr. Meade said he expected this letter would bring the men back at once.”

July 3, 1916 New York Times:

“MANY 5TH AV. BUSES RUN.; Company Able to Maintain Three-Minute Headway All Day

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Company succeeded in maintaining yesterday a fairly adequate bus service over its Fifth Avenue line. The company’s whole service of 140 buses had been more or less paralyzed since the strike of chauffeurs last Wednesday morning. The company waited three days for its chauffeurs to return in response to an offer of higher wages, offered individually and not to the union, and then started in to hire and train new chauffeurs.

“The buses which ran on a three-minute schedule all day on the Fifth Avenue were operated by a few chauffeurs who did not go on strike and by new men. Three buses ran on unfrequented uptown streets all through the day on which new men were trained in handling the heavy cars. On each of the cars which operated on Fifth Avenue a guard was seated by the side of the driver to prevent interference with him by the strikers. All of the buses were crowded. The company had a number of plain clothes policeman on duty to watch the garages for any disorderly tactics of the strikers.

“There was practically no service on the Riverside Drive line yesterday. The company announced last night that today the regular service would be restored on the Fifth Avenue line. President Meade of the company said:

‘“We find no difficulty in obtaining plenty of competent chauffeurs who are eager to take the places of the strikers and have kept three training cars busy all day breaking them in. We are agreeably surprised by the good quality of the men who apply for work and are confident of being able to get sufficient men to restore service over the principal routes in a very few days.”’

July 6, 1916 New York Times:

“ALL BUSES RUNNING AGAIN.; Men Accept Higher Pay, Ending Strike Without Union Recognition

“The Fifth Avenue bus strike ended yesterday when the Fifth Avenue Coach Company succeeded in restoring complete service o its 140 buses on all lines. The officials of the company said that practically all the men who had struck one week before had returned to work yesterday. The chauffeurs and motormen both received increases in pay, although the reinstatement of seven chauffeurs, who were discharged, and the recognition of the union, both demanded by the strikers, were not granted by the company. The Riverside bus line was in operation yesterday for the first time in a week.

‘“The men came back,’ said President Meade of the coach company, ‘because they preferred to work for good wages to being on strike at the call of union agitators, Most of the men who quit work were forced to it through intimidation.’

‘“I wish to thank Borough President Marks for the part he played. Although the protocol he drew up was rejected by the union, his good offices were responsible for a better understanding all around.’

‘“The men simply found they had made a mistake; they did not understand the willingness of the company to listen to their demands, but went on strike while we were planning to grant the increase which they summarily demanded when they went on strike and tied up the service. They came back to work this morning and were hired as individuals. We made no settlement with the union.’

“A union headquarters satisfaction at the outcome of the strike was expressed.

“The strike caused the loss of the fares of 500,000 passengers, representing $50,000 in receipts. It was said at the office of the company. Of this amount the men who struck lost about $10,000 in wages and the city lost $2,500, as it receives half a cent for every dime taken in by the company.”

September 12, 1916 New York Times:

“Talk Of a Bus Strike,; Police Hear Fifth Avenue Coach Company’s Men Are Restless.

“Rumors that the Fifth Avenue Coach Company’s bus drivers and conductors might join in the transit strike today arose last night from the fact that the operatives held a meeting in Mozart Hall, in East Eighty-sixth Street.

“Police Inspector Cohen said that he had been informed that the men were organizing, but that they had reached no decision about going our.

“The bus workers struck last June after affiliating with the Chauffeurs and Cab Drivers’ Union. The strike lasted only a few days.

“President Richard W. Meade of the company could not be reached for comment.”

October 25, 1916 New York Times:

“5th Av. Bus Co. Earns $458,672 Net

“A synopsis of the report of the business done by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, operated by the New York Transportation Company, for the year ended June 30, shows that the total revenue for the year was $1,689,726, and the net revenue $458,672. Accidents and damages during the year cost the company $52,678, and livery service yielded $16,281, and advertising privileges brought $31,140.”

November 26, 1916 New York Times:

“HIGHER COST OF BUS OPERATION; Fifth Avenue Company Reports Average Advance Is More Than 100 Per Cent.

“Increased costs for motor bus operation due to the European war average considerably more than 100 per cent., according to a report sent out by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company of New York. The company says:

“‘When one considers that in some cases the increase in price amounts to more than 300 per cent, and many times to more than 200  per cent, it is not to be wondered that a quietus has been placed on jitney buses and that public transportation lines throughout the country are feeling the cost of living.’

“‘Some of the most noticeable increases in the cost of raw materials are in the electrolyte used in the lighting batteries, which has risen 388 per cent; aluminum, which has risen 248 per cent; and sheet brass, 188 per cent. Gasoline, which is consumed by buses by the carload, has doubled in price. Strangely enough, green paint, which is the official dress of the bid double-deck buses so familiar to New Yorkers, has had the smallest proportional advance of all the materials necessary to bus operation – only 9 per cent.’”

In a 1916 Meeting of the SAE Standards Committee, of which George A. Green was a member, the discussion turned to tires and the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. The Meeting was transcribed in Volume 12 of SAE Transactions, published in 1917:

“G. A. Green: - I believe some figures obtained in the operation of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company's equipment bear on the subject. Our new "A" type buses, which are equipped with 4-in. dual rear tires, under conditions of maximum load carry 2965 lb. per tire or 74 per cent in excess of the 1700 lb., as shown by the proposed table. This new equipment has covered more than half a million miles, and from results obtained so far we have every reason to believe that we are working in the right direction. I confidently anticipate that when we are operating only standard ‘A’ type buses our tire cost will be less than 1 cent per bus-mile. This low cost is obtainable largely because our unsprung weight has been reduced to the minimum.

“The fitting of larger tires means an immediate increase in unsprung weight. Every time such weight is added tire mileage is reduced. There is a distinct dividing line between the tire that is too large and the tire that is too small. I think we have found the happy medium, and as far as I am concerned—while I, of course, do not speak officially—we would be willing to forego the tire companies' guarantee rather than increase the size of the tires. The additional weight of oversize solid tires, their steel bands, etc., is not the only factor one must take into account. The use of larger tires means larger wheels and, in fact, a general strengthening up becomes necessary. It may be said that no comparison can be made between the operation of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company's buses and that of trucks; while this may or may not be the case, I believe that the table should receive further study.”

April 28, 1917 Winnipeg Free Press:

“GREEN OF N.Y. GOES TO FRANCE.; Takes Captaincy of Corps of Armored Tanks on Somme Front.

“New York, Apr. 28, 1917 - George Allan Green, chief engineer and superintendent of the Fifth Avenue Coach Co., which operates about 200 motor buses in New York, has sailed for France to take the captaincy of a corps of armored tanks on the Somme front.

“The British government offered Mr. Green the appointment because of his thorough knowledge of Knight sleeve-valve engines, which are used in British tanks. As engineer of the Fifth Avenue Coach Co., Mr. Green has had much experience with this type of engine, his company having bought 250 Moline-Knight engines for use in Fifth Avenue buses. Before his connection with the New York concern, Mr. Green was superintendent of the London General Omnibus Co. He has been in various engineering positions connected with transportation for nineteen years, fourteen of which had to do with design, construction and operation of gas-propelled vehicles.

“With the Fifth Avenue Coach Co. Mr. Green reduced the cost per mile of operation more than 100 per cent. One of his recent activities was that of developing a complete snow-removal system for the company, by which it removes snow from more than 30 miles of New York streets, on which the buses operate, without interfering with the regular schedule.”

June 30, 1917 New York Times:

“HARLEM GETS NEW FACTORY; Fifth Avenue Coach Company to Build $1,000,000 Structure.

“According to officials of the Harlem Board of Commerce, President R.W. Meade of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company yesterday authorized them to announce that the company would erect a new million-dollar factory in the near future on the upper west side. A statement quoting Mr. Meade, given out by the Board of Commerce, says:

“‘After earnest consideration of several sites offered our company for the erection of our new plant, we selected thirty-three lots in the plot between Broadway and Twelfth Avenue, and 132d and 133d Streets. Our factory will consist of a four-story building which, with the cost of the grounds, will involves the outlay of considerable more than $1,000,000. We were offered other sites on Manhattan Island, Long Island City, and in New Jersey, but the study of the Survey of Harlem conducted by the Harlem Board of Commerce showed us the housing conditions for the class of help employed by is to be better in Harlem than elsewhere.’

“Officers of the Harlem Board of Commerce expressed themselves as very much elated by the action of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. This is the first large factory obtained as a result of the survey conducted by the board, which is to launch an extended campaign for the purpose of demonstrating to manufacturers the opportunities to be opened to them if they locate in Harlem.”

July 17, 1917 New York Times:

“BUS COMPANY TAKES TITLE

“Title was recorded yesterday to the Fifth Avenue Coach Company from the Consolidated Gas Company to the middle portion of the block bounded by Broadway, Riverside Drive, 132d and 133d Street, the parcel fronting 400 feet on 132d Street and 425 on 133d Street, 100 feet west of Broadway. The new owners gave back a mortgage of $175,000. The property will be used for a large garage and other buildings, rendered necessary from the uptown extensions of the omnibus service.”

July 1917 issue of The Hub:

“Fifth Avenue Coach to Build Its Trucks

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Co., New York, has been forced to manufacture its own trucks on account of war conditions. It has acquired property at 132d street and Broadway for the erection of a four-story plant for the manufacture of motor buses. The plant is estimated to cost, about $1,000,000.

“The company has already assembled about 60 of its new trucks, and is planning to produce 200 in all, under its own specifications. The Moline-Knight engine will be continued with certain modifications.

“Before the war started the company imported hundreds of buses from France, the majority of them being De Dions. Since then it has designed its own trucks.”

According to the Fifth Avenue Coach Company's 1917 Annual Report:

“Officers. - President and General Manager, Richard W. Meade; Vice-President, Herbert H. Vreeland; Secretary and Auditor, Samuel E. Morrow; Treasurer and Assistant Secretary, George L. Willems; Claim Agent, George Carson; Chief Engineer, G. A. Green.

“Directors. - Edward J. Berwind, Philip T. Dodge, Horace M. Fisher, Richard W. Meade, W. Leon Pepperman, Henry Sanderson, Theodore P. Shonts, Herbert H. Vreeland, Edmond E. Wise.

“Main Business Office. - 10 East 102d street, New York City.

“Report verified by Richard W. Meade, President and General Manager, September, 28, 1917.”

August 29, 1918 The Automobile:

“Entz Magnetic Transmission on Fifth Avenue Bus

“SOME eight months ago the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York, installed an Entz magnetic transmission on one of its standard Model A buses, and placed the machine in regular service. Each of the buses operated by the company carries about 300 passengers per day, and as an average of four stops are made per passenger, it is readily realized that the strains on the clutch, brakes and transmission are very severe. With the Entz magnetic transmission no friction clutch is required, nor are there any clashing gears, and if this transmission could be properly developed for this particular use, a material saving might be effected.

“The Installation of the transmission was made by the Entz Motor Patents Corporation of New York, and was completed on November 28, 1917. The bus with Entz transmission complete weighed 10,180 lbs., of which 3,810 lbs. was on the front axle and 6,370 lbs. on the rear axle. This weight is made up of the chassis weight of 6,466 lbs., of which 3,150 lbs. is on the front axle and 3,316 lbs. on the rear axle, and of the body weight of 3,714 lbs., of which 660 lbs. is on the front axle and 3,054 lbs. on the rear axle. The bus with the Owen magnetic transmission is 890 lbs. heavier than the regular type A bus of the company.

“During one month's service, ending January 6, 1918, the Owen magnetic equipped bus showed a fuel consumption of 1 gal. per 4.3 miles, as compared with 1 gal. per 5.4 miles for the standard type bus. This showing, however, was materially improved later on.

“From December 6, 1917, to January 26, 1918, the bus ran 4,605 miles. Between December 6, 1917, and January 19, 1918, it showed an oil consumption of one gallon per 244 miles. During the period from December 30, 1917, to January 26, 1918, the fuel consumption was at the rate of one gallon to 5.7 miles.

“During the month of March the bus ran 2,495 miles. Between March 3 and March 31, 1918, the oil consumption was at the rate of 1 gal. per 279 miles, which was 64 per cent better than the showing of the standard A type bus, and the gas consumption was at the rate of 1 gal. per 5.6 miles, which was 12½ per cent worse than the standard type A bus.

“During April and May the bus ran 4,887 miles and consumed gasoline at exactly the same rate as the standard type A bus and 33 per cent less oil than the standard type A. Between December 6, 1917, and May 31, 1918, the bus ran altogether 14,968 miles.

“The troubles experienced during the period of observation were chiefly of a minor character, except that once the clutch and motor armature burned out, which was due to defective insulation. The driving shaft keys sheared off twice, and necessitated the installation of a new shaft and flange.

“The engineers of the Fifth Avenue Bus Company consider the experiment with Owen magnetic very successful, but since the company has already committed itself to the straight gasoline bus, to the extent of 300 vehicles, no more magnetic equipped machines will be placed in regular service at the present time. For later orders the system will receive favorable consideration.”

September 15, 1918, New York Times:

“NEW TYPE BUS IN SERVICE.; Has Root Over Outside Seats to Protect Riders on Top.

“A new type of motor bus appeared in Fifth Avenue yesterday. It was put in commission by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company after a run with several officials and guests. It has a roof over the top seats, with windows at the sides, and is the first motor bus built in this country to protect passengers on the upper seats from inclement weather. It is painted a steel gray.

“The men have named it the ‘Yankee Tram’. The enclosed top gives the bus an additional height of barely one foot over the regulation coaches, as the chassis is swung so low to the street, with a wide base. The passenger capacity is 51 persons, 22 inside and 29 on top, an increase of seven passengers over the green buses. It weighs only 300 pounds more, and President John A Ritchie said that in the experimental runs no more gasoline was used that is required for ordinary buses. Several of the new buses will be put into service in the next few months.

“The number of ‘aces’ in the Fifth Avenue Coach Company’s fuel economy campaign, who are selected each week for the highest mileage in proportion to fuel used, has been increased to eighteen. The drivers so honored are allowed to carry the green flag with the yellow diamond in the centre for one week. A new high record was made last week by John McGrath, who averaged 12.4 miles per gallon of gasoline. The general average has been raised to 6.82 miles (per gallon).”

December 5, 1918 The Automobile:

“Fifth Avenue Bus Earnings

“NEW YORK, Dec. 3—In its annual report, the Fifth Avenue Coach Co. shows total revenue of $2,654,457 for the year ending July 30, 1918. This is an increase of $410,640 over the preceding year. Net income amounts to $399,147 after deduction of expenses and taxes, and the surplus for the year is $191,794.”

July 13, 1919 Billings Gazette:

“FIFTH AVENUE, ONCE SACRED TO RICH, HUMS WITH TRAFFIC

“‘Fifth Avenues’ belongs not only in New York City but to the entire United States. The story is told that in the early days of the ‘millionaire exclusiveness’ of this famous boulevard, all public vehicular traffic was forbidden and stringent restrictions in property leases did everything possible to keep the public away from the ‘quiet avenue of homes.’ It was a great concession, made only after many years of discussion, that one passenger-carrying omnibus system was permitted so that the rich man's servants might go to and from church.

“These omnibuses were permitted to run only a very limited distance, from Washington Square to Central Park, during certain restricted hours, and under no other circumstances. Nor was any other omnibus line ever to be permitted to intrude. Tradesmen's vehicles could not use Fifth Avenue after 10 o'clock in the morning.

“So recent was this state of affairs that it is well within the memory of men ‘still in their 40s.’  In fact, this was the Fifth Avenue of 1895, when the Fifth Avenue Transportation company limited, became bankrupt and its entire stock was sold for $10,500 to Ward Campbell, who became one of the Incorporators and directors of the new company and transferred all his rights for $40,000 in cash and shares to the Fifth Avenue Coach company now running all the Fifth Avenue busses.

“Company Prospers.

“Today this company is one of the biggest dividend-paying organizations in existence anywhere; that is, for those original stockholders who were given shares in the new company. Its assets now amount to nearly $3,000,000 and its revenue for the year totals a like amount, while its ‘passenger-carrying monopoly of Fifth Avenue, New York,’ is a sinecure beyond price.

“Fifth Avenue is the most unique thoroughfare in the world, with traffic continuously busy day and night throughout the year.

“The company commenced to grow and be successful from the moment it gave up the horse-drawn omnibuses and adopted motor busses of the double-deck type as used in London.

“Its first motor bus was used July 2, 1906. By 1910 the company had grown so that it was operating over 85 motor busses daily over its various routes. Each motor bus then averaged 88 miles per day, total for the year being nearly 5,000,000 miles (4,901,499). In 1916 these busses carried 16,250,000 passengers, and the fares at 10 cents each, amounted to $1,622,304.20.

“Gross Revenue Large.

“For the year ending June 30, 1918, the gross revenue was $2,654,467.47, of which $43,098.87 was for ‘private bus’ hire and advertising privileges. The total number of omnibus miles for the same period was 7,740,826, an increase in the year of 1,807,774 miles.

“Now, in the spring of 1919, the phenomenal growth is still continuing day by day. Although 35,000,000 passengers were carried in 1918 (the total number of motor busses varies daily as new ones are put into operation and old ones scrapped, the fleet of 123 busses was crowded daily to utmost capacity.

“There are few corners anywhere along Fifth Avenue or Riverside Drive that have not crowds waiting for a ride. In fact, the busses do not meet one-third of the public demand on week days and are hopelessly crowded in week-ends and holidays.

“Fifth Avenue is not only ‘the Avenue of Fashion,’ with its beautiful show windows of America's best stores, with its palatial homes of multimillionaires and its Central Park with all the natural beauty and freshness of the country, but it also teems with ever-changing human interest and pleasure.

“Fifth Avenue is no longer the exclusive avenue of the rich, to be used only by them, but it is the most popular avenue in the world, full of romantic and historical interest.

“There is a saying; ‘What Fifth Avenue does today the rest of the world copies tomorrow,’ and the phenomenal success of the motor bus for public pleasure and practical service is attracting the attention of other cities and localities in the United States and elsewhere, about which further interesting stories will follow.

“Buses Weigh Six Tons.

“Each motor omnibus used by Fifth Avenue Coach company weighs, when fully loaded, about six tons, and has magneto ignition, as nothing else could enable the engine to develop the reliable power and be so dependable under continuous running of the engines find the heavy strains of starting and stopping. The total mileage for 1919, will, it is estimated, exceed 10,000,000 bus miles.

“Under such conditions no other ignition system could ‘stand up’ or do the work; the troubles, break-downs and repairs would render the busses valueless for public use. Yet the wonderful little magneto, producing about 6,000 intense sparks every mile, never gives any trouble, and enables the engine, the source of all power that propels the six-ton loaded omnibus, to develop every ounce of its energy. It willingly works all the time and it never refuses or grows tired.

“Many parts of the omnibuses wear out, and cause expense and delay, but the magneto on each omnibus - that small, compact, scientifically constructed instrument that generates the electric spark without which the engines could not run at all, and with it can develop their greatest power at all times - rarely ever goes wrong or causes any worry whatever. It doesn't even require attention except a drop or so of oil in every thousand miles.

“One of the greatest fields of operation of the motor bus will be regular and special trips in the country - at present this can only be done by hiring a motor bus by the day, but regular service is a development of the near future.”

Fifth Avenue became a one-way street following a successful test which was conducted in early 1920. The February 6, 1920 New York Times reported:

“5TH AV. TRAFFIC TO GO SOUTH FROM TO 5; Dr. Harries Explains Details of "One-Way" Experiment to Begin Feb. 16. 30-DAY TRIAL IS ORDERED Police Department Issues Instructions Covering All Points--Northbound Vehicles in Park Av.

“Beginning Feb. 16, Fifth Avenue, between Fifty-seventh and Thirty-fourth Streets, from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M., will be a "one-way street" for southbound vehicular traffic, while Park Avenue between these cross-streets will be reserved exclusively for northbound travel during the same hours….”

December 9, 1920 New York Times:

“ONE DEAD, 16 HURT IN 5TH AV. BUS CRASH; Passengers Assert Big Car Overturned, but Official of Company Denies It. SWERVED TO AVOID TRUCK Home Turned Into Emergency Hospital When Victims, Mostly Women, Are Rescued.

“Frank Cullen, the chauffeur of a southbound Fifth Avenue bus, turned his car sharply east into Seventy-ninth Street yesterday at 8:55 A.M. to avoid a five-ton auto coal truck which came out of Central Park at Seventy-ninth Street. Cullen was jammed against a police box and killed, while the conductor and fifteen passengers were painfully injured.

“The bus overturned, according to passengers and the police record, although this was denied by the company. Twelve or thirteen persons were flung from the top of the bus to the sidewalk, according to passengers, but this was also denied by the company.

“The inside of the bus was filled, according to the passengers, most of whom were young women. They say they were tumbled two or three deep on the windows of the bus, which lay upon its side. They wriggled and crawled through the door, and then squeezed their way to safety through the crammed space under the winding stairs, which were in a horizontal position.

“Passers-by Help Injured

“By the time those nearest the rear on the inside had crawled through the door, a dozen automobiles had stopped and the chauffeurs and occupants were helping the injured passengers. Meyer Kasdan, 30 years old, of 635 West 170th Street, was one of those who told of the bus overturning. A man who was inside the bus said:

‘“If the company officials say the bus was not overturned, it is probably due to the fact that their reports com from persons who were not on the scene until about fifteen minutes later, when the bus had been righted.’

‘“The motorman was pinned directly under the bus, with its weight on him. It was impossible to drag him out, and a large number of men, including passengers like myself, policemen and men from the crowd, used our combined strength to lift the bus. Cullen, the motorman, was unconscious all this time.’

‘“On the inside of the bus we had a fraction of a second or so of warning before it fell over, and every one made a desperate effort to catch hold of something and keep right side up. The women screamed, but were quiet in a second, when most of them found they were not much hurt. Te get toward the door it was necessary to move on all fours or crawl frontwards or sidewise, according to the position in which you found yourself.’

“Turns Home Into A Hospital

“Mrs. J.F. Feder, who lives at 973 Fifth Avenue, near Seventy-ninth Street, turned her home into an emergency hospital. Her servants, aided by policemen and men from the crowd, carried the badly injured ones into her house, and many of those slightly hurt walked in for first aid. Calls were sent out from her house and from the police box, and ambulances and surgeons soon arrived from Flower, Mt. Sinai, Lenox Hill and other hospitals.

“Cullen was taken in an automobile to Lenox Hill Hospital, where he died in a few minutes. Fred Rothenhauser, 26 years-old, of 602 East Eighty-third Street, was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in critical condition from fractures of his right arm and left leg and internal injuries. The others injured were: Rose Calldank, 26, 128 West 112th Street, possible skull fracture; Anna Castram, 24, contusion of right shoulder; Florence Fleck, 31, 551 West 170th Street, contusion of spine; Nathan Frank, 20, 235 Washington Avenue, laceration of left wrist; Mary Harity, 28, 501 West 171st Street, shock; Myra Harris, 24, 220 West 111th Street, possible internal injuries; Helen Herzman, 22, 101 west 113th Street, possible fracture right forearm; Meyer Kasden, 30, 635 West 170th Street, shock; David Lieberman, 43, 700 West 170th Street, shock; Miss Ray Lubowitz, 24, 1854 Seventh Avenue, injury to left wrist; Helen McDermott, 24, 563 West 173d Street, shock; Catherine McElliott, 29, 507 West 175th Street, possible fracture of skull; Annie Rubin, 22, 500 West 176th Street, contusion of right hip; Mary c. Russell, 42, 559 West 169th Street, contusion of chest and abdomen; Florence Wolf, 452 West 163d Street, shock.

“Truck Owner Held in $2,500.

“The driver and owner of the coal truck was Andrew Meyer of Jersey City. He was held in $2,500 bail on a charge of homicide, although William O’Shaughnessy, Assistant District Attorney, told the Court a preliminary inquiry indicated that the driver of the bus was at fault, as witnesses said he had been making twenty miles an hour. John A. Ritchie, President of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, ascribed the accident to lack of knowledge on the part of Meyer of New York traffic laws.

‘“Meyer told two witnesses,’ said Mr. Ritchie, ‘that he had the right of way. He comes from New Jersey. The rule there is that traffic approaching a boulevard has the right of way over traffic on the boulevard. He applied that theory here, where it was just contrary to law.’

‘“The bus did not turn over. There never has been an accident in which one of the Fifth Avenue buses turned over. We have reports from a large number of sources, which shows that idea is a mistake. No one was thrown off the top, according to our reports. I am positive that they are correct.’

“Had the two cars reached this corner five minutes later there would have been no accident, because a traffic policeman would have been on duty to stop one or the other. Traffic Policeman ziegler was only three blocks away, walking towards his post, when the accident occurred. He goes on duty at 9 o’clock.”

May 22, 1921 Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:

“A LITTLE CONCERN DOING BIG BUSINESS IN N.Y. by John A. Ritchie. President, Fifth Avenue Coach Co.

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Co., operating the double-deck 'buses that are the boon of every sightseer in New York, is seeking to instill kindness into the coldness of the greatest city in the world. How it is doing this is told in this story by the president of the company.

“A public utility corporation, especially one engaged in transportation, must have the good will of those it serves or it cannot progress. To obtain this good will it must convince its patrons not only that it is giving the best and most economical service of which it is capable, but that it is constantly striving to better that service.

“In creating a favorable frame of mind on the part of the public the men employed by a corporation play a very material part. They are a company's direct contact with its patrons, and a corporation is very likely to be judged by its personnel. Therefore in our public relations we have two main objectives. One is complete candor with the public concerning our operations and our service; the other the constant building up of a personal interest in their work on the part of our employees. To obtain this interest in the fullest degree we have educated our men in the truism that our welfare is their welfare, that as we prosper, they prosper.

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Co. is relatively a very small corporation engaged in a very big enterprise. With only 300 'buses in operation it transports an average of 150,000 people on week days and as many as a quarter of a million passengers on Sundays. Our conductors have to deal with a wide range of temperament and eccentricity. "We allow no passenger inside or atop of a ‘bus unless there is a seat for that passenger. We insist on conductors helping elderly and infirm people, or passengers with children or bundles on and off the ‘buses, although we frequently encounter fussy persons who resent this assistance.

“In building up a sense of loyalty the company and its ideals we have conducted numerous contests. We have had a courtesy contest, a baby contest for the children of our men a square deal contest, a contest for conductors in which they gave their views of the public, and one for the public in which we got the benefit of seeing ourselves as outsiders see us.

“We have issued a number of booklets dealing with these contests and given them wide circulation. We receive thousands of letters monthly from patrons, most of them commending our service and the men. We have found that politeness pays, whether it is politeness by the company to its employees, or politeness from the employees to the public.”

August 31, 1921 Winnipeg Free Press:

“Passenger Motor Busses To Be Tried At Toronto

“Toronto, Aug. 30, 1921 —The Toronto Transportation Commission proposes to experiment with passenger motor busses in Toronto and samples have been ordered from different makers in the United States and England. The first one, a double-decker, with capacity for 48 people, built by the Fifth Avenue Coach Co. of New York, arrived today and will be shown at the exhibition. Seven different busses will be tried out.”

In 1915 the Fifth Avenue Coach Company adopted R & V Knight (or Moline-Knight as they were then known) engines for its bus power plant and it has continued since that time to use this company's Knight engine exclusively in its bus service.

January 1922 Bus Transportation:

“The net income of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York, N. Y., for the year ended June 30, 1921, was $1,117,725. This is an increase over the previous year of $332,943. During the year the company operated 289 buses and carried at a 10-cent fare 51,091,365 passengers, an increase over the previous year of 8,538,656. The detailed figures of operation of the company are shown in the accompanying statement filed with the New York Transit Commission.”

February 1922 Bus Transportation:

“The Detroit Motorbus Company today operates three routes and owns seventy buses, all of which are maintained at this garage. There are two types of double-deck vehicles, both of which were built by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York. Most of these are known as Type L. There are but twenty of the Type A model.

“Only recently the company ordered ten single-deck, low-floor, twenty-five passenger buses to supplement its double-deck fleet. These vehicles are to be used on the Lafayette Boulevard route in the interest of economy where the traffic is such that double-deckers are not warranted.”

February 1922 Bus Transportation:

“51,091,365 Passengers Handled by Bus Line In New York

“John A. Ritchie and George A. Green Head the Operating Organization Which Accomplished This Feat Last Year. Both Men Have Had Interesting Yet Dissimilar Careers.

“FIGURES are a passion with John A. Ritchie. He has worked with them in one way or another ever since he entered business. This fact explains very largely why the organization of which he is the head, the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, operating the buses on Fifth Avenue, New York, was able to establish the record last year of transporting 51,091,365 passengers in 289 vehicles.

“But figures are merely the means to the end with Mr. Ritchie. They are not the end. If they had been then it is more than likely that Mr. Ritchie would not have progressed beyond the position of operating statistician to the subway, elevated and surface lines of New York.

“No disparagement is intended of the man who deals with figures, but it is the man who can see beyond the figures that becomes the leader. This Mr. Ritchie was able to do. And this his superiors were convinced he could do when Mr. Ritchie was advanced in April, 1918, to the position he now holds. He has translated figures into terms of service, with the result that the Fifth Avenue Coach Company ranks probably first as a model transportation agency. This is true in spite of the fact that the conditions under which the buses are operated are about as trying as could be found anywhere. It was a broad background of railroad and business experience that Mr. Ritchie brought with him to the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. Moreover, he is only forty-two years old, and was only thirty-eight when the responsibility was made his of heading the coach company. There is romance here, too, for Mr. Ritchie went to work when he was only fourteen years old. His first job was that of office boy with the Stover Manufacturing Company at Freeport, Ill. His next venture was with a manufacturer of hardware novelties, in the position of stock clerk and shipping clerk. It was in this job that he first felt the lure of the transportation business, since the shipping and routing of freight brought him in direct contact with the members of the railroad fraternity.

“Mr. Ritchie A Railroad Man

“It was just twenty-five years ago that he started pushing freight for the Illinois Central at Freeport. He rapidly worked up through various positions from truckman to warehouse foreman, freight received clerk, freight forwarded clerk, billing clerk, cashier, night ticket agent, and finally general night agent and yardmaster at Freeport.

“Meanwhile he had been studying the practical side of the roadway and track maintenance, and at night took up a course in stenography and accounting. This soon led him into division headquarters as division accountant, having charge of all of the payrolls and material distribution of the division. He was then appointed chief clerk to the roadmaster and finally chief clerk to the superintendent of the Freeport division.

“A Train Expert

“At this time the extension of the Illinois Central from Fort Dodge, Ia., to Council Bluffs, Ia.—a stretch of 140 miles—was nearing completion. Mr. Ritchie had shown ability as an organizer and was selected jointly by the vice-president in charge of operation, and the comptroller, to take over the accounts from the construction department and assist in the organization of that part of the line for the operating, mechanical and roadway departments.

“Here he came to the notice of John F. Wallace, then vice-president of the Illinois Central. Mr. Wallace took Mr. Ritchie into his own office, where he carried out specialized studies and investigations of operating and maintenance problems having to do chiefly with evolving a scientific system of accounts which would enable practical analysis to be made of all expenditures on the basis of definite units of service. This also led Mr. Ritchie into rather extensive studies and plans looking toward more scientific train handling and more methodical yard and station operation, at that time a departure in railroad management.

“In 1908 he joined Theodore P. Shonts as operating statistician of the various railroads of which Mr. Shonts was president, viz., Chicago & Alton; Iowa Central; Minneapolis & St. Louis; Toledo, St. Louis & Western. Subsequently, when Mr. Shonts relinquished his railroad interests in order to devote all of his time to traction matters in New York, Mr. Ritchie took the position of operating statistician to the subway, elevated and surface lines of which Mr. Shonts was president. The briefly is the record of the broad background of railroad and railway experience with which Mr. Ritchie assumed the presidency of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company.

“Mr. Green An Australian

“If Mr. Ritchie is the Damon of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, then George A. Green is his Pythias. If you recall your classics you will remember that Damon staked his life on Pythias to make good, as they say in more modern English, and that Pythias did make good. This is what Mr. Ritchie counts on Mr. Green, his chief engineer and general manager, to do, and in this case George does it. Although the United States has sent some mighty fine transportation men to England, notably Albert H. Stanley and Henry Worth Thornton, the one now a lord and the other a knight, it remained for Mr. Green to prove that the rule works both ways. The chief engineer and general manager of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company was born in far off Australia in 1881. In his youth he studied engineering at some of the best technical schools in Australia and apprenticed himself to a leading engineering firm on that island. Then after trying marine engineering for a few years and shipbuilding in England, he became interested in the manufacture of gasoline-propelled vehicles of various kinds which were being developed by Thornycroft & Company of England.

“This naturally led him into the field of bus transportation which developed earlier in England than here and he went through the early struggles of the bus companies in London. He was sent as Thornycroft's representative to the Vanguard Motor Bus Company and was soon transferred to the staff of that company and was placed in charge of experimental development work, later becoming manager. Two years later the London General Omnibus Company, a longer-established and better equipped concern, secured his services and with this company he advanced through various offices of the company until he became works manager and chief assistant engineer.

“1,500,000 Bus Miles A Month

“This company at that time was operating 1,500,000 bus-miles per week. In 1910 he took a hand in the development of bus transportation in Belgium, but conditions in that country were unsatisfactory and he became interested in the future of the bus in the United States.

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Company of New York recognizing the unusual value of this young man's experience in England and on the Continent, made him chief engineer and superintendent. When the outbreak of the European War stopped the importation of the French motor buses used by this company, Mr. Green set about developing a standard ail-American double-deck bus. His success in this direction is attested by the hundreds of fine vehicles now operating on Fifth Avenue, New York.

“During the years 1917 and 1918, Mr. Green saw active service in France with the British colors, returning with the rank of Colonel in the British Tank Corps.

“Outside of bus transportation, Mr. Green's chief hobby is yachting. Almost any fine Saturday afternoon in summer, you may see a streak of white tearing up Long Island Sound, and waterfront habitues will tell you that it is the good ship June, with George A. Green, owner, at the wheel.”

February 14, 1922 New York Times:

“BUS LINE STARTS SPOONERS' PARADISE; New Type of Coach With Glass Inclosed Top Operated in Fifth Avenue.; TO SHIELD WARM HEARTS.; Young Women Crack Bottles of ‘Real Old Stuff’ on Wheels of New Vehicle.

“Inspired by Cupid, and not cupidity, so the press agent said, the Fifth Avenue Coach Company yesterday put into operation the first of a new type of bus - the "Spooners' Paradise," they called it. The press agent leaned against Washington Arch at noon and remarked:

‘“The company has never looked with kindly eyes upon the young hearts that dins such tender thrills on the bus tops on Summer nights. And it has ever been a source of regret that cruel Winter winds have forced these happy couples to endure the odors of cooking cabbage and the old man’s pipe. Hence the chief aim in life of the new bus – the ‘Spooners Paradise’ is the official title – is to keep chill winds off warm hearts.’

“Then four young ladies, who are in the chorus of a show, stepped up to the bunting-draped bus. Each held a bottle of champagne and, believe it or not, cracked a bottle against each wheel. The liquid poured down the spokes to the pavement, and in tiny pools were little bubbles and fizz. ‘Glory, glory,’ sighed the press agent, ‘it is the real old stuff.’

“The new bus looks below the top like the old ones. The top, however, is entirely glass enclosed and there’s a roof. In the Summer – and there are electric lights in the ceiling of the roof – the glass windows can be dropped down. In the Winter the windows are up and the winds are out.

“And, although no such commercial idea could enter the poetic mind of the press agent, the new bus has the added merit of being able to carry passengers on the top in rain as well as sunshine.”

March 1922 Bus Transportation:

“How It's Done on Fifth Avenue

“Real Organization the Foundation of the Success of New York City's Bus Company—Schedules, Courtesy, Engineering, Proper Personnel Training and, Above All, Attention to Detail Have Their Place in the Company's Operations.

“HERE they come up Fifth Avenue past Fifty-ninth Street. During the rush hours motor bus after motor bus, loaded with fifty-one seated passengers, travels at a twelve-mile rate of speed, a traffic stream of twelve hundred and twenty-five vehicles per hour, each driver alert and ready with perfectly coordinated eyes, feet and hands ready to apply the emergency brake, dart ahead of another motor car or shift gears and steering his course with unequaled skill in and out of the traffic stream, dodging bad spots in the pavement, ‘flivvers,’ touring cars, taxicabs, and other traffic whirlpools or eddies that may obstruct his progress. ‘I take off my hat to those drivers. They were born, not trained. Every time I come to New York I watch them navigate with envy and admiration," was the remark of an experienced railway manager.

“And those conductors, dressed in their war-famed khaki and perched gracefully on the swaying rear platforms, they also are a trim, alert and courteous group of men who are always on the job — no fans escape them and no signal is too obscure for their interpretation. They can say "low bridge, keep your seats" in many courteous and sometimes unintelligible ways; they can gracefully indicate the vacant seat upstairs or downstairs to the prospective bus rider; they are uniformly obliging whether helping the baby to embark or disembark, holding and opening the umbrella for passengers in bad weather, loaning a dime to the fair passenger who has mislaid her pocketpook or silently enduring the abusive tirade of the always-with-us traffic ‘grouch.’

“These platform men have a reputation and the public would find, if the opportunity would present itself, that all employees are specially selected men with an esprit de corps that is one of the most valuable assets of the organization. Someone in the Fifth Avenue Coach Company has a remarkable ability as a manager of men and someone else has a gift for training drivers that commands the admiration of all automobilists.

“THE FIFTH AVENUE COACH COMPANY is a large concern. It now operates daily about 300 motor buses which cover an annual mileage of more than 9,000,000, which use 1,500,000 gal. of gasoline, and which transport more than 52,000,000 passengers. But size alone does not make a successful company, and an attempt has been made to find out the other elements that lie back of the success of this long-established and prominent motor bus company.

“Success Based On Experience

“Primarily the success of the company is due to the intelligent management and a coordinated organization. The management weighs the three main factors in the company's business, the technical and engineering features of the equipment, the traffic and transportation features of operation and the psychology and human engineering elements in connection with both the employees and the public. The management maintains an alert and competent organization to carry its ideas into practice and to follow the constantly changing tides of city transportation.

“The company has years of transportation experience back of it. There are the fifteen years of experience with motor-bus transportation alone in this country, preceded by many years of experience in the bus business abroad; years of development, invention, changes and tests with equipment and organization details; years of education in transportation and traffic; years of financial failure and success; the experience which all these years have given has evolved the existing system, has afforded data which shape and mold the present policy, organization and operation.

“In the second place success is due to unique local traffic conditions. The buses operate on the show boulevard of the world: wonderful Fifth Avenue, the residential and business artery of New York; beautiful Riverside Drive with its view of the teeming Hudson and the green Jersey hills and Palisades in the background. The buses connect the palatial residential and elite apartment house district of New York with the smart shopping district and afford a deluxe yet plebeian service to the social lion or lioness, the business man, the banker, the wealthy or admiring tourist and the youthful and at times flush curb broker.

“Advantages of Bus Riding

“The casual visitor, including the thrifty Yankee and the ‘thriftier’ Jew, can see the wonderful avenue and the beautiful drive for only one dime; the tired business man can smoke his cigar, conserve his corns, read his paper and breathe pure air as he rides to and from work on top of the bus, while in the evening the loving couples and lounge lizards can mount the bus and dream, sleep or flirt in the moonlight or arclight as the bus wends its swift, bouncing, swaying way along the cool boulevard above the twinkling Hudson. Of course this applies in the good old summer time when it's always fair weather—there are times, sad but true, when only snow or rain make merry on the vacant upper seats.

Able management, years of experience and favorable local transportation conditions are foundations of the success of the company, with organization as the cornerstone of the structure. The company has considered its operating and traffic conditions, studied its problems, striven for picked men and welded them together in a co-operative and competent effort to carry on. Years of labor have perfected a personnel with every man alert to increase the prestige of the company by adding to the speed, economy, comfort, civility and excellence of the service rendered.

“Department Organization Followed

“A department organization composed of departments of finance, auditing, purchasing, claims, publicity, welfare, law, engineering, mechanical and transportation is the basic method of operation.

“These departments are administered, coordinated and controlled by the officers of the company. John A. Ritchie, president; S. E. Morrow, vice-president; G. A. Green, general manager; H. C. Moser, superintendent of transportation; Edward Wotton, superintendent of equipment, and R. E. Fielder, in charge of the engineering department, are able and active executives who direct the departmental operations. The company is controlled by the New York Transportation Company.

“What the General Manager Has To Do

“The three most interesting and unconventional departments are those pertaining to the engineering, mechanical and transportation work; they all function under the direct supervision of the able general manager.

“The engineering department is concerned with construction, design and research work in connection with the development of equipment and its operation. The mechanical department maintains, repairs and constructs the transportation and manufacturing equipment and is responsible for the basic operating efficiency of the motor buses. The transportation department deals with traffic studies, operating personnel, schedule, time-tables, and other items connected with transportation as such.

“This type of organization was developed because of the transportation experiences of the company and is very satisfactory for existing conditions. The vital factor in such an organization is the allocation of duties to the different departments and the co-ordination of the departments to secure results as a whole. That this company secures such coordination is due to the managerial ability of its leaders.

“Where New Ideas And Methods Are Developed

“The research department is a separate and distinct division of the engineering department engaged in the reduction of costs of operation and in the improvement and development of equipment and methods. It is a vital factor in operating efficiency as it submits ideas as to methods of operation, investigates new inventions and developments in equipment, conducts experiments on the operating equipment, tests and develops fuels, oils and methods for using them. The general manager needs only to intimate a line of investigation, and very quickly the research department submits a complete report showing all conditions and test data with recommendations for action. It has eliminated 94 per cent of the gasoline evaporation by the introduction of an improved tank valve and has also greatly reduced the gasoline consumption by determining the proper idling speed for the motors on the buses. In the design and testing of new materials or apparatus, such as tires, wheels, carburetors, clutches, engines, brakes, etc., it is an invaluable asset.

“A welfare organization is a useful agency for maintaining esprit de corps. A well-equipped barber shop at each headquarters offers a shave for 15 cents, a hair cut for 20 cents, and the inevitable hair tonic for 5 cents—only employees are eligible, so don't crowd. A restaurant affords good and wholesome food at each headquarters, the company furnishing space, equipment, light and heat, and supervises the quality of food and the service afforded by the restaurant contractor. Well-equipped lounging rooms with magazines, billiard and pool tables are located in each garage for the benefit of the men during their lunch hours and those waiting for special duty or on layovers between runs. A tailor shop is an added feature which keeps the platform men well "pressed," and emergency beds are available for those who cannot get home on account of unavoidable incidents connected with operation.

“All these welfare projects, together with a company paper, ‘Bus Lines’, a hospital department, an employees' disability association, sunshine committee, pension fund, athletic teams, gymnasium, handball courts, etc., receive the hearty support of the management and employees and bind the two by closer ties.

“The Evolution of The Fifth Avenue Bus

“The motor bus now used is a company product and represents the result of years of development in design and operation not only in New York but a study of motor bus operation the world over. As such it is not an outgrowth of the street car or automobile but represents an independent development of a transportation vehicle with distinctive and individual materials, design problems and auxiliary operating devices.

“The standard motor bus of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company is not the universal motor bus but the one that suits the operating conditions on the routes in New York. It is a double-deck, open-top, fifty-one-seat vehicle that weighs about 17,000 lb. loaded and 10,000 lb. unloaded. The front and rear wheels are the same size and are of the hollow steel spoke and rim type and were developed by the company. The vehicle uses solid tires, a single 36 x 4 in. on the front and a double 36 x 5 in. on the rear wheels.

“The bus is equipped with a special sleeve valve, Knight, four cylinder (4 in. bore x 6 in. stroke) motor with a nominal rating of 25 hp. and capable of developing 40 hp. The radiator is the boiler tube type with ample capacity. A magneto ignition system is used, a special non-adjustable carburetor with (hot) stove attachment and a storage battery supply for lights. A unique 300-watt generator system for supply of all lights and signal bells has just been developed, and is quickly replacing the storage battery system. A conventional selective gear transmission is installed and the bus has four speeds forward and one reverse, with a worm-driven rear axle ratio 6.8 to 1. The most modern equipment in the automotive industry is a constant-drive chain transmission which has just been completed after eight years of development work by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. This will be standard equipment on all buses.

“It is the final step for making the Fifth Avenue bus the quietest operating vehicle anywhere. There is silence from radiators to rear wheels with a silent sleeve engine, single plate clutch, chain transmission and worm-driven rear axle.

“The chassis frame is made of the best alloy steels with forging and bracing to obtain rigidity and special construction to obtain light weight. The springs, which are patented by the company, are a special assembly whereby more leaves become engaged as the bus load increases. Roller bearings, one piece forged axle housings and heat treated steel castings are used.

“The bus body is made from specially selected steel and seasoned ash. At certain points very thin sheet steel reinforcing flitch plates are employed. The total amount of steel used is extremely small. With the latest construction a special form of three-ply wood is replacing the aluminum or steel sheathing. The body follows a curved line design and has a cambered roof.

“A push-button signal system is a feature of the bus which adds to the convenience of the passengers. The emergency brake lever pushes forward when it is desired to apply the brakes, which is the reverse of ordinary motor car practice and purposely designed so that it may be more readily accessible.

“The standard vehicle is the result of a trial of over nineteen different types of chassis and twelve different types of bodies; of tests and trials of motors, axles, transmissions, tires, wheels, clutches, etc. It is the result of the combined effort of inventions, traffic trials, transportation demands and engineering skill. It is a vehicle suited to the specific needs and is manufactured by the company because experience has proved this to be the most economical process. G. A. Green, general manager of the company, states in his paper ‘Motor Bus Transportation,’ delivered in 1920 before the Society of Automotive Engineers, ‘In my opinion, the average truck chassis is unsuitable for passenger transportation because the weight is excessive, particularly the unsprung weight, the center of gravity is too high, the frames, springs and axle tracks are too narrow, the turning radius too wide, the steering too stiff, etc.’

“Light Weight the Goal in Design

“The design of the motor bus attempts to reconcile contradictory conditions – light weight and large carrying capacity demands are fixed by local traffic conditions, but the element of platform labor cost fixes the minimum profitable capacity. Light weight is necessary to conserve fuel and to obtain quick acceleration in order to maintain schedules, and is obtained by employing only high grade materials, expert workmanship and design principles. The use of aluminum and steel alloys, better forgings, hollow steel construction and hollow steel shafts, etc., offers prospects for a reduction in weight per passenger seat. The illustrations show some of the bus developments leading up to the present standard low level type.

“The motor bus is the essential element in the system. Each is a unit of transportation containing its own power plant and thus affords opportunity for the best engineering skill and invention in getting efficiency and economy from fuel to street under operating conditions. The engineering department constantly designs new parts, makes improvements and looks several years ahead in equipment developments. Although most of the buses in operation on Fifth Avenue were built about five years ago, yet the state of the art is so new that there is already evolved a better type, the difference primarily being in a lower center of gravity. While mechanical and transportation departments check and try out all the suggested improvements or apparatus under service conditions, at the same time the research department suggests new methods, investigates new developments, tests parts and apparatus, tests and invites specifications on fuels, apparatus and materials and is on the alert to reduce the cost of construction and of operation.

“Pneumatic tires have not replaced the solid tires on the buses because the company believes that they are more expensive, have higher maintenance, require more space in that they limit seating capacity on low hung vehicles, and raise the center of gravity. These considerations have prevented their use up to the present time under the local conditions. The solid tires average 18,000 miles in normal service on asphalt streets.

“The object of the company has been to turn out a standardized motor bus with interchangeable parts, of light weight, of low maintenance and of long life. Experience has shown that the ideal motor bus should be low hung, preferably with a one-step platform, and should have the number of gear shifts conform to local conditions, and gasoline economy requires a gear ratio suited to street and traffic conditions. Successful operation calls for a good brake and rigging, possible of adjustment without getting under the chassis, and a motor that is powerful enough to carry the load and to accelerate the bus rapidly. This motor must be built with but a few parts and must operate so as to give high gasoline and oil economy.

“The present standard Fifth Avenue motor bus is the result of these attempts and is designed to stand up under local service operations. It starts and stops about 1,000 times a day, averages about ten stops per mile, varies in speed from 2 to 20 m.p.h., with an average of about 8.0 m.p.h., uses on the average about 7 miles per gallon of gasoline, and works in heavy traffic where every move of the driver must be studied so that unnecessary control levers and attachments have been eliminated. It is designed to keep going under any and all conditions at a minimum expense commensurate with the service requirements considering both operating and maintenance costs. The bus thus developed occupies only 3.5 sq. ft. of roadway per passenger-seat, weighs about 190 lb. per passenger when loaded, can turn in a 48-ft. circle and yet every effort is constantly made to improve the design and operation.

“Within the past three years the Fifth Avenue Coach Company has also developed a modern low-level single-deck, one-man operated motor bus. It is in reality an enlarged limousine seating twenty-nine people on transverse seats.

“The buses are maintained at high service efficiencies. They are washed and inspected daily and are dismantled, thoroughly overhauled and painted once a year. The average percentage of buses in the shop for repairs has been reduced from 40 in 1909 to four in 1921. Traffic delays due to mechanical defects in the bus (of a period of five minutes or more) have been reduced from one per 500 bus-miles to one per 19,00 bus-miles.

“The centralized unit repair department is an essential feature of the company organization. This department makes major repairs after accidents, takes care of the yearly dismantling, repair and assembly of each motor bus, and supplies repair units to the operating departments. This centralization of repairs permits economies in the cost of repair work due to the use of standardized tools and methods and the use of unskilled labor.

“Unique Operating Organization

“A divisional organization is used for the bus operation. There are three divisions, each division having from sixty-five to 110 buses allotted to it. Each division is then responsible for the maintenance and operation of its allotted equipment.

“Each bus owned by the company receives a daily inspection and a more thorough and detailed ‘general overhaul’ after each 2,000 miles of service. Approximately 6 per cent of the company equipment is required for this ‘general overhaul.’ This overhaul must be finished each day by 4:30 p.m., which means that on week days the company operates about 92 per cent of its motor buses until 4:30 p.m. and after that time and on Saturdays and Sundays it operates about 98 per cent of its equipment; that is, when traffic demands this amount of service.

“The general overhauling of buses takes place at 132d Street garage. A general overhaul sheet or record is kept for each bus on which is recorded the daily accumulative mileage for each bus, and on the day previous to the overhaul the bus gets a thorough road inspection, after which the mechanism is thoroughly cleaned and the bus placed over an inspection pit.

“Special experts deal with the various units during the overhaul and the accompanying ‘General Overhaul Sheet’ gives a summary of the duties of each section of experts. The sheet is brought up to date daily by means of data obtained from the conductor's day card, the driver's report card, the division gas card and the last ‘general overhaul.’ This sheet shows the cumulative operating history and is the thumb print of the bus during its service life. Each sheet shows the performance between the general inspections or ‘general overhauls,’ which are made after 2,000 miles of operation, as noted above.

“This specialized method of inspection and repair works wonders. Major and minor repairs are made in the time allotted simply because all data are available. There is no time lost in diagnosis. Trained and specialized experts are used and standardized apparatus and methods are available. This operating department in the garage can turn out ninety-five "general overhauls" a week without being crowded, which is a wonderful development when it is considered that the mechanics are trained by the company to a large extent. They start in as general laborers, develop into helpers, then into general mechanics, and finally become specialists under the splendid system of supervision and training.

“Fuel Economy Essential

“The question of fuel economy is very important and every precaution is used to secure and maintain it at a maximum. It is a function of the driver, the service and the equipment and their co-ordination. The driving personnel of this company is not only properly trained, but also is interested and stimulated to maintain economy in the use of fuel. Contests and a personal sense of pride in results have secured remarkable co-operation from the employees of the company. A common remark among the drivers in the club rooms is: ‘What is your gas average this week?’

“High gasoline economy is primarily obtained by testing and adjusting each engine by means of a dynamometer test before the engine is actually installed in the bus so that it operates at the proper idling and running speed with the correct throttle and carburetor adjustments. A fuel expert and a special driver devote their attention to vehicles in service that are giving low averages and a daily record is kept of the gasoline consumption and mileage of each vehicle. Only the fuel experts are allowed to make carburetor adjustments and all jets are numbered so that records may be kept of changes in sizes or types.

“The Factory and ‘to Be Continued Garage’

“The company has a factory and headquarters building at 10 East 102d Street, which was completed in 1913, and also a garage and administration building at 132d Street, west of Broadway, which was first used in 1919.

“The building on 102d Street is now used to house extra buses and also a complete establishment for building and repairing buses, including an engineering drafting room, test room, machine shop, carpenter shop, paint shop and repair shop. The building is of concrete brick, steel and glass with three stories and a basement on a plot of ground 250 x 100 ft. and has a total floor space of 80,000 sq. ft. The ground floor has a total storage space for sixty-five buses. The second floor is used as a carpenter shop and paint shop. The third floor is for construction work and consists of a tool room, stock room, machine shop, body building room, repair room, blacksmith shop and engine test shop.

“On the ground floor there are two rows of pillars 33 ft. apart one way and 31 ft. apart the other way, and also seven inspection pits which are well ventilated, lined with white tile, drained and fitted with lights, electricity and compressed air. The steel folding doors are operated by electric motors. A large bus elevator 28 x 10 ft. connects from the ground to the third floor and is capable of carrying a 15,000 lb. load at the rate of 75 ft. per minute.

“The building is well lighted, heated by steam, and completely equipped with a sprinkler system for fire protection. The twelve steel gasoline tanks, each of 500 gal. capacity, are arranged in batteries of two each and embedded in concrete on the ground floor and basement. The gasoline is forced by water displacement to four distributing points which are equipped with automatic shut-off meters which register the individual and total gasoline extracted from the tanks.

“The sixty men employed can turn out four completed bus bodies a week in the carpenter shop and the total force can turn out about twenty completely assembled buses per month.

“The building was formerly used for both garage and factory, but the increase in equipment and other manufacturing and transportation features caused the company to erect the new garage at 132d Street, which takes care of all rolling stock and its routine service requirements.

“Flush Street Entrance on Three Floors

“The 132d Street garage is unique in that a 2 per cent north and south grade and a 6 per cent east and west grade permitted a design with flush street entrances on each three floors, which obviates the use of elevators or ramps. Each entrance is 33 ft. wide, which is sufficient space to permit three buses to enter or leave abreast so that over 200 buses leave the garage between the hours of 6 and 8 a.m. each day with little difficulty or time delay as compared to conditions that would exist in a single entrance elevator type garage.

“On the southeast corner of the plot a separate building or annex is located which houses the administration offices, the transportation department, the restaurant and the welfare rooms. The final plans for the garage call for the erection of a five-story building on the 200 x 400 ft. plot, but at present only two floors and a basement are completed, the third floor serving as a roof, with the main columns extending through it, ready for the construction of additional floors as needed.

“The garage is designed on the open panel arrangement, each panel having an area of 1,100 sq. ft. with one 18-in. enamel lighting fixture containing a 350-watt lamp in the center. The columns on the main floors are fitted with flush receptacles for attachment plugs and faucets for hot and cold water. A complete sprinkler system for fire protection is installed which can be supplied with water from a 100,000 gal. reservoir or from four taps to the city mains. Overhead washing devices are conveniently located in the panels, for washing the buses, and each panel is well drained and has both oil separators and oil salvage apparatus in the drainage outlet pipe. The basement has a capacity for 110 buses and the first floor for 200 buses.

“Work benches are located on each floor near the windows with tools on wall racks and in the stock room. Steel bins are used to hold all spare parts and hand tools. There are inspection pits just back of the work benches. Eleven pits are in the basement and seventeen on the main floor. These pits are well lighted and ventilated as they are open all along the bottom and are fitted on the top with a removable metal grating. A motor driven fan in each pit gives forced air circulation which adds to the comfort of the mechanics and carries away gas fumes. Each pit has inset lights, attachment plug receptacles and floor drains. The pits are used in connection with minor repairs and for ‘general overhaul,’ which is done at each garage. A forge shop is located in the basement for use in straightening axles or for doing other metal work.

“The gasoline is supplied from two columns at each entrance to the garage by means of six motor driven pumps and each outlet has a filling capacity of 25 gal. per minute. The gasoline reservoir consists of two batteries of six 8,000-gal. steel tanks, embedded in concrete below the basement. The tanks can be filled through street openings. Lubricating oil is kept in a single 2,000-gal. tank and in three 550-gal. tanks equipped with hand pumps.

“There are two battery charging rooms in the garage, one on each floor, which can charge 150 batteries at one time. An elevating truck sufficient to carry seven batteries eliminates lifting and permits a quick daily change in the batteries on the buses. The building is heated by two 150-hp. boilers connected to a 155-ft. stack and has a storage space of 1,600 tons of coal.

“This garage is purely for service operation and not for major repairs or manufacturing, and the adjacent office and administration building is also used in direct connection with the transportation operations of the company aside from the welfare and restaurant rooms.

“Snow Fighting Organization

“Yes, indeed, the company maintains a snow fighting organization which is very efficient. The company does this more out of civic pride than anything else. Its franchise does not compel it to clean its streets and the company would be in pocket if it left Its buses in the garage when it snows, awaiting the removal by the Street Cleaning Department. The snow fighting organization is arranged like a fire department with the chief in his office directing his companies, each of which has a captain in direct charge. The telephone secures cooperative effort and the lunch rooms afford opportunity for the toilers to obtain food. The snow plows are mobilized in fleets of varying sizes dependent on the size of the storm. The units are manned according to the storm's severity. Some plows are of the four wheel drive type, with two plow blades, one in front and one in the center of the plow; another class has only rear axle drive with center plow only.

“In operating each succeeding plow picks up the snow moved by the leader and pushes it toward the curb. The plow blade may be operated at right angles to the center line of the plow or at any one of five positions up to a maximum of 45 deg.

“From Nov. 1 to March 30 five sand cars are kept ready and filled with sand, gasoline, oil and water. These cars are used when necessary to sand the roads and each car has a definite route to cover.

“This apparatus and organization accomplishes good results in snow fighting and the company takes great pride in its snow fighting record. While service has been discontinued at times when street cars operated, at other times the buses operated while the street cars were unable to function. Inherently there seems to be no reason why adequate snow fighting equipment and methods can not be developed for nearly all conditions of bus operation as readily as street railway methods have been developed.

“Trained Platform Men

“The superintendent of transportation, H. C. Moser, has charge of all platform men. He supervises their training, administers discipline, promotes and discharges; he also has charge of the inspectors, the traffic statistics, the division foremen, the time tables and schedules. Under him the chief of the appointment bureau is responsible for the new men employed, by far the greater number of whom are recommended by the employees. The company favors mature men and particularly those with army or navy training and each applicant is subject to a searching moral, mental and physical examination before he is accepted and only about 20 per cent of the applicants have been able to qualify as conductors. After being accepted, the applicant for the job of conductor is placed under the chief conductor instructor and trained in the school room and on the road until competent.

“The drivers are nearly all ex-conductors, as it has been the experience of the company that previous experience in automobile driving is a handicap rather than an advantage, so distinctly special are the conditions under which a motorbus driver operates. The drivers are instructed in the school room and on the road until held competent by the chief driver instructor. Promotion from conductors to drivers, which involves a pay increase of 12 per cent, follows the seniority rule and also depends on the previous record of the employee.

“The company, through its very thorough investigation of applicants, precise record cards during employment, and splendid education system, has had great success in obtaining and maintaining a good operating personnel.

“The buses operate on nine separate routes over the streets shown on the map. A different number of buses are used on each route and the routes unite at certain places giving increased service. Between Thirty-second and Fifty-seventh Streets on Fifth Avenue all the buses operate, and this district is the place of greatest traffic congestion. Each route has a definite time table, and every effort is made to maintain the schedules. In order to maintain speed under different traffic conditions, eight running time tables have been devised based on the different average operating conditions. At different periods of the year these time tables are changed, and also any change in riding habits or schedules, such as the effect of daylight saving, or the opening of a new elevated or subway route, makes a schedule revision necessary. Frequent traffic counts are made at various points on the system in order to check the schedule against traffic conditions. During the year there are at least ten complete time table changes and many slight changes are also made.

“For the different periods of the day average operating conditions are represented in the following table by Mr. Green:

Period	Buses per Hour	Headway Sec.
Morning rush	183	19
Mid-day	106	34
Evening rush	173	21
Sunday	154	23

“These data are given for Fifth Avenue below Fifty-seventh Street, where eight of the nine routes unite. The following traffic data for fair weather conditions show the traffic conditions as determined by observations made recently at Forty-second Street and Fifth Avenue.

Date and Time	No. of buses		No. of Passengers
Dec. 14, 1921	Up	Down	Up	Down
2 p.m. to 3 p.m.	119	118	2,352	2,529
3 p.m. to 4 p.m.	106	126	2,418	2,720
4 p.m. to 5 p.m.	128	110	3,464	1,214

“The above table shows the uptown traffic increased in the evening rush hours. The number of buses uptown are increased as the peak load comes on by using turnbacks and a large number of special vehicles from the garages that have been released from general overhaul at 4:30 p.m. Between 5 and 6 p.m. 173 buses are used in uptown traffic during evening rush hour and only eighty-seven buses for downtown service.

“The following shows conditions for a period during a fair summer day on Riverside Drive at Eighty-first Street, where only two routes operate:

Date and Time	No. of buses		No. of Passengers
Aug 9, 1920	Up	Down	Up	Down
4 p.m. to 5 p.m.	52	54	1,798	928
5 p.m. to 6 p.m.	51	53	2,255	814

“Thirty-three foremen, inspectors, chief instructors and starters are employed to supervise operation. Also fifty men in plain clothes are scattered over the routes inspection conditions, making traffic counts and checking uniform operators. Starters are employed at all terminals of the routes to check fares and time and to enter other data on the day card. The inspectors make hourly reports of the schedule, report badly paved streets or traffic conditions, check the equipment, record the conductors; register readings and maintain discipline. Serious breaches of discipline are reported to the foreman, who reports the offender to the superintendent of transportation only after four offenses. In case of necessity a man can appeal to the general manager or even to the president.

“The crews are allowed ten minutes each morning to inspect the buses. The depot dispatcher is responsible for buses leaving the garages on schedule, but after the bus reaches its route terminal, it is under the jurisdiction of the starters and inspectors, who have with them the time tables for the bus operations. Layovers are reduced to a minimum, and a very flexible turnback system is in operation for handling traffic delays, parades and peak load traffic.

“The company gets all the money. Their records show that only one man has attempted to cheat, and he did it by obtaining, with great difficulty, a duplicate register. He is now serving a term in prison. The fares are collected by means of a Rooke register which is held in the hand of the conductor. The passenger inserts a dime, which is registered and then passes into the hand of the conductor. The conductor makes the proper change for the passengers but is not allowed to insert the coin in the register. Free transfers are given, if desired, when the fare is paid.

“Peak-Load Conditions

“The motor bus is a very uncomfortable vehicle when filled with standees, so that peak load handling becomes a question of increasing the number of buses and the number of routes. The flexibility of the bus helps greatly, so that buses may be rushed by side streets and short cuts to the congested district, may turn back at any point on a route and return to the congested district by short cuts. These methods are used by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company in order to handle peak loads, because the neck of the bottle route is now filled to capacity during rush hours, i.e., 300 buses are all that can be used between 32d Street and 57th Street on Fifth Avenue during rush hours. Keeping the number of buses at 300 per hour is the only method available for handling the rush hour traffic This is done by using turnbacks and an added number of buses.

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Company says that there is no reason as a general proposition why the motor bus cannot be used in handling rush hour traffic about as well as the street car, although no attempt has been made to do so. The use of bus trailers, a number of routes on parallel streets, flexible schedules, turnbacks and express routes, all would help, although at best in a city like New York both the motor bus and the street car can only be supplementary to the rapid transit facilities in handling peak loads.

“Conclusion

“To paraphrase the company paper, Bus Lines, ‘Kipling wrote the 'Seven Seas,' but the Fifth Avenue Coach Company also claims them: competency, courtesy, convenience, cheerfulness, comfort, co-operation and carefulness.’ Whatever may be the future place of the motor bus in transportation, it is through its development by such competent organizations as this company that that place will be attained.”

March 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Four-Wheel Drive Vehicle Clears New York Streets

“THE storm experienced in New York City on Jan. 28-29 thoroughly demonstrated the value of the four tractors built by the Walter Motor Truck Company of New York for the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. The Walter tractors were operated in pairs, each being fitted with two plows. The first plan was to follow the Walter tractor with a single plow pushed by an obsolete bus chassis, but this was abandoned when it was found that the bus chassis could not keep up with the tractors.

“Each tractor is equipped with two Champion plows; the front blade is 10 ft., and the center blade is 12 ft. wide. They can be set to push the snow to either side. The center blade is raised or lowered by the man standing above it, the while the front blade is controlled by a man standing on the right of driver of the tractor.

“In operation the front blade slices off and pushes away the top of the snow, and the center blade scrapes close to the pavement.

“In an ordinary snowfall the machine operates with both blades at 10 m.p.h. Chains have not been found necessary, as the notched tires provide sufficient traction.

“The drive system includes the Walter locking differential, a worm and gear construction, which is said to be responsible for the effectiveness of the tractor under the hardest pulling conditions. Power to the front and rear axles is taken from a center differential. The differential for each axle transmits the power through two shafts, connected by universal joints to gear pinions on the road wheels. The front axle differential is mounted in the transmission, while the rear differential, together with the bevel gear drive and brakes, is suspended in the rear end of the chassis.

“The drive to all four wheels has two advantages. It provides the pushing power required to advance the plows against the snow. It also overcomes any side thrust developed when the plows are set at an angle to the line of travel of the tractor.

“The tractor steers only on the front wheels, but because of the universal-joint construction it turns in a circle of 25 ft. radius, on the outside wheels. Power is provided at low speed, this coming from the 4½  x 6¼  in. engine, which develops a high torque at low speeds, and from the five-speed transmission. The transmission is unusual in that all five speeds are controlled by a single gearshift lever. It permits of an exceptionally wide range of speed, from 20 m.p.h. in high gear down to about 2 m.p.h. when the 80 to 1 total reduction is connected in low gear.

“This low gear ratio develops about 10,000 lb. drawbar pull, which is of course exceptionally useful in the severe service for which the tractor is used.

“The maker recommends the tractor for commercial uses where pulling power and traction are necessary, such as for hauling trailers, road construction, and uses on bad roads.”

March 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Changes Office Headquarters.—Offices of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company New York City, N.Y., are being moved to roomier quarters in the 132d Street building. The building at 102d Street will be used almost entirely for manufacturing purposes, only the purchasing agent and engineering department keeping offices there. In the new building will be, besides the administration offices, a restaurant and employees' club room.”

April 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Thirty More Buses for Baltimore

“The Baltimore (Md.) Transit Company, which has been operating a number of motor buses for a period of more than five years, has ordered thirty more. The Republic Truck Sales Corporation is furnishing twenty-six and the Fifth Avenue Coach Company four of its double-deck L-type.”

May 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Fuel Consumption of Toronto Double Deckers

“SOME interesting data on the performance of the double deckers now being operated by the Toronto Transportation Commission appeared in the April issue of 'Bus Lines',the monthly magazine the Fifth Avenue Coach Company publishes for its employees. For the months of January, February and March four of the new "L" type of Fifth Avenue bus averaged 7.43 miles per gallon of gasoline. For the same period the best that could be credited to the English-built buses was 4.74 miles per gallon. The Tilling Stevens gasoline-electric bus of English manufacture averaged only 4.09 miles per gallon for the three months. The Leyland made only 4.86 miles in March, as compared with 5.59 miles, the performance of the A.E.C. bus.

“The Fifth Avenue buses scored a high average of 9,000 miles of service to each involuntary stop. The nearest competitor among the three English buses averaged only 2,458 miles for each involuntary stop. Another British model averaged only 650 miles of service to each involuntary stop.

“The buses have been kept operating even through the heavy winter weather experienced in Toronto. In the first three months of the year there were twelve heavy falls of snow, the greatest of which was 7 in. deep. The routes were kept free of snow by a four-wheel drive plow, of the same type used by the Fifth Avenue Company in New York.”

June 1922 Bus Transportation:

“What Is Being Done with Buses in Baltimore

“For a period of some six months, the Republic Truck Company, Alma, Mich., has had what is known as the Republic Knight low-level bus operating practically in a break down test. As the result of the satisfactory performance of this machine over a period of five months, in very severe service, we have purchased twenty-six of these buses and expect to place them in regular service about July 1. In addition, four low level, double-deck buses of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company's manufacture, a number of which are operating on Fifth Avenue, New York, as well as in Toronto, Canada, and Detroit, Mich., have been purchased for test under Baltimore conditions to determine just what they will produce in our city. The White Company, Cleveland, has also developed a low level chassis, and we have purchased from it a single bus with the body built by the Brill Company, for further test.”

June 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Radio on the Bus

“Without erecting antennae or constructing a dragging ground wire, the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York, N. Y., experimented successfully in receiving messages on a swiftly moving motor bus. The metal roof served as an aerial. The ground wire of the radio set was attached to the rail of the bus stairway, effecting a counterpoise grounding. The set used was a Westinghouse Senior, with audion detector bulb and ear receivers. No interference was felt because of trees or speed of the bus. Radio sets and amplifiers have already been installed on one bus used regularly by the Fifth Avenue company.”

June 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Oust Numbered Badges

“Numbered badges for drivers and conductors of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York, N. Y., have been abolished. These men will wear, instead, an emblem bearing their names and the words, ‘Service, Civility, Loyalty.’

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Company announces this departure from the impersonal method of designating the employees by number, as an attempt to impress upon the public that transportation is a commodity and that both buyer and seller are human beings.

“The green, black and gold badge will act as an introduction to the salesman of the company—the conductor. It impresses upon the passenger that here is a personal representative of the company, ready to give good service for the fare paid, and to make this passenger a satisfied customer.

“President John A. Ritchie believes that by using names instead of numbers the interest of the uniformed employees in selling transportation will increase, and that their self-respect, their contentment, and so their happiness, will be more than doubled. He feels that the method of numbering is an outgrown relic of the age of industrial materialism.

The ‘personal introduction badge’ will be 2 1/8  in. deep. It will be worn on the left breast pocket.”

July 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Motor Bus Design and Operations*

“Construction of the Single-Deck and Double-Deck Vehicles Discussed—Factors Involved in Minimum Operating Cost—Maximum Accessibility Requires Separate Unit Form of Chassis Construction

“By G. A. Green, Vice-President and General Manager, Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York City

(*Abstract of paper presented before the semi-annual meeting of the Society of Automotive Engineers. White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., June 20-24, 1922.)

“THE questions that builders and intending operators are asking today are, What constitutes a bus? and In what respects does a bus differ from other classes of automotive equipment? There seems to be a general agreement that a properly designed bus has special requirements; that it differs materially from equipment such as trucks and automobiles.

“I have been requested to give the Fifth Avenue Coach Company's views on this subject. It is, of course, possible to deal with only the broader phases. Not attempt will be made to discuss detailed design, but merely to establish the principles on which it is through such design should be based.

“Our policy is predicated on a seat for every passenger. At the inception of our business this was our slogan. We have never departed from it we never expect to do so. We are convinced that this policy has been, perhaps more than anything else, a factor in the building up of our enterprise.

“It is, of course, possible to carry a certain percentage of standees in a vehicle, the spring suspension of which has been correctly designed to carry properly a seated load. In our judgment, however, this figure should not exceed 30 per cent. But even this is unsatisfactory, for once standees are their limitation is most difficult.

“Before discussing the bus from a design standpoint, something may be gained by outlining the character of service that must be expected, for it is here that the average engineer underestimates the difficulties to be encountered. First, let us consider the cumulative result of a year's performance of the physical limitations that are primarily responsible for wear-and-tear. For the sake of argument it may be assumed that these data are applicable to any bus operated by any public utility. The figures are presented in the table.

DATA ON BUS OPERATION IN NEW YORK CITY:

Yearly mileage	30,000	to	60,000
Stops and starts	180,000	to	360,000
Change-speed applications	360,000	to	720,000
Clutch applications	360,000	to	720,000
Different drivers	1,460	to	2,920
Brake applications	200,000	to	400,000

“Assuming the same general plan of upkeep as employed by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, each bus would be thoroughly inspected after every 2,000 miles of operation and rebuilt and repainted yearly. A vehicle would be expected to require no incidental repairs between inspectional periods and no major repairs between either inspections or yearly overhauls. The inspectional periods would occur approximately every fourteen days. The maximum inspectional allowance is eight hours. The allowance for yearly overhaul is seven days. Roughly, it may be said that under these conditions, each bus is scheduled for service 342 days out of 365.

The statistics quoted as to mileage, stops and starts, and the like, speak for themselves. Those who have never had control of a public utility operating buses cannot possibly picture the sum total of the abuse the average bus must suffer. More than anything else, frequent changes in drivers result in increased service difficulties. It may be safely said that if one could with a bus have the same driver daily, at least 50 per cent of the service troubles would disappear. This, however, is quite impractical, since the loss in earnings would many times offset the decreased service cost. Even with an operation of moderate size, the bus must of necessity lose its identity. It becomes merely a transportation unit. There must be changes in drivers daily, many of whom will feel scarcely any pride of ownership. All they are concerned with is being on schedule time. This means that the bus will be subject to extraordinary abuse. The mechanisms of the bus must be capable of treatment of the most brutal nature; otherwise constant failures will occur.

“Before one can proceed very far from a design standpoint, there must be some fairly clear conception of the vehicle life that is to be expected. In this connection it is necessary to lay stress on the fact that motorbus design is still in its initial stages. Five to seven years is about the maximum life of the most modern type. It is not a matter of wear and tear, for a vehicle may he so well cared for that there is no limit to its life. Obsolescence is the real issue. The ideal conception is to carry out the design so that the various units which when assembled comprise the complete structure have as nearly as possible an equal life.

“Controlling Design Factors

“In its broadest sense we believe the controlling design factors from the standpoint of the motorbus, in the order of their importance, are:

1. Safety.
2. Comfort and convenience of the public.
3. Minimum operating cost.

“The design of a motorbus from a safety standpoint includes certain basic features which must be incorporated in the general construction plan, and which provide the driver with a reasonable degree of comfort and convenience. These are:

1. Low Center of Gravity
2. Wide frame, track and spring centers and general dimensions.
3. Effective brakes.
4. Short turning radius.

“Beyond doubt, the future bus will be low hung. The inherent danger in connection with any other form of construction is the possibility of overturning. Under conditions of proper operation, the hazard may be non-existent, but we have always before us the possibility of human failure. Actually the danger is much more real than apparent. The controlling element governing overturning is centrifugal force. Vehicles seldom if ever overturn as a result of high speed and sudden impacts or brake applications. Overturns are almost invariably due to a combination of speed and turning radius. The only reliable guarantee against this class of accident is a low center of gravity.

“Entirely apart from the matter of safety, a low-hung vehicle has a more graceful appearance. There is less time lost in boarding and alighting, there are fewer boarding and alighting accidents, and the schedule speed can be faster. Lastly, assuming proper design, a low center of gravity results in improved riding properties.

“We have found that a safe and practical height of the frame from the ground for a single-deck bus is 25 in. and for a double-deck bus 18 in. The center of gravity of our type L double-deck vehicles, with a full complement of passengers on both decks, is 52 in. from the ground. With our type J single-deck bus this dimension is 38 in. It is interesting to note that when rounding corners, even at a high rate of speed, skidding will occur due to centrifugal force and overturning is scarcely possible. Furthermore, rolling or sideways is practically eliminated. The sectional views of our J and L type buses reproduced indicate clearly how this condition has been reached. With type L it will be seen that the frame and rear-axle construction is somewhat unconventional. The rear axle is of the internal-gear type. The spiral bevel gear and differential assembly is in unit form and can be entirely assembled and adjusted on the bench. The carrying member is a heat-treated forged job.

“From the sectional drawing the general construction of the type L axle will be clear. It will be seen that the ends of the carrying member are cranked, the wheel spindles being above the drive-shaft center-line. It is in this manner that the low-level feature has been accomplished.

To determine the influence of low center of gravity, one of our type L buses was tested some time ago with the following results:

Condition of Loading	Max. Tilt, Degrees
Full-deck load	36
Full-deck and inside load	37
Unloaded	40
Full inside load	50

“We do not employ this special form of axle construction for the type J bus. This class of vehicle will have a much wider use; therefore, the matter of road clearances must be taken into account. In many cases single-deck vehicles will be operated over very bad roads. The double-deck vehicle is essentially a city job where the streets are, generally speaking, in fair condition. Again, with, the single-deck vehicle, the floor-level requirements are not so exacting. There is no top deck to take care of, and the entrance

can therefore be located at the front end of the bus; but with the double-deck vehicle, conventional practice is to have the passengers enter at the rear, so in passing to the interior they are obliged to cross the rear axle, which must be of special design to have the floor level within easy stepping distance of the ground. In the case of the single-deck bus it is not desirable to have a step 18 in. high. Therefore, the best plan appears to be to employ an orthodox rear-axle design. Even assuming the use of our type L rear axle, it would not be practical to produce a stepless vehicle. The appearance would be completely spoiled and, as explained above, the ground clearance would be cut to a point where the vehicle would be unsuitable for use in many localities. Of course, a stepless single-deck vehicle can be produced, but its practical value for general utility purposes is debatable.

“Wide Frame, Track And Spring Centers

“These features are necessary to provide for adequate vehicular stability and, in conjunction with a low center of gravity, make for maximum safety. The necessity of providing proper stability applies equally to single and double-deck vehicles. It may be said that the added risk due to the top-deck load with the latter is more than equaled by the faster speed of the single-deck unit.

“Apart from the matter of safety, a wide frame is necessary in connection with the body construction. Obviously it is desirable to support the body as far out as possible, for in all cases the seating arrangement is such that the passengers are grouped about the outer edges. Then, the wide frame admits of the lightest possible form of body under-frame. The wide frame also is a factor from the standpoint of the passenger's comfort.

“We believe that the over-all length of a motor bus for city service should not exceed 26 ft., the total width, 7 ft. 6 in., and the over-all height for single-deck vehicle, 9 ft. With the double-deck bus, the last-named dimension should be such that a person standing on the top deck can clear a 14-ft. structure. With these dimensions we have found it possible to accommodate comfortably fifty-one seated passengers with our double-deck, and from twenty-five to twenty-nine with our single-deck vehicle.

“Next, there is the question of important dimensions other than those over all, such as the wheelbase, which naturally affects the axle load distribution, the turning-radius and the general comfort and balance of the vehicle. For the class of vehicle now under discussion, we believe that this dimension should not be less than 168 nor more than 180 in.

“The front track should be ample in width and not less than 65 in., for to turn a bus within the intersection of the average city street, it is necessary to move the front wheels through an angle of not less than 35 deg. This determines the distance between the front-axle pivots and the springs. The spacing of the front springs should not be less than 36 in., since they are responsible to a large extent for the stabilization of the vehicle when turning a corner.

“Regarding the rear track, we believe that the outer edge of the tires should closely correspond to the extreme overall width of the body and that the rear springs should be as close to the tires as is practical. For buses as above described, the rear track should not be less than 72 in. This will bring the distance between the springs to approximately 52 in. Having decided the approximate distance between the vehicle springs, it naturally follows that the best design is to arrange the frame dimensions so that they connect with the springs in the closest and most practical manner.

“Effective Brakes

“With the bus, the number of brake applications is vastly in excess of that of the average truck or automobile, and the brakes of a bus must be sufficiently powerful to lock the wheels at any moment. Yet the effort required for average application must be such that a driver may not become exhausted as a result of the work imposed.

“Particular attention must be paid to the location of hand-brake lever. It should be positioned so that it can be grasped firmly without moving the body out of the normal seated state. We believe the best practice is to have the lever arranged for a push and not a pull-on. Time can thus be saved, and a fraction of a second is often the determining factor from an accident-prevention standpoint.

“The brakes of a bus must be free from undue noises such as squeals or rattles. This means, among other matters, the use of special brake-drum material. The conventional soft pressed steel is practically useless. The best plan is to employ treated steel forgings, or, failing in this, steel castings with a high carbon content.

“The friction surfaces must have long life, and the adjustment be such that no tolls or special skill are necessary. We attach considerable importance to the matter of foolproof adjustment. The J system as illustrated shows our method. There are two vice-like levers, the outside controls the hand, the inside the foot brake. One turn is usually sufficient. If by any chance the levers are not returned to the vertical, they will automatically reach this position by force of gravity.

“In bus operation it is desirable from every point of view to cover the route as quickly as safety will permit. In this manner the maximum number of passengers can be carried daily. With a fixed maximum speed, this means fast deceleration and acceleration. Expressed in another way, the problem is to move from a stop in one location to a stop in another in the least time. In our own service this must be done without exceeding a speed of 15 m.p.h., or accelerating or decelerating faster than 2 m.p.h. per second. A still more rapid rate of deceleration is, of course, available for emergency, but it will be uncomfortable and unsafe, especially for standees.

“Short Turning Radius

“One of the great advantages of a bus over any other form of transportation unit is its flexibility. A bus can be switched around at any point, and it is highly desirable that it should be able to make a complete turn in the average thoroughfare without backing, for the latter practice if followed in congested areas merely adds to both confusion and congestion. There is also a marked possibility of increased number of accidents.

A short turning radius is dependent on the interference of the tires with the drag link, front springs or frame, when the wheels are turned at the maximum angle. The controlling elements are wheel-spring tracks and wheelbase. As the radius of the steering angle equals the wheelbase divided by the sine of the front-wheel lock, it can be seen that a wheelbase of reasonable length is important to secure a short turning radius.

“Easy Steering

“The steering of a bus should be at least as easy as that of the average automobile. To operate a stiff steering gear is a hardship that certainly should not be inflicted upon the driver of a public service vehicle. A driver's energy and effort must be concentrated on his regular duties, and if he becomes fatigued through the expenditure of unnecessary effort, faulty operation is bound to result. This means possible accidents. Tests have convinced us that the actual physical labor imposed on the driver of a bus in connection with the manipulation of a steering wheel represents by far the greater proportion of the sum total of his work.

“Ease of steering is controlled by the total ratios between the hand and road wheels. Naturally frictional losses in the steering gear box and steering knuckles are of importance. Minimum losses in these respects are dependent upon the use of properly lubricated anti-friction bearings. Another very important matter is that the pivot pins should lie in the vertical plane, otherwise there will always be a tendency to lift the front end of the bus when turning the steering-wheel. An angle in either the longitudinal or transverse plane will cause lifting at the expense of effort on the part of the driver.

“It is highly desirable that there should be an absence of shocks at the steering wheel. This is largely controlled by the total ratio, but also by the distance between the point of contact of the wheel and the road and the intersection of the knuckle center line and the road. Every effort should be made to keep this distance small. With the J type the length of the lever arm is about 23 in., and an increase of only 1 in. would decrease the total ratio some 36 per cent. This is the only point in the steering linkage where a change increasing the total reduction does not result in increased steering-wheel travel for a given lock. A short drag link or the incorrect alignment of the drag link with the front springs will also result in shocks at the steering wheel when passing over rough roads.

“Minimum steering-wheel travel is important as it makes a change of an examination of the diagram of steering leverages as illustrated in the accompanying figure.

“Clear Vision for Driver

“This very important feature can be accomplished only as a result of joint chassis and body design. The driver should be located close to the left-hand side. This permits him to observe and also to signal his intentions to oncoming traffic. There should be absolutely nothing obstructing his view. He should face clear glass. It should also be mentioned that with single-deck vehicles the placing of the driver well over on the left hand side provides for the very necessary boarding and alighting space for passengers and adequate room for the operation of the door.

“Briefly, a driver's vision should be such that when seated, even back of a closed windshield, he will have nothing on which he can readily concentrate, no vertical posts or obstructions of any kind. He should just naturally sense that he is in the open.

“Comfort And Convenience For Driver

“This is largely a question of seat formation in conjunction with the correct positions for brake, change-speed levers, pedals, accelerator, etc. Obviously, it is not a practical matter to give the driver of a bus as much room as with a touring car; therefore, much care and thought must be paid to the placement of pedals and levers. The conventional cowl as used in automobile practice is almost out of the question, for anything that tends to increase the over-all length of the vehicle is distinctly undesirable, particularly if such increases add nothing to the passengers' seat or pay-load space.

“The driver should be comfortably seated at all times. He should be able to reach his change-speed or brake levers without body movement. He should have ample leg room and not be obliged to cramp his limbs when his feet are either on or off the pedals. The value of the flat floor, from the standpoints of both passengers and driver, is apparent; also the side control without which there is of necessity a considerable loss of valuable space.

“Riding Ability

“The wide frame, track and spring centers bear materially upon this question, for the nearer the wheels are to the outer edge of the body, the less will be the movement to which passengers must be subject when obstacles are passed over. Again, with the wider track, many of the ruts and depressions created by vehicles of narrower gage, will be passed by. Incidentally, this is quite an important matter from the standpoint of road wear. The wide track also diminishes the wheel-pocket projection inside of body. The modern tendency is to employ cross seats, and with the narrow-gage vehicle the wheel pockets are a source of much discomfort to those seated upon the inside immediately over them. A rigid frame, correct axle-load distribution and minimum overhang are all factors that make for better riding performance.

The controlling factor from the standpoint of riding ability is, of course, the design of the suspension itself. Obviously, the difficulty is to obtain good riding under all conditions of load. Spring design is always a compromise; a spring must be able to withstand maximum load, yet vehicles are expected to ride reasonably well when light. As a matter of fact, they seldom, if ever, do so. In general, more damage is done to vehicles when running light than heavy because the riding properties under the circumstances are at their worst and the speed too often is high. Under conditions of heavy load, springs function best, and at the same time there is less likelihood of excess speed.

“We believe that the answer will be found largely in the employment of what we term the progressive spring as illustrated. This is split into two parts. The top half takes the weight of vehicle, body and a certain proportion of load. The bottom part or helper, comes into action progressively. The top part must make a rolling contact with the bottom. One of the great advantages of this system is the fact that for no additional cost or weight, a marked improvement in performance is possible.

“For our single-deck equipment we have standardized the Mack type of rubber shock insulator which is illustrated in the figure. This is by special arrangement with the International Motor Company. We are experimenting with this device for our double-deck vehicle, but as yet are not prepared to state the results. This arrangement, in conjunction with our progressive system, markedly improves the riding conditions. It also avoids the necessity for lubrication and for replacement of shackles, shackle-pins and bushes; also, no spring-eyes are required. Experience up to the present shows that we may expect a very satisfactory life from rubber blocks.

“Silence of Operation

“It is a problem to produce a silent vehicle. It is doubly a problem to retain this state throughout the life of the vehicle. Silence necessitates freedom from engine vibration, quiet transmission gears, evenly stepped gears, a quiet rear end, and generally the elimination of all rattles and squeaks from both body and chassis. To attain this, every detail of design must receive the most minute care. Silent operation is necessary in crowded thoroughfares, and certainly the people demand this condition in the residential areas, particularly at night when the streets are comparatively empty and noises become automatically emphasized. As a rule, noises are tolerated simply because such things are nearly always with us, but in the quiet of the evening sounds that ordinarily pass unnoticed become startlingly evident.

“From the standpoint of silence, our greatest difficulty has been and still is the matter of transmission gears. We employ a four-speed gear and three-speed chain transmission, as shown here, depending upon the class of service and general operating conditions. The shift rods, their bearings and the lock mechanism are of substantial proportions.

“The ratios of the four-speed transmission are almost exactly in geometrical progression. The three-speed transmission is not so satisfactory in this respect but here a compromise is of course necessary. This remark applies to all three-speed jobs. Where grades are severe, four speeds are highly desirable, to cut down ability losses to the minimum. But where roads are practically flat, the advantages of a four-speed transmission are not nearly so marked.

“The silent-chain transmission is particularly useful for city service where there are frequent stops and starts, and where the percentage of direct-gear operation is relatively small. Substantially it is similar to a constant-mesh gear transmission but chains are used in place of gears. The shift is extremely short and very easy to effect. Such transmissions remain quiet throughout their useful life, and from our observation one can expect at least a year's service from the chains, which are cheaper to replace than gears. Chain transmissions are standard practice for London bus service.

“Reliability

“The word ‘reliability’ with a bus attains an entirely new meaning. The entire design must be predicated on ability to give uninterrupted service between clearly defined periods, preferably based on mileage. The ability of a bus to fulfill this requirement with particular reference to the duration of these periods will determine the utility of the design. The public will not long tolerate an unreliable service. Failures with an automobile cause confusion enough, but the number of persons involved as compared with a bus is relatively insignificant.

“Smoothness of Starting and Stopping

“Smoothness of starting is primarily a clutch function, but of course the driver is a factor. Correct gear ratios, a satisfactorily performing engine and proper axle-load distribution are contributing influences. Quick starts and stops are highly dangerous from the viewpoint of possible accidents. Some of the heaviest claims for injuries and damages result in this manner. Apart from injuries to passengers, quick starts and stops do more toward causing damage to the chassis and the bodies than anything else. All driving members are subject to abnormal stresses with the former. With the latter, the fore-and-aft or lateral movement, which of necessity results, causes a loosening up of post joints, paneling, etc., and consequently a very high rate of depreciation.

“Of the various features that make for efficient and economical operation, the clutch is perhaps one of the most important. We employ exclusively a clutch of the single-disk type. The spring pressure is evenly distributed over the entire surface of the friction members by twenty small springs, the levers are balanced against centrifugal force and the disk is exceedingly light, thus simplifying the changing of gears. Incidentally, a clutch stop has been found unnecessary. The removal of the clutch body is an extremely simple operation, as is also the adjustment of the levers.

“Maximum Accessibility

“It is fundamentally necessary that the design of a motorbus be such that inspection and repairs can be carried out quickly and economically. We believe it is imperative that separate unitary construction be followed. For instance, engines, carburetors, all electrical equipment, fans, clutch couplings, transmissions, control levers, axles, wheels and propeller shafts should all be entities unto themselves, so that the repair of any one of these assemblies will not necessitate the removal of any other.

“As a practical illustration, take the orthodox unit power plant and assume it is necessary to renew the clutch friction linings. The propeller shaft, transmission and complete control system must first be taken down, possibly even the engine moved forward. In all probability the vehicle must lose a complete day's service. Compare this for a moment with the relatively simple operation where the separate-unit form of construction is employed, such as with our J or L types. Here we need only remove a few bolts from the clutch coupling and housing. The clutch can then be taken out as a complete unit and the linings replaced within a period of twenty or thirty minutes. To picture this condition, there is illustrated here our form of sub-frame mounting.

“The unitary system, if properly carried out, guarantees minimum loss of bus-hours, minimum operating cost and minimum difficulties from the standpoint of training employees. Obviously, less skill is required on the part of mechanics where they are constantly performing the same operation; here it is simply a question of specialization. But where the construction is such that multi-repair operations are required, the situation is much more complicated. Summing up, to be obliged to remove several units before a faulty unit can be inspected, repaired or replaced, is a condition not to be considered for a moment. Such practice would be ruinous from a public utility standpoint.

“Repairs and adjustments must be occasionally carried out at night, sometimes under most unfavorable conditions. Again, assuming the use of low-level equipment, the design should be such that inspections, repairs and renewals can in practically all instances be undertaken from the sides or underneath the vehicles. This means the use of pits. The practice of providing the trapdoors inside buses is not desirable. Trapdoors weaken the bodies, are a possible source of accidents, cannot be kept tight when in place, permit exhaust gases to leak through, and create undue noise. Experience has shown that it is highly unsatisfactory to carry out chassis repairs from the inside of the body. If this practice is indulged in, claims are bound to result from passengers due to their clothes coming into contact with grease or dirt. Mechanics are sometimes careless and this results in unnecessary damage to the interior fittings, particularly the seat cushions.

“Minimum Consumption of Labor and Material

“From a financial viewpoint, the success or failure of a utility operating buses depends upon the cumulative additions or subtractions of small amounts expended on either labor or material. Sometimes the items may appear insignificant but, taken as a whole and over lengthy periods, the story is entirely different. When working, a bus is a heavy consumer of both labor and material. The consumption is perhaps much greater than is generally supposed. The accompanying table represents the actual consumption by our company of some of the major elements. These figures are based on the average of all buses. A relatively small percentage of saving, if applied to any of the items and then multiplied by a large number of vehicles, must total a vast sum annually.

“Maximum Consumption of Fuel

“Aside from the human elements, the major issue, of course, is the engine. We employ exclusively the sleeve-valve type. From our viewpoint this type possesses certain basic advantages which make for economy of operation. First, taking the question of fuel, high gasoline-economy is possible due to:

1. Absence of valve pockets and the spherically shaped combustion chamber. Incidentally, this permits of high compression being; employed.
2. Positive action of valves at all speeds. With poppet-valve engines, valves at high speeds tend to float due to weak or broken springs.
3. Extraordinarily low friction horsepower.
4. Ideal location of the spark plug.

“Next, there is the question of service. In this respect we believe the sleeve-valve engine has the following advantages:

1. The performance remains reasonably constant throughout the useful life. It is not necessary to make adjustments constantly to permit of satisfactory and uniform behavior.
2. Throughout the useful life the performance tends to improve.
3. Practically no adjustments can be made since there is nothing to adjust. This alone represents a considerable saving in the garage force.
4. Throughout useful life there is little, if any, increase of noise due to wear.
5. Cost of repairs is small since there are very few operations requiring skill.
6. Cylinders never require re-boring. This obviates the necessity of carrying in stock second-standard pistons and rings.

“The performance of a correctly designed engine is largely a function of its carburetor; therefore, a wide variety of results is always obtainable with varied settings. From the graph showing fuel and power output reproduced here it will be noticed that the characteristics of the sleeve-valve engine are rather remarkable. The setting in question is considered as being particularly suitable for type J equipment.

“Expressing the results obtained in another manner, it is interesting to reflect on the fact that during 1921 our entire fleet of buses averaged 50.7 ton-miles per gallon. In connection with the rather remarkable performance which this type of engine delivers in our service, particularly from the standpoint of fuel economy, mention should be made of the carburetor which is of the Zenith type. From an accompanying illustration it will be seen that there is no exterior adjustment. The throttle spindle is A in. in diameter, hardened and ground. There is a total of 4 in. spindle bearing area. There is a gland with a suitable packing at the front end and a blank nut at the other. Conventional designs in many instances have throttle spindles closely resembling wire nails. With the bus there is an abnormal amount of throttle movement, and unless this factor is taken into consideration from the standpoint of design, rapid spindle and bearing wear will take place.

“Minimum Weight

“It seems scarcely necessary here to argue as to the desirability of light weight. These remarks particularly apply to the matter of unsprung weight. Assuming good design, obviously minimum weight means minimum fuel consumption, maximum acceleration and speed, and minimum costs for repairs and renewals.

“From our experience in operating twenty-one different types of buses in the past fourteen years, we believe that the weights and percentages of axle-load distribution given in the above table make for safe and efficient practice.

“Maximum Safe Speed and Tire Mileage

“During 1921 we spent in platform payment, for drivers' and conductors' wages, in round figures, $1,625,000. So, for each 1 per cent economy in speed there is a yearly potential saving of more than $16,000. Looking at the situation another way, the ratio of expenditure between our platform payment and all money expended in connection with repairs and renewals to chassis and bodies, is approximately 5 to 1.

“From this it is clear that, while there are always opportunities to effect a saving in connection with maintenance methods generally, the real solution is to employ the fastest possible safe speed and to drive the vehicles up to the limit of their endurance. This, of course, necessitates all that is best from the standpoint of design. Naturally, to maintain a high average rate of speed, rapid acceleration is essential. But nothing is gained and much lost if the engine power is in excess of actual requirements, for it is bound to be abused. A very real problem is to ascertain with each operation the amount of power required, then to adopt a standard carburetor setting for the purpose of securing its proper control.

“Maximum Tire Mileage

“In the earlier days of bus operation, the tire question was one of our chief anxieties. Today the situation is different, for wonderful improvements have been made in tire manufacturing methods. Of course, there is no sense in decreasing tire expenditures at the cost of the equipment generally. Resilient tires are essential and too great a wear must not be permitted. It is our regular practice to remove a tire immediately the rubber has worn to within 1 in. of the hard base.

“In 1911 our cost per mile for tires was 4.93 cents. From that date on, a steady reduction has been effected. The figure for 1921 was 0.87 cent per mile, and this, of course, includes the use of six tires. From our viewpoint the factors which have permitted this condition to be reached are, in the order of their importance:

1. Better tire manufacturing methods.
2. Improved vehicle design. This Includes decreased weight, particularly unsprung weight, the substitution of metal for wood wheels, etc.
3. Closer supervision from an operating standpoint.
4. Closer supervision from a maintenance standpoint.

“Conclusion

“As the result of long experience in connection with the design, construction and operation of buses, we are convinced more than ever that trucks or automobiles, modified or unmodified, are absolutely incapable of giving satisfactory and economical service if operated as buses. The tendency today is to employ trucks or automobile chassis as buses, or to attempt to modify their construction, then to re-christen them. This is a dangerous policy for both the builder and the user, and it must surely result in dissatisfaction and disillusionment.”

July 1922 Bus Transportation:

“George A. Green, chief engineer and general manager of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York, N. Y., has been made vice-president of the company. He will continue his work as general manager and engineer.”

August 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Baltimore Service Increased.; Transit Company Puts Twenty-Three Buses on Charles Street and Druid Hill Lines During July.

“On July 1, the Baltimore (Md.) Transit Company put in operation, on the Charles Street route eleven single-deck Republic Knight-motored buses, with bodies built by the Hoover Manufacturing Company, and four double-deck buses built by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company.

“This equipment replaces buses that had been in operation for six years. The old equipment seated sixteen; the new double-deck buses seat fifty-one, and the single-deck, twenty-five. The new vehicles are of improved design, with much more comfortable passenger facilities in the way of seats, aisle spacing, lights and height of bus floor from the ground.”

September 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Orange County Traction Company Prepares to Use New Permit

“The application made by the Orange County Traction Company, Newburgh, N. Y., to the City Council and the Public Service Commission, for permission to discontinue its north and south lateral lines and operate buses in lieu of the present trolley system, has been granted by both the City Council and the state commission. The company on Aug. 15 placed with the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York City, an order for seven of its J type coach. Three have already been delivered, and the others are due to be delivered to the railway before October.”

September 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Three Buffalo Routes Proposed.; Van Dyke Motor Bus Company Asks For Franchise for Extensive Service—R. W. Meade Heads Corporation.

“APPLICATION has been made to the City Council of Buffalo, N. Y., for permission to operate a bus line in Delaware Avenue between McKinley Square and the Buffalo-Kenmore city line. The application was made by the Van Dyke Motor Bus Company, Inc., which has been organized by Richard W. Meade of Mount Kisco, N. Y., who for thirteen years was president and general manager of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company of New York, and from 1919 to 1921 president and general manager of the Detroit (Mich.) Motor Bus Company.

“The new company is capitalized at $625,000 with Mr. Meade as president. The other offices of the company are members of the firm of the Van Dyke Taxicab Company, Inc., and the Van Dyke International Tours, Inc., operating daily bus service between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Fred A. Van Dyke is vice-president; Franklin H. Brown is secretary, and Melville L. Van Dyke, treasurer. The general executive offices of the company are at 32 Edward Street, Buffalo.

“In its application, the Van Dyke Company asks for a franchise for twenty years, the city to have the right to acquire the system at a fair value plus an additional 15 per cent if acquired within five years, and 10 per cent if acquired after that period and within fifteen years after the commencement of service. The company would pay the city 3 per cent of its gross receipts for the rights contained in the franchise.

“It is proposed to charge a 10-cent fare with free transfers between ail connecting or intersecting lines. Service would be from 7 a.m. until midnight at intervals of twenty minutes or less, except the route proposed through Delaware Park. This would be operated only when traffic requires. Chauffeurs would be licensed by the state and city and all employees would wear uniforms. A bond of $5,000 would be deposited with the city as security for the faithful performance of all obligations under the contract. The company assumes all liabilities for its operation and will indemnify the city against all claims arising there-from. No advertising will appear on the exterior of the buses.

“Speaking of equipment, Mr. Meade explained that double-deck buses seating not more than sixty passengers and single-deck buses seating not more than twenty-five passengers' will be provided. The company proposes to use the latest type of low-level double-deck coaches designed and built by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. These buses have the upper deck inclosed and seating fifty-one passengers.”

September 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Orange County Traction Company, Newburgh, N. Y., has placed an order with the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York City, for seven of its J Type coaches.”

October 11, 1922 New York Times:

“QUITS COACH COMPANY HERE; J.A. Ritchie to Become Head of Chicago Motor Bus Lines.

“The resignation of John A. Ritchie as President of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company was announced yesterday. Mr. Ritchie will go to Chicago to become head of the recently organized Chicago Motor Bus Company. Associated with him in the reorganized company will be John Hertz, President of the Yellow Taxi Company of Chicago; Charles McCullough, a Chicago banker, and William Wrigley Jr., the chewing gum manufacturer.

“Mr. Ritchie has been President of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company since April, 1918. Before that he was operating statistician for the Interborough subway, elevated and surface lines, having been brought by the late Theodore P. Shonts, when President of the Interborough, from the Illinois Central Railroad.”

George A. Green, Fifth Avenue's General Manager had recently delivered a detailed report of Fifth Avenue Coach Company's operations to the Society of Automotive Engineers. A transaction of the entire speech and ensuing discussion appeared in the 1922 edition of the Transactions of the Society of Automotive Engineers:

“MOTOR-BUS TRANSPORTATION

“By G.A. GREEN, M.S.A.E. - General manager and engineer, Fifth Avenue Coach Co., New York City.

“Since the Fifth Avenue Coach Co. of New York is the largest successful company operating motor-buses in this country, the author gives a rather comprehensive description of this company's systems and methods, stating the three main divisions as being the engineering, mechanical and transportation departments, and presenting an organization chart. Departments concerned with finance, auditing, purchasing, publicity, claims and the like, which follow conventional lines, are not considered.

“The engineering, research, mechanical, repair and operating departments are then described in considerable detail. Six specific duties and responsibilities of the research department are stated and six divisions of the general procedure in carrying out overhauls for the operating department are enumerated. Regarding fuel economy, high gasoline averages from the company's standpoint mean economy, well-designed and maintained equipment, and skilled and contented operatives. After elaborating this subject, six definite ways and means that were adopted to secure and maintain high gasoline averages are stated.

“The transportation department is then described and commented upon, the discussion then focusing upon the future possibilities of the motor-bus. In conclusion, the author comments upon the factors that have made this transportation system successful.

“In the design, manufacture, and operation of the motor bus, one must come into contact with practically every field of industry. This paper should be considered as an introduction, for the subject is so far-reaching that one can at best here only touch lightly upon some of the more interesting aspects. The motor-bus industry is of very recent growth. It is, however, rapidly establishing itself in popular favor. Unquestionably, the so-called "jitney" is merely a forerunner. It is, however, fulfilling a useful purpose since it is creating a desire for real bus service. Trackless transportation has unquestionably come to stay and it is confidently anticipated that in the very near future the automotive industry will give this branch of its family something more than a name.

“It is hoped that those who read this paper will not feel that too much space has been devoted to the Fifth Avenue Coach Co. I am expected to give my views on motor-bus operation, and since this company is the only successful one of any size in the United States, it necessarily follows that a rather lengthy description of the coach company's systems and methods must be given.

“The three main divisions of the Fifth Avenue Coach Co., are the engineering, mechanical and transportation departments as shown in the accompanying organization chart. There are, of course, departments concerned with finance, auditing, purchasing, publicity, claims, etc., but these follow conventional lines and no further reference will be made to them.

“Engineering Department

“At the head of the engineering department is the mechanical engineer. His duties and responsibilities are broadly outlined above. It is scarcely necessary to refer in detail to the duties of this department as it follows closely along conventional lines.

“In this paper, space will not permit the question of design to be discussed in detail. It is hoped, however, that in the near future an occasion will present itself to review this most interesting subject. A rather general impression prevails that the average truck chassis can be successfully employed for motor-bus operation. We do not hold this view. There certainly are many instances where modified truck and touring-car chassis have been profitably employed for buses, but in such cases had the right type of vehicle been used much more economical, satisfactory, safe, comfortable and convenient operation would have obtained. Furthermore, where financial failures have occurred, many of these could undoubtedly have been avoided, assuming, of course, the employment of the right kind of vehicle. In my opinion, the average truck chassis is unsuitable for passenger transport be cause the weight is excessive, particularly the unsprung weight, the center of gravity is too high, the gear ratios are unsuitable, the springs are too rigid, the frames, spring and axle tracks too narrow, the turning radius too wide, the steering too stiff, etc. I believe that an efficient bus corresponds very closely to an enlarged touring car. Briefly, it would be just as unsatisfactory to attempt to use a high-class twelve-cylinder touring car for general trucking purposes as it is to expect the average truck to give efficient and economical service when used to haul human freight.

“The development of a new type of vehicle is an exceedingly slow process. Apart from the matter of design, an immense amount of time is necessary to prove out the value of the product. Approximately 25,000 miles of operation is required to find out what is wrong after samples have been placed in operation. One hears of engineers who claim to have completed a design of chassis and put it into production straight from the paper. Our experience has not been so fortunate, although on our engineering staff we have some exceptionally high-grade men. We also avail ourselves of the opinions and advice of many of the best-known engineers holding prominent positions with the larger manufacturers. In spite of this, occasional mistakes do occur; for example, take the manufacturers of ball and roller bearings. They are always asked to approve our layouts but in some instances after approval failures are experienced. Naturally, this is a very serious matter for us since the major part of the losses, such as cost of dismantling assembly, loss of vehicle time, etc., must be borne by us while the bearing manufacturer has only to supply new bearings.

“We have since 1907 operated nineteen different types of chassis produced by domestic and foreign manufacturers ; also twelve different types of bodies; and we have tested nearly all suitable standard engines from four to eight cylinders; also many different types of radiators, clutches, transmissions, axles and chassis frames. In none of these instances did we meet with entire success. No doubt those who have control of the operation of heavy vehicle equipment will appreciate the many difficulties with which we were constantly confronted. Of course, our lack of standardization proved a severe handicap.

“On looking back one cannot escape the conclusion that the design and production of our own equipment was the logical procedure to follow, particularly when one considers the extremely valuable data at our command as a result of experimental and development work plus the known results obtained from the operation of many different types. We certainly were in a unique position because we were able to select the best points from the numerous different types of vehicles operated by ourselves. Furthermore, it was not necessary to take precedent into account, nor to cater to other people's views. Then, again, we had no selling problems. The net result of our effort was the production of complete buses that have to date covered more than 20,000,000 miles. The performance of these vehicles has more than justified our fondest hopes and their operation is so markedly superior to our previous models that no comparison is possible. The enormous saving in gasoline and mechanical maintenance has been sufficient to meet the ever rising costs of labor and material. It is reasonably safe to assume that had we not taken this step the company could never have reached its present position.

“It is difficult to say what the future type of bus will be. Clearly, different cities have different requirements. In all probability, any large operating company will require at least two distinct types, the double-deck for large loads and the single-deck for smaller loads, faster operation, express service, etc.

“Assuming good roads, wide thoroughfares, and reasonable freedom from overhead structures, the fifty to sixty-passenger, very low hung, double-deck vehicle capable of handling a trailer seems to have great possibilities. This class of vehicle jointly operated with the single-deck, one-man controlled, pneumatic-tired bus appears to me as being a logical scheme, especially where peak loads must be handled largely without surface car or subway aid. The development of either type presents immense, but not insurmountable, difficulties. We have been working to this end for several years and our sympathies are with those who may be undertaking a similar service.

“There is just one other point. There are those who believe that the trolley car propelled by a gasoline power unit may supersede the present arrangement. In my judgment this theory will not bear close analysis, for the greatest asset the trolley car has is cheap power. Take this away and the structure falls to pieces. A gasoline propelled trolley car is a bus, less nearly all the advantages of the latter. It is, of course, true that a much lighter and better design of trolley car could be produced and a gasoline power unit embodied in it. It is equally true that the cost of operation of such a vehicle might be less than that of existing types of trolley cars, but my contention is that if the same care and attention to design were applied to the conventional article, still better results would be achieved. The fact is the present trolley car design is more or less crude and out-of-date. They are as a whole built as strong as possible, not as weak as possible, which is a much more logical and economical procedure. To sum up, trolley car design has not marched with the times.

“Research Department

“This department coordinates the work of the design, repair and operating departments. Briefly, the duties and responsibilities of the research department are as follows:

(1) Analysis and recording of all breakages, failures, etc.
(2) Operation of the dynamometer
(3) Continual study of the fuel situation
(4) Testing of materials such as fuels, oils, etc.
(5) Perusal of all trade journals
(6) Standardization program

“As regards the analysis and recording of all breakages, failures, etc., we attach great importance to this matter. The data are tabulated in such a manner that accurate comparisons can be made. Standardized classification sheets are furnished departmental heads weekly. Operating and repair departments are required to forward all broken parts to the research department, where full and complete records are maintained.

“Among other apparatus the research department has a 150-hp. Sprague dynamometer. This is employed for the testing out of all engines, either new or repaired. Of course, it is also employed on work of other kinds.

“A large amount of research work is done in connection with the continual study of the fuel situation. Various kinds of mechanical and chemical gas-saving devices and compounds are constantly under test, as well as thermostatic controls for air and water, carburetor improvements, etc. Our dynamometer equipment permits us to determine the value of these devices speedily. Where merit is shown, further tests are continued on the road under actual service conditions.

“The testing of materials such as fuels, oils, etc., requires scarcely any comment. Obviously, it is necessary to assure ourselves from time to time that the materials delivered are in accordance with the specifications; for example, that the oils possess the required physical properties, that the gasoline is free from impurities, acidity, etc., that the range of boiling points is reasonably satisfactory, that our rubber tires possess the required resiliency, etc.

“The research department is the medium through which we keep posted in regard to all developments in the industry. All trade journals are carefully scanned with this in view. Frequently small tools, methods of doing work and improvements of one kind or another are found in this manner that might otherwise be missed.

“Where improvements are tested and show definite merit, it is the duty of the research department to make recommendations in regard to the embodying of these improvements in our equipment. This is done during the annual overhaul process. This department is also required to find remedies for defects which prevent our vehicles from operating their allotted mileage between general overhauls. Such improvements are also usually embodied during the annual overhaul process, although occasionally we standardize and apply certain minor features at other times.

“Our system of records is very complete. Comprehensive data are kept showing the results obtained from the use of practically every device of any consequence that we have ever built or tested. We make use of photographs wherever it is possible to do so; for example, we photograph our jigs, tools, patterns and our parts grouped under the various sections for use of both stores and mechanics. We obtain invaluable information from the data gathered in connection with service failures.

“Mechanical Department

“The superintendent of equipment has charge of all constructional work including repairs and renewals. He is responsible for the selection, training and discipline of all personnel concerned therewith. His duties and responsibilities are broadly outlined under the chart heading "Mechanical Department." In dealing with this department, I propose to describe in detail only the functions that are peculiar to the bus business.

“In general, the engineering and production problems in connection with the manufacture, maintenance and repair of bodies, chassis and spare parts are thoroughly understood by automotive engineers.

“In describing the transportation department, reference is made to the manner in which we deal with the human side of our business. Much stress is laid on the methods used in connection with the selection and training of our employes. The appointment bureau, association, sunshine work, restaurants, recreation rooms, etc., are also briefly described. Of course, all departments share these privileges and the same general principles obtain in connection with the handling of personnel throughout every department. We are convinced that our success is in no small measure due to the adoption of these principles.

“Practically all departments are dealt with under what we term "Personnel Establishments." These provide a definite number of men and hours for each class of work. Each week a detailed comparison is made up from the actual payrolls and copies are furnished departmental heads concerned. The establishments are very carefully prepared in the first place and from time to time they are revised. The point is that after having allotted a certain number of men and hours for each of the various sections we do not permit of variations either way, since additional hours must denote wasted effort; on the other hand, a decrease might be equally costly in the long run, for assuming our estimates are correct, any decreases must mean the omission of work which ought to be done and which being left undone must eventually result in deferred maintenance, which we know from experience is a very expensive matter. After establishments are approved, any shortages in personnel may be made up without special authority. We find this is particularly helpful, since under these circumstances there is at no time any question as to whether a man who has just been taken on is really wanted.

“Repair Department

“Briefly, the repair department is responsible for the carrying out of our annual overhaul program, the supply of properly repaired units to the operating departments, and in addition it undertakes major repairs to bodies and chassis due to accidents, etc. Fortunately, however, these are infrequent.

“We believe in centralized unit repairs. This work is carried out in a department entirely separated from the operation end. To permit this, each operating department is allotted a definite percentage of spare units which from time to time are exchanged. Insofar as possible, the exchange is made on a mileage basis and we insist that the units be delivered and returned complete in all respects. Operating departments are neither expected nor permitted to make major repairs to units. The centralization of our unit repairs permits of the use of unskilled labor, and to this end special tools and labor-saving devices have been developed to an unusual degree. Also men are concentrated on each of the various sections and each section has allotted to it complete tool equipment covering its requirements. Engines in particular receive careful attention. Bearings are reamed, not scraped. After overhaul the engines are run in by belt, then lightly under their own power. Finally, they are transferred to a dynamometer where they are adjusted to prearranged standards.

“Every twelve months each vehicle is automatically withdrawn from service. It is then stripped down completely and rebuilt. At this time improvements suggested by the research department after having been approved are embodied. The complete bus is rebuilt and repainted, then returned to the respective operating department, to all intents and purposes a new machine and in many respects a better one than the original design. This procedure, of course, has no small bearing on the matter of depreciation, for under these conditions depreciation is really governed by obsolescence. Our idea is that equipment must always be kept up as near to 100 per cent efficiency as possible, and as a matter of fact a vehicle, although it may have seen several years' service, is actually, at the expiration of this time, in a better mechanical condition than when it was first built. However, owing to the newness of the industry, the obsolescence factor cannot by any means be lost sight of.

“Annual overhauls are carried out on a definite schedule. Two per cent of our total equipment is allotted for this purpose, eight working days per vehicle. A small percentage of spare units, such as engines, transmissions, axles, bodies, etc., are employed. In the process of the annual overhaul, no special effort is made to replace the same units.

“Operating Departments

“The function of each operating department is to maintain between annual overhauls the equipment allotted to it. Each department is controlled by a foreman who reports direct to the superintendent of equipment. The foremen are responsible for the cleanliness and general efficiency of the equipment allocated to them. This equipment consists of sufficient buses to meet schedule requirements, plus a certain number of additional vehicles to cover general overhauls. No spares are provided. The operating department foremen are responsible for both day and night forces. They are assisted by sub-foremen and charge hands. The wages, hours of work and duties of all operating department employes are clearly shown under their personnel establishment. As previously stated, operating departments are not required to carry out major repairs. This work is dealt with by the repair department, which also furnishes the operating departments with overhauled units. The organization of departments other than general overhauls and gasoline efficiency will not be referred to, since the duties of these departments are largely of a routine nature and follow conventional lines.

“A general overhaul represents a thorough inspection of every part of the body and chassis of every vehicle after each 2000 miles of service. General overhauls, or as they might be termed "general inspections," are the most important function of operating departments. We attach great importance to our theory of general overhauls. We feel it is essential to have a vehicle that can be operated for a reasonably extended mileage with what practically amounts to no mechanical defects. We then take this vehicle out of service in accordance with a prearranged program and it is gone over in the most thorough manner imaginable. This system permits of concentrated and organized effort with the minimum lost motion.

“Very little repair work is done at night. Our aim is to concentrate on general overhauls. Under these circumstances, inspections, repairs, adjustments, etc., are carried out under almost ideal conditions. It is essential that the space allotted to this class of work have abundant natural light and it must be dry. Furthermore, sufficient time must be given to enable the work to be done satisfactorily. The net result of this procedure permits of attracting and retaining the class of help required, which must be of the best.

“Approximately 6 per cent of our equipment is required for general overhaul. General overhauls must be completed by 4:30 p. m. each day, at which time they are scheduled for service. This means that up to 4:30 p. m. on week days we operate 92 per cent of our equipment and after that time 98 per cent. Saturday afternoons and Sundays we aim to operate 98 per cent. There are very few cases where this is not done, assuming, of course, that the requirements call for this service.

“We have adopted the following general procedure in connection with the carrying out of general overhauls:

(1) A sheet is posted in each garage showing cumulative daily mileage of each bus from the last overhaul; from this sheet it is possible to see at a glance which vehicles are due for general overhaul
(2) The day previous to general overhaul each vehicle receives a special examination on the road by a qualified inspector; reports of this inspector are attached to general overhaul sheets. A special form is provided for this and on it are printed the items inspectors are required to examine
(3) At night as the buses are turned in a specially trained mechanical inspector meets them at the garage entrance. The drivers hand their report cards to this inspector and at the time take up with him any matters that seem of more than ordinary importance
(4) The night previous to the general overhaul the mechanism is thoroughly cleaned. The bus is then placed over a pit ready for an organized attack on the following morning
(5) The general overhaul sheet, which represents the history of a bus since its preceding general overhaul, is withdrawn from its binder, totaled up and placed on a board hung at front end of the bus. This sheet shows the drivers' names, mileage, gas and oil consumption; also the defects reported each day since the last general overhaul. There is also entered on the sheet a statement of the gas and oil averages of the vehicle as compared with the other vehicles operating from that division. The general overhaul sheet for each bus is brought up to date daily. The necessary data are obtained from the conductor's day card, the driver's report card and the division gas chart. The last item is described below.
(6) During the process of general overhaul, gangs of specially trained experts deal with the various units. There is printed on each general overhaul sheet a summary of the duties of each section, the parts to be inspected, etc. . This process is followed rigidly without any regard for the apparent condition of the vehicle. Details of the defects, if any, are obtained from the daily report card, which is carried on each bus. The drivers are required to enter chassis defects and the conductors all matters pertaining to the body.

“Throughout the year we average about 6.5 miles per gal. of gasoline. This figure takes into account all shrinkages, leakages and losses of every kind and description. There are a very large number of high individual averages, some as high as 15 miles per gal. We have a number of men who can give us 10 miles per gal. for weeks at a time. Of course, there are other men who give us low averages, but this is to some extent controlled by the class of service; for example, buses doing short mileage during the congested period of the day only are seldom high on our lists.

“There are many reasons why we believe it is essential that special care and attention be paid to the matter of fuel economy. High gasoline averages from our standpoint mean:

(1) Economy
(2) Well-designed and maintained equipment
(3) Skilled and contented operatives

“Gasoline is our second greatest item of expense. Our yearly bill is in round figures $500,000. Since 1 per cent of this amount represents $5,000 annually, it can readily be seen that losses of even 1 or 2 per cent must be remedied, regardless of whether these losses are due to mechanical or physical disabilities. Increased labor and material expenses, and gasoline falls under the latter heading, cause us much greater anxiety than if we were manufacturing in the ordinary sense of the word, for we are selling a commodity which has a fixed price regardless of production costs. This means that every addition to our labor and material bills must be paralleled with some form of economy. If this were not done, we would soon find our expense? in excess of our income. For example, in 1911 our gasoline consumption averaged 2.9 miles per gal. At that time gasoline cost much less than it does today, and if it had not been possible to increase our gasoline efficiency enormously it is quite possible that the Fifth Avenue Coach Co. would now be out of existence. Not only is our gasoline bill the second greatest item of expense, but it is capable of greater reduction with less effort than any other single item. Furthermore, in achieving high averages, we accomplish at the same time many other desirable things. Our rising and falling gasoline averages are in effect the barometer on which we base our predictions. The gas barometer tells us in the most unmistakable language what is in store for us. Bad gasoline consumption means big fuel and repair bills with the prospect of still bigger bills in future; possibly also labor unrest due to general dissatisfaction.

“To attain high averages it necessarily follows that one must employ well-designed and maintained equipment. Our vehicles cover an average of more than 100 miles per day. They are required to stop and start about 1000 times a day with several thousand gear-changes, brake applications, etc. Furthermore, each vehicle is handled by several different drivers daily. None but the best materials will stand up under such conditions.

“Where high averages are obtained there can be no question that both drivers and conductors are willing and anxious to serve the best interests of the business, and one knows that this cannot be the case unless they are interested in their work and are happy and contented.

“The following ways and means have been adopted to secure and also to maintain high averages:

(1) All engines are put through a standard dynamometer test before being issued to the repair and manufacturing departments. After engines are installed few, if any, adjustments are found necessary other than the changing of jets
(2) There is posted in a prominent position in each garage a sheet which shows daily the number of miles per gallon of gasoline for each vehicle. This sheet is constantly referred to by members of both mechanical and transportation departments. This information gives us a definite basis on which to work and it also permits all concerned to be in a position to see the results of their efforts
(3) There is attached to each division one fuel expert and one driver who is not assigned to any definite run. The letter's work consists in taking out and operating in regular service buses showing low averages. His assignment is arranged between the fuel expert and the transportation foreman. We choose the most efficient of our drivers for this work. Obviously, the advice of such men is of the greatest possible value to the fuel expert
(4) The fuel expert is provided with a special kit of tools together with an assortment of various jets. No carburetor adjustments are made by men other than the fuel experts. All jets are numbered and carefully calibrated and a proper record is made of all jet changes. The carburetor itself is specially built to give high economy
(5) From time to time we organize various kinds of gasoline contests. In some instances, details of these contests have been published in the trade papers. These contests are useful not only because of the direct bearing they have on our gasoline and repair bills and mechanical efficiency generally, but also because they tend to create better fellowship, a friendly spirit of rivalry, a keener and deeper interest in our business and a closer understanding of our aims and aspirations, in short, our policy
(6) There is issued to the various departmental heads a weekly summary showing divisional gasoline averages. Comparisons are made with the previous week and also with the corresponding period of the previous year.

“Transportation Department

“The superintendent of transportation has charge of selecting all men for the transportation department, supervision of their training, administration of discipline, elimination from service, promotion, general study of traffic conditions, collection of statistics upon which running time and schedules are prepared, supervision of inspectional forces, receivers, timekeeper's and mileage departments, division foremen, etc. In this work the superintendent has a supervising force of forty-five men comprising foremen, heads of various departments, inspectors and starters.

"The chief of the appointment bureau is responsible for all men employed. Generally, employees recommend applicants. Qualifications are preferably married men, 25 years or over, and those with Army or Navy training. Applicants must be over a specified weight and height. All applicants are courteously received by an examiner who questions them as to their previous experience. Those who qualify are permitted to fill out applications. They are then passed en to the chief, who questions them further as to their general qualifications and knowledge of the city. If accepted, the applicants are sent to the company doctor for physical examination and eyesight test. The superintendent of transportation then gives each applicant a short lecture on the policies and aims of the company. His photograph is taken by the company photographer and he enters the conductors' instruction school. His references for five years are in the meantime investigated and those references within 25 miles of New York City are checked up by a personal investigation. Only 20 per cent of all applicants qualify for the position of conductor.

“The chief conductor instructor points out to students the duties they are required to perform, emphasizing courtesy toward passengers and the prevention of accidents. Each student is then given various forms and descriptive matter and instruction in detail on these follows. Students are assigned to conductor instructors on the road to receive a practical working knowledge, and then return to the school for a final examination. Those passing the oral, blackboard and written examinations with a proficiency of 75 per cent are recommended for appointment. Others receive further instruction until 75 per cent proficient. On an average, the instructional period covers four days. On the completion of the instructional period, the student is given a certificate by the chief conductor instructor which he brings to the appointment bureau. Assuming satisfactory references, the student is then outfitted by the company tailor. Finally, he is assigned to a division where a "get together" talk is given by the foreman before starting work. All new men are on probation for ninety days, during which time the chief conductor instructor rides with them as often as practicable for follow-up instruction, because it is impossible to inculcate all details of a conductor's position while in the school.

“The men who man our buses, including instructors, inspectors, starters, etc., must all graduate from positions as conductors. Where men prefer to remain as conductors, no objection is raised. Based on averages, each conductor has an opportunity to become a driver after eight months' service. We attach great importance to the educational value of this system. A conductor soon learns traffic regulations. He becomes familiar with the requirements of our patrons. He also has the best possible opportunity to see and feel the results of misoperation. A driver without a conductor's experience can scarcely realize what a conductor must contend with and he would be less likely to cooperate with the conductor. His experience as a conductor insures that he is aware of exactly what is happening at the rear end.

“Promotion to driver, which involves an increase in pay of 13 per cent, is determined by seniority. Promotion also depends upon the man's record while employed as a conductor. This prompts conductors to keep their records clear of violations. Conductors are recommended for promotion by their foremen and reexamined by the doctor. If passed, the records are examined by a board of review consisting of the superintendent of transportation, the chief driver instructor and the chief conductor instructor. If approved by the board, they are placed in the drivers' instruction school.

“The chief driver instructor points out to the students the duties they are required to perform. They are then shown on a stripped chassis the various units and the relation these units bear to the operation of the bus. Then they are sent to a divisional instructor and receive practical experience in driving on the road without passengers. Every third day the students are sent back to the school to receive additional mechanical instruction.

“Upon passing the State examination and a license being granted, the student is permitted to drive a bus carrying passengers, under guidance of the service instructor, until competent to become a driver. He is then given a test by the chief driver instructor and if found satisfactory is recommended for appointment.

“On an average the instructional period covers sixteen days of 10 hr., the 160 hr. being divided into 45 hr. of mechanical instruction, the same amount of driving instruction without passengers, and 70 hr. of driving instruction with passengers. As in the conductor's instruction, follow-up instruction is also given. From the time each man files his application for a position as a conductor to the time he is made a driver, the company expends practically $200 for his instruction.

“Complete records are kept of each man. These are in folder form and consist of:

(1) Application
(2) Reference blanks
(3) Photographs
(4) Doctor's examination certificate
(5) Complaints and commendations
(6) Violations
(7) Accident settlements

“The first part of the record consists of sheets arranged in chronological order showing entries of all violations, complaints, commendations, accidents, etc. When a conductor becomes a driver, the same record is continued and there is attached thereto his record of instruction as a driver, the doctor's reexamination certificate and the employee's contract; also a sheet showing entries of all delays together with reports covering their investigation.

“In the instructional period students are paid. This is in reality a loan and a contract is made in which it is stipulated that if the student remains as driver six months or longer, the loan is discounted. If he leaves the service prior to expiration of the six-months period, the loan must be paid out of any wages due him.

“Buses are run in accordance with time-tables very similar to those of any steam railroad. The construction of our time-tables is a most difficult and expensive matter, much more so than with steam railroads and electric surface or subway systems. Because of the varying traffic conditions along our routes, we are obliged to have no less than six different running times. Of course, these are based on average conditions, since it would be impracticable to meet every variation. Any simplification of our time-table arrangements must immediately result in a decreased speed. This would be unsatisfactory to the public and immensely costly to us. Our annual payroll for drivers and conductors is in round figures $1,000,000; therefore a 1 per cent decrease in speed represents $10,000 added to our wage expense. There are also changes in the different periods of the year and it is necessary to build new schedules when these become effective. Schedules must also be changed to take care of the varying conditions of riding. This change in riding must be closely watched and passenger counts are constantly taken at various points to determine just what service is necessary. Altogether there are ten time-table changes throughout the year and modifications almost weekly.

“There are nine separate lines, all of which converge on Fifth Avenue below Fifty-seventh Street. For the different periods of the day we at present operate the following number of buses per hour:

Period		Buses per hr.		Headway, in sec.
Morning rush		193		18
Midday		107		33
Evening rush		184		20
Sunday		144		25

“Foremen, chief instructors, inspectors and starters patrol the routes for the purpose of regulating the operation of the buses and to give follow-up instruction to new conductors and drivers. We also employ an average of twenty operatives, in civilian clothes, in our inspectional bureau to check general operations on the road. Inspectors also make hourly checks of schedules, report bad pavement conditions and defective equipment; check conductors' register readings and talk to the men on minor violations. Serious infractions of rules are reported to the respective foremen of transportation. They in turn give a man four chances before sending him to the superintendent of transportation. We have instituted the "right of appeal" so that a man who feels an injustice has been done can take his case to the general manager and, if necessary, to the president.

“Crews are allowed 10 min. each morning and night for an inspection of their buses. The depot dispatcher is responsible for seeing that the buses leave the garage on schedule time. As soon as a bus reaches the terminal, it is then under the direction of the starters and the inspectors who direct the buses in accordance with schedules, copies of which they are provided with in small book form.

“Arrangements must always be made ahead of time for the numerous parades traversing our routes. New routes must be selected and looked over for overhead structures, pavement conditions, etc., and men have to be stationed at the points where we turn off our regular routes and also those unprotected by traffic policemen, as well as at points where there are overhead obstructions. While parades do cause us considerable losses they do not prevent our operation, since it is simply a question of selecting other routes. Our organization provides for a number of alternative routes which have been previously surveyed and the points established where men are required for directional purposes, etc. This is a very convenient arrangement and permits of changes being made on very short notice.

“We maintain a fleet of thirty-eight snow-plows and five sand-cars, with which we keep our routes open through the winter. The snow-fighting force is patterned after the fire department. Each section of our routes has its allotted plows in charge of a captain. Our organization is arranged so that regardless of the time of day or night a snowstorm starts, the required men automatically report for duty. When such conditions obtain, a complete system of centralized control automatically becomes effective.

“We have an association for all employees which insures them for a nominal fee with death and sick benefits; also the free use of the company's doctor. We have a sunshine nurse and sunshine committee who take care of those who are ill or in trouble. In addition, we maintain a pension fund. We often give free legal advice through our attorneys to employees. Restaurants, recreation rooms, barber and tailor shops are maintained for our employees at each of our garages. We even provide sleeping accommodation in the winter for men who cannot get home because of unfavorable weather conditions so that a man can practically live at the plant with all the various accommodations provided. In our restaurants food can be obtained at practically cost price. The same applies to our barber shop. The service of the tailors is gratis. We have a house organ, Bus Lines, to which employees contribute items of interest, and generally the business is run on the basis of one great, big, happy family.

“Future Possibilities Of The Motor Bus

“It has already been pointed out that motor-bus operation is a comparatively new art. The possibilities of improvements, more especially from the standpoint of design, are practically unlimited. This applies with respect to greater comfort and convenience as well as economy of operation. These remarks do not apply in the same degree to any other form of surface transportation. In most cases, other systems are providing all the comfort and convenience that can reasonably be expected. Furthermore, it is scarcely to be hoped that further operating economies can be effected. As a matter of fact, insofar as one can judge, costs will rise rather than fall, for with the present high rate of personal and real estate taxes, high rate of wages, high cost of materials, etc., the greater the- investment in property in relation to the gross income the less will be the possibility of profit. The bus requires the minimum investment in garage and repair facilities. The lower unit cost is a powerful argument in favor of its adoption.

“Unquestionably if a motor-bus service is to realize its possibilities of financial success, it must be backed up not only by ample resources, but it must also develop a highly specialized organization. Experienced management and direction is imperative. The engineering force requires a special experience, for the demands upon the motor bus are quite distinct from the demands made upon any other type of motor vehicle. The needed traffic studies and schedule making are unique. The employees must be trained in a branch of motor-vehicle operation with many distinct and unique peculiarities for which the operation of neither the automobile nor any form of surface transportation affords suitable training. One of the chief differences between the bus and other forms of surface transportation is the matter of flexibility. As a matter of fact, we prefer to train men for drivers who have never had automobile driving experience. Furthermore, we find that railroad operatives, while they do possess useful knowledge, require to unlearn so much that on the whole it is more satisfactory to employ men without this experience.

“Unquestionably the wisest policy both from a financial standpoint and the service results to the city is to entrust a single well-organized and equipped company, possessing ample resources, with the development of a unified motor-bus service. Parceling out streets to two, three or more companies will never provide the Pullman car service which the true motor bus can give. If the parceling out process is adopted and the several companies are of a nondescript character with the usual type of jitney equipment, the outcome can only be chaos. The actual result of any form of competition must be multiplied fares and no transfers. With a unified system there can be no harmful monopoly, for the fare should be determined by the authorities and the company should be under public regulation, but so-called competition from a public utilities standpoint means bad service and financial failure. Cities cannot be prosperous without efficient utilities and utilities cannot be efficient without prosperity. To cite an example of the evil effects of bus competition, one need only point out London's early bus experience. This soon convinced both the stockholders and the general public as to the unwisdom of this policy.

“No satisfactory motor-bus service can be given with seats for all on the basis of a 5-cent fare. It costs the Fifth Avenue Coach Co. about 8 ½ cents for each passenger carried. A large proportion of our daily mileage is operated at a loss. Checks show us exactly where these losses occur, but we do not try to avoid them. We are satisfied that by careful management on the whole a profit can be made and that in the long run we should surely lose if we merely cut our service to suit local conditions. We know that our success must depend on the good-will of the public and it has always been our aim to give in exchange for our earnings an equivalent measure of helpful service.

“Unquestionably in the larger centers it is desirable that the workers should be able to get away from the busy centers of industry and congestion to more wholesome home surroundings in the outlying districts and everything should be done by city authorities to encourage this. Nothing is of more importance in this respect than providing expeditious, healthy, comfortable and easy means of public conveyance to and from these points. Of course, the development of the outlying districts raises values so that the city will in this manner obtain increased income from taxation. This is quite an important consideration.

“Clearly, where car tracks do not already exist, the most careful thought should be given before they are installed. Quite apart from this, from a public service as well as an operating point of view, there can be no question as to the possibility of using buses for: 

(1) Extending the service of existing car lines by a bus system into the outlying districts through the introduction of transfer privileges between the two.
(2) Extending service, the conditions of the streets permitting, into outlying districts without a transfer between busses and the cars and without disturbing the present local business or business logical to the existing car lines by permitting the buses to operate beyond the present outlying terminus of street cars and diverting the buses to other parallel routes after reaching such outlying terminus.

“There is one point I should like to make particularly clear. In my judgment, no type of bus designed up to the present is capable of properly handling peak loads. Of course, there are possibilities in regard to a suitable development along these lines, but as yet these have not been achieved. In my opinion, the theory that the car systems in any of the larger cities can be supplanted by any standard type of bus now obtainable is absurd and not worth any serious discussion. No man with any elementary transportation knowledge would think of backing such a statement. The bus is not more economical than the trolley car on the basis of cost per passenger carried, which is the only real basis. Obviously, it is useless to compare the cost per mile of two vehicles of such vastly different seating capacity.

“It should be borne in mind that the financial success of the Fifth Avenue Coach Co. is largely due to the 10cent fare. On a 5-cent basis its development would have been absolutely out of the question. In saying that the bus cost per passenger carried is not less, and is perhaps greater, than that of the trolley car, I should also add that I am sure the public will gladly meet the difference since the comfort and convenience of a bus have much greater possibilities than is the case with the trolley car.

“Conclusion:

“Few, if any, of those who ride in the Fifth Avenue Coach Co. buses realize what kind of an organization is necessary to give the public the class of service provided. This is particularly true of those interested in promotional schemes. If the average promoter did realize the relatively small margin of profit and the countless pitfalls, he would most certainly steer clear of the bus question. To attain success in the operation of motor buses is not a simple undertaking. The truth of this is evidenced by the number of companies that have failed as compared with those which have been successful. Railroads and street cars have years of precedent to guide them, but this newer form of transportation is as yet in its infancy.

“The policy of the Fifth Avenue Coach Co. from an outside viewpoint may be summed up into two words, "service and courtesy." From an inside viewpoint we aim to give every member of our organization a square deal in all that the word implies. With us the word "justice" is not merely an empty phrase. The "right of appeal" guarantees this. The doors of the executives' offices are always open and heads of the departments as well as the rank and file have free access at all times. We believe in cultivating constructive criticism, and with this in view frequent staff meetings are held when all members have an opportunity to express their opinions. These meetings also enable the staff to maintain that close personal touch with the management without which real cooperation is scarcely possible. Our staff officers are carefully trained. They are taken into our confidence where matters of policy are involved and their views are eagerly sought. They are most courteously treated and they in turn so treat their subordinates, for we all know that in any industry the men in the ranks take their example from those at the top.

“We also aim to pay at least as good, preferably better, wages than can be obtained in businesses of a similar class. Our working conditions are just as "good as we know how to make them. The net result is that labor troubles are conspicuous by their absence. Lastly, our labor turnover is small and we always have more applications for positions than we have positions to offer.

“Perhaps it is not out of place to say that we are extremely proud of our organization. We possess unequaled garage facilities, splendidly laid out and well-lighted shops, modern machine-tool equipment and a personnel that knows not the word "failure." Practically every member of our staff has worked his way up from the ranks. Our organization is not a one-man proposition in any sense of the word. Each man is willing and anxious to do more than is expected of him and to subordinate his personal interest. We all believe in the theory and practice of teamwork and so it naturally follows that the operation of our business is extraordinarily free from petty jealousies and from other forms of industrial unrest. At least, that is our position today and there is nothing on the horizon to cause us to fear that there will be any change in the future.

“THE DISCUSSION

“G. A. Green:—Too often the manufacturer cannot get really accurate data in regard to the performance of his product. Very often it is badly cared for and abused and he cannot control this. His natural impulse is to strengthen the various parts to a point where abuse does not count so heavily. Of course, this means added weight and higher operating costs. The truth of this statement is evidenced by a marked lack of standardization as to rated load capacities.

“In the motor-bus business, there can be no question as to the necessity of a research department. By this means we keep our machinery up-to-date and thus guard against obsolescence. While a part of the engineering organization, our research department is available to all. Demands often are made upon it by departments whose routine work is not of an engineering character. It is not a luxury. Gasoline consumption experiments, for instance, indicate that we can effect an economy equivalent to approximately 18 per cent of our present fuel bill. In round figures, this would represent a saving of $90,000 annually. The changes necessary to obtain this economy are comparatively inexpensive.

“The success of a motor-bus company depends largely upon the system employed for maintenance. Our vehicles are designed to cover 2000 miles of uninterrupted service. After this, they undergo a general overhaul. After a year's service, irrespective of mileage, each vehicle undergoes what we term an "annual overhaul."

“We attach great importance to fuel economy. Our rising and falling gasoline averages represent the barometer on which we base our predictions. Excessive gasoline consumption means large fuel and repair bills with the prospect of still larger bills. We can accomplish a greater monetary saving by proper attention to fuel economy than we can with any other single item in connection with maintenance. From our viewpoint, high gasoline averages insure economy, well-designed and maintained equipment, skilled and contented operatives. Our experience has clearly demonstrated it is fully as important that we should instill in our employes the desire to give us good gasoline averages as it is that the machinery should be capable of doing so. The former presents far greater difficulties.

“The outstanding features of the transportation department are;

(a) the large amount of time and money necessarily expended in the selection, education and training of the personnel and in record keeping;
(b) the large and expensive supervisory force;
(c) the complexity of schedule making and the far-reaching effect of this from the standpoint of income and that of the comfort and contentment of the transportation force as a whole;
(d) the large volume of motor-bus traffic possible on streets already crowded with other kinds of vehicular congestion;
(e) the difficulties of winter operation.

“Regarding future possibilities, the industry is absolutely in its infancy and the possibilities of improvement are almost unbounded. This is not true of other forms of surface transportation. The difficulties to be encountered in connection with motor-bus transportation are frequently referred to and stress is put upon the necessity for unified control, a highly-trained technical organization and a 10-cent fare. The last item is very important.

“I have attempted to point out clearly that there are very marked differences between jitney operation and that of a company sincerely anxious to cater to a lasting trade, to give real service at all times. My thought was not to discourage responsible organizations from entering this field, but to show that there is more to the operation of a successful motor-bus company than the mere purchase of stock vehicles and running such equipment when travel is heavy. Such procedure can only result in failure and, if persistently followed, one of the most promising industries of modern times may receive a setback from which it will not speedily recover. No comparison is possible between Fifth Avenue motor-bus and jitney operation. Speaking in general terms, we lose money on at least 30 per cent of our total mileage. In wet and very cold weather our seating capacity is automatically cut in half and it frequently happens that an entire day's operation results in a loss.

“Pneumatic Tires For Buses

“In connection with our experience in the use of pneumatic tires for motor-bus transportation, for our doubledeck buses carrying from 48 to 50 passengers, it is distinctly an experimental proposition. Many of the disadvantages are due to the pneumatics having diameters greatly in excess of those of corresponding solid tires. The disadvantages from a motor-bus standpoint are as follows:

(1) The center of gravity is higher and there is a greater possibility of overturning
(2) Passengers seated on the upper deck are more liable to be struck by overhead obstacles
(3) The impossibility of obtaining low-level platform construction
(4) The weight of pneumatic-tire equipment, which is in excess of that of solid tires of the same carrying capacity
(5) The decreased inside seating capacity because of the abnormal size of the wheel pockets

“The advantages of riding on pneumatic tires are unquestionably greater. We cannot, however, expect any great increase in speed, for this is controlled largely by the density of the traffic through which the buses must pass. Of course, there are many instances elsewhere where this does not apply. The pneumatic tire does permit of fuel economy and lower maintenance costs, but we are not yet in a position to issue exact figures. It seems clear that in our business the various economies would not by any means compensate for the extra cost. It should, however, be borne in mind that all of my remarks refer to the use of pneumatic tires in connection with our 48 to 50-passenger double-deck buses. The possibility of the successful use of pneumatic tires with single-deck vehicles of smaller seating capacity is an entirely different issue. I think this is a far more fruitful field.

“I offer one or two suggestions in connection with the design of large pneumatic tires. It seems to me highly desirable that the overall diameters should approach more closely those of solid tires. This question has been vigorously taken up with the manufacturers and we have now in course of preparation several sets of experimental 10-in. tires, the overall diameters of which will be the same as those of the solid tires now employed. We regard this as a very interesting and important development. The reduced diameter of the pneumatic tire has wonderful possibilities from the standpoint of weight-saving. In this connection it seems better to consider the use of the demountable wheel rather than the demountable tire. The weight of demountable rims and fittings in general is appalling.

“From the standpoint of motor-bus operation, 8, 9 and 10-in. tires are out of the question. I think we all agree that it is desirable to eliminate weight which is unsprung. Above everything else, we should reduce wheel weight. In reducing wheel weights, it is of supreme importance that the amount of metal used at the rims be kept at a minimum. This is where the small-diameter pneumatic tire has such wonderful possibilities, for under these conditions the wheels really represent little more than hubs and they can be made readily from aluminum.

“I believe that the Society might with advantage devote more time to the human side of matters of organization. At present its members concentrate almost entirely on questions dealing with design, material and the like. In our business we find that if we pay proper attention to the human side, bad design and material, although costly, do not necessarily mean failure. Clearly, where cooperation and teamwork are lacking, all the engineering skill of all the best men in the industry will not make for success. By success I mean a condition which permits of satisfied workers and at the same time a fair return for capital.

“H. M. Crane:—Regarding Mr. Green's paper and his work, the Society should realize the value of information obtained from a man of his ability and position. It is very rarely that we have the opportunity to compare proposed practice and subsequent experience in the way in which he has been able to do, under the stimulus of a fixed income. The present situation in trucks is very encouraging, but the truck today is very far from being an efficient implement. The reason is that in most businesses the truck is a side-line. It is not the thing that makes money for the business; it is merely an accessory, and the matter of economy in operation is not necessarily of serious importance. In fact, a very successful truck might lack almost every good engineering point except the one important feature that it transported its load over the road, and that is what the owners care most about. They want the merchandise moved at any price. Mr. Green's corporation has a 10-cent fare and no one expects that this can ever be increased. I think that is a very valuable stimulus.

“I have three questions to ask of Mr. Green. What is the weight per passenger of the present bus, fully loaded ? What is the average yearly mileage? Mr. Green states that the buses are completely dismantled every year. What is the effect on the bus operation of the New York police regulations in which an effort has been made to handle the traffic on Fifth Avenue as a block, first north and south, then east and west, from the 34th to the 59th Street crossings?

“Mr. Green:—The bus weight per passenger is approximately 200 lb. This figure is obtained by dividing the number of passengers into the weight of the bus completely equipped for service, including a full supply of gasoline, oil, water, lighting battery, etc. The approximate yearly mileage of each bus is 30,000. With regard to the effect of the recent traffic police regulations, on the whole they have been of marked benefit to us. By close cooperation with the police we expect to effect further improvements. The chief detriment at first was that some trouble was experienced because the intervals between the north and south bound traffic and traffic bound east and west were disproportioned. Various changes have been made and the present arrangement works very well.

“With regard to fuel, I said that our research department had discovered, during the past six months, means of accomplishing further economies totaling approximately 18 per cent and to apply those means would not be especially difficult, but 18 per cent is a most conservative figure. The controlling factors are as follows:

(1) The adoption of thermostatic hot-air control
(2) The adoption of a system permitting more complete control of idling speeds
(3) The employment of automatic instead of fixed spark-advance
(4) The elimination of gasoline-tank evaporation losses
(5) The introduction of a small quantity of exhaust gas into the inlet manifold
(6) The modification of exhaust pipe and silencer layout with the object of reducing back-pressure.”

October 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Lake Shore Motor Bus Company Changes Hands.; Influential Chicagoans Take Financial Control—Will Extend Activities to Cover North, South and West Sides of City

“FINANCIAL control of the Lake Shore Motor Bus Company, the holding company for the Chicago Motor Bus Company and the American Motor Bus Company, the operating and manufacturing company respectively, has been secured by John D. Hertz, president of the Yellow Cab Company; Charles A. McCulloch, president of the Parmalee Transfer Company and also vice-president of the Yellow Cab Manufacturing Company, and other influential and progressive Chicagoans. Among these are W. H. Wrigley, Jr., of chewing gum fame. John A. Ritchie, who has been president of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company of New York City since 1918, has been elected president, general manager and a director of the company. As Bus Transportation was being sent to press it was announced that Col. G. A. Green of the Fifth Avenue Company would also join the Chicago company. The present organization of the two underlying companies will be kept practically intact. Greatly increased service is to be given on the present routes and new lines are to be opened.

“With service over all of the routes contemplated 300 buses will be in operation. These, as a combination of the L type coach of the Fifth Avenue Company and the latest open-top double-deck model of the Chicago Motor Bus Company, are to be of an improved low-level design, worm driven, with chain-driven transmission. The engine will be a vastly improved Moline-Knight. The double-deck coaches are to seat sixty-eight. In addition to the double-deckers the company will also use between twenty-five and thirty one-man high-speed single-deck buses chiefly as feeders to the trunk lines.

“Present operating plans call for 70 miles of route on the south side, 40 miles on the west side and 30 on the north side. The main lines will run direct to the Loop district and the fare will be 10 cents. No transfers will be issued except from short line to long line buses.

Hearings have already been started before the Public Service Commission on the application for permits to operate over the new routes mentioned above. The statement was made by officials that the newly organized company would spend $3,500,000 in perfecting its operations.”

October 1922 Bus Transportation:

“J. A. Ritchie Leaves Fifth Avenue Coach Company.; President of New York Concern, Famous for His Civility Campaign, Will Head Chicago Motor Bus Company

“JOHN A. RITCHIE, president since April, 1918, of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York, N. Y., and the man who first introduced 'Civility' into a public utility corporation and made it a popular byword, has resigned to become head of the recently reorganized Chicago Motor Bus Company. The departure of Mr. Ritchie for Chicago removes one of the outstanding figures in transportation developments of New York City.

“The Chicago company has been organized to conduct a bus transportation system on a scale larger than has ever been undertaken by a corporation in this country, and Mr. Ritchie, as president of the new company, will occupy an important position in the field of motor coach transportation.

“The Chicago Motor Bus Company will be the operating company. Its coaches will be manufactured by the American Motor Bus Company, a subsidiary, of which Mr. Ritchie also will be the head. The company possesses franchises to operate its coaches over more than 70 miles of Chicago streets at a 10-cent fare. Dispatches from Chicago state that the Chicago Motor Bus Company has been capitalized at $3,000,000 and that an equally large amount will be expended in manufacturing motor coaches of the general design of the Fifth Avenue company coach, but of an improved type and possessing greater seating capacity.

“Associated with Mr. Ritchie in the new company will be John Hertz, president of the Yellow Taxi Company of Chicago; Charles A. McCullough. Chicago banker; William Wrigley, Jr., the chewing gum man, and others.

“The present equipment of the Chicago Motor Bus Company will be utilized until the new coaches are ready to go into service. The building program calls for 300 coaches in a year.

“Civility, a new theme in business and social relations, was introduced into the Fifth Avenue Coach Company when Mr. Ritchie, a man in the early forties, became president of the company. Previous to that, Mr. Ritchie had been operating statistician of the subway, elevated railroad and surface car lines of New York City, under the presidency of the late Theodore P. Shonts. Mr. Shonts ‘found’ Mr. Ritchie back in 1908 when the latter was connected with the Illinois Central Railroad as investigator of accounts. Mr. Ritchie entered the transportation business in his youth.

“Mr. Ritchie assumed charge of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company at a time when every industrial enterprise in the country was beset by labor difficulties as a result of the European war. As president his first aim was to establish the most cordial relations with his employees, from the man on the coach up. The word ‘boss’ soon disappeared from the vocabulary of the Fifth Avenue Coach man. Mr. Ritchie adopted the policy of an open door to all, ever being ready to listen to the complaint or suggestion of the most humble.

Mr. Ritchie's next move was to arouse in the public mind a wholesome respect for the courteous service of the men on the coaches and the degree of his success in this respect is best reflected by the reports for August, which show that there was but one complaint of incivility to every 996,310 passengers carried during the month. His most recent innovation in transportation was the substituting of name plates for numbers on the blouses of the coach men so the public might know with whom they were riding. This change evoked considerable favorable comment from the public.

“Corporations throughout the country and educational institutions of every variety joined with Mr. Ritchie in a universal appeal for a more general practice of every-day courtesy. The civility campaigns conducted under his personal supervision started a flood of public comment which resulted in the compilation and publication of a series of pamphlets on the subject which are considered as among the best ever issued by a public service corporation. Some of these pamphlets now are in the libraries of virtually every city in the country and the most recent of these, ‘A Harvest of Thoughts on Civility,’ created such demand that the edition was exhausted over night, and requests by mail became so numerous that filling them became a virtual impossibility.

“An extended biographical sketch of Mr. Ritchie was published in Bus Transportation for February, page 148. Further details of the reorganization of the Chicago Motor Bus Company will be found elsewhere in this issue. Just as Bus Transportation went to press it was announced that Col. G. A. Green, vice-president and general manager of the Fifth Avenue Company, would also join Mr. Ritchie in Chicago.”

November 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Buses Used in Celebration of Railway Opening

“Four motor buses took a prominent part in the ceremonies held on Nov. 7 in Philadelphia when two city-owned lines, one elevated and one surface, to be operated by the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company, were dedicated to the public service.

“The buses were used by the Philadelphia Rapid Transit to carry its own and city officials to the dedication ceremonies. They represented practically all the types required for city service. They included two Mitten-Traylor single deck vehicles, one of twenty-nine and one of twenty-five passenger capacity; one Model L double decker of the type developed by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company; and one covered double decker with prepayment rear end, of the Detroit type described on page 479 of the September Bus Transportation.

“While no official announcement has been made by the Philadelphia Rapid Transit, the use of these buses in the ceremonies at the opening of the railway lines undoubtedly indicates their operation in the near future in conjunction with the existing rail lines.

In fact, Thomas E. Mitten, president of the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company, has been credited with the intention of making a thorough study of possible routes where buses might be used in Philadelphia and of the costs of operating such service.

“As Bus Transportation goes to press it was announced that A. E. Hutt, formerly with the Detroit (Mich.) Motorbus Company, will be in charge of the bus development.”

November 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Chicago Company Stresses Direct Communication—Experts' Traffic Study Shows City's Greatest Increase on South Side”

“THE Chicago (Ill.) Motor Bus Company which was recently reorganized by financial interests with which are identified John Hertz, president of the Yellow Cab Company, and Charles A. McCulloch, president of the Parmelee Transfer Company, has presented its reason why it should be granted a certificate of convenience and necessity by the Illinois Commerce Commission in hearings which were held on Oct 10 and on Oct. 25, 26 and 27. The routes under consideration are those leading from the Loop district to the south side over the boulevard and passing through and adjacent to the parks in that district.

“The new company has already obtained a franchise to operate through the parks and boulevards under the jurisdiction of the South Park Board. The hearing will be concluded on Nov. 6 and it is expected that if the certificate is granted operation will begin from two to three weeks after that date.

“In seeking its certificate, the company introduced evidence by which it sought to show that the proposed bus service will provide direct accommodation along the boulevards and will provide more rapid, convenient and comfortable service to and from the loop district for certain residential districts not now conveniently served. Another contention was that it would afford an opportunity for pleasure riding to that part of the population which does not own motor cars, and it will particularly make available the advantages of the parks and boulevard system. The extent of pleasure riding was shown by figures of the north side lines of the Chicago Motor Bus Company and also from records of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. It was also demonstrated that operation of a route proposed would not be injurious to the traffic of the Chicago Surface Lines or the Chicago Elevated Railroad.

“To show the financial soundness of the new company, John D. Hertz, president of the Yellow Cab Company, pledged the bus line to an expenditure of $3,500,000 which is already available. He placed himself on record as a witness before the commission to this effect.

“As announced in Bus Transportation last month, John A. Ritchie and Col. George A. Green have resigned from the Fifth Avenue Coach Company to take active charge of the new Chicago Motor Bus Company, although it is understood that both Mr. Hertz and Mr. McCulloch will take a prominent part in the management of the concern. Mr. Ritchie, who has resigned as president of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, has been made president and general manager of the new company, while Colonel Green has left his position as engineering chief of that corporation to become vice-president and manager.

“Mr. Ritchie has testified before the commission that the general method of conduct of the company will be along the lines of that of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. In his testimony, Colonel Green, who has made a life study of bus transportation in this country and abroad, said that Chicago offers the greatest opportunity for a bus transportation system of any city that he knew. He said that he hoped to be able to give Chicago even better service than is operated in either New York or London. The plan, he explained, calls for two types of buses, one of the double-deck type carrying sixty-eight passengers and the other a single-decker carrying twenty-five passengers.

“Feasibility Of Bus Service Determined By Traffic Study

“To show the feasibility, convenience and necessity of bus operation on the proposed route, the Chicago Motor Bus Company engaged Ford, Bacon & Davis, Inc., consulting engineers, to make a detailed traffic and transportation study. The results of these studies were introduced as evidence of why the certificate should be granted. In this survey it was shown that in the decade 1910 to 1920 the population of the south side of Chicago increased at a greater rate than that of the city as a whole, the rate of increase being 27.3 per cent for the south side and 23.6 per cent for the city. Moreover, of the total population increase in that period, namely, about 560,000, more than 40 per cent was on the south side. The result of the traffic study was that although Michigan Avenue is congested at present, the introduction of bus service would possibly increase that congestion by 3 or 4 per cent while the boulevard would be made available to a very large number of people. The fact that bus service would be a prominent factor in the conversion of south Michigan Avenue into a high-class shopping district was brought up as a point to show why the certificate should be granted.”

November 1922 Bus Transportation:

“G. A. Green in Chicago.; Noted Automotive Engineer Resigns from Fifth Avenue Company to Assume Position of Vice-President and Manager of Chicago Motor Bus Company and American Motor Bus Manufacturing Company

“IF EVER a man was a step ahead of the events in the engineering industry of which he is a part, George A. Green, the new vice-president and manager of the Chicago Motor Bus Company and the American Motor Bus Manufacturing Company, is that man. In these companies Mr. Green will again be associated with John A. Ritchie, both Mr. Ritchie and Mr. Green having resigned from the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York, to go to Chicago.

“Necessarily there is a community of interest existing between the two men so long associated in one enterprise, but that alone could not have held them together in New York or induced Mr. Green to cast his fortunes and his future with Mr. Ritchie in Chicago. It was more than that. It was opportunity. Opportunity held them together in New York and opportunity for both of them has induced them to go to Chicago—opportunity for Mr. Ritchie to apply to Chicago on an even bigger scale than he did in New York ideas of management and personnel which have put the New York company in the forefront of transportation organizations the world over, and for Mr. Green opportunity to apply and extend ideas which he has about bus construction and maintenance.

“Originality And Initiative Are Predominant Characteristics

“Long before anybody else in this country had begun to formulate ideas as to what a bus should be George A. Green had worked out for himself a series of axioms that has since come to be generally accepted as necessary to insure the best operating results for large-scale bus systems. It was he undoubtedly who arrived first at definite conclusions regarding the necessity for light-weight buses; regarding the question of the low center of gravity of the bus, the proper gear ratios, the best widths for frames and springs and wheel tracks; the turning radius and the need for ease in steering. He reduced to a science the matter of analyzing and recording breakages and equipment failures. He also was quick to realize that centralized unit repairs were essential for economy. His ideal of the true bus is to give Pullman car service under unified control at a 10 cent fare.

“Mr. Green thinks in large units. Having done so much to perfect the bus mechanically, Mr. Green has shown that greater mechanical perfection must be accompanied by operation which has behind it the idea of securing greater gasoline efficiency. He has said the latter, where the human element enters, is even more difficult to attain than mechanical perfection. The best thoughts of Mr. Green along these and kindred lines were packed by him into a paper which he read before the Society of Automotive Engineers more than two years ago. It is pronounced by men in the automotive industry to be a classic. In addition to all this is the work done by Mr. Green in collaboration with Ricardo, the noted English automotive engineer. The results of this work were embodied in a paper also presented before the Society of Automotive Engineers.

“Proved His Problems Before He Talked About Them

“Mr. Green has, however, looked beyond the mechanics of the matter. He is what might be termed the engineer plus. His work toward perfecting the bus mechanically has not so engrossed him that he has not seen the bus problem in its larger province as a transportation agency. Mr. Green has pronounced views about fares, personnel and other matters that the outsider might think were beyond his personal field. These he has likewise embodied in papers presented before engineering and transportation bodies, where they have been put to the acid test by transportation men sometimes none too friendly to the bus as a transportation agent. In other words, George A. Green's conclusions ring true because as a scientist he proves things before he talks about them.

“Mr. Green a Trained Engineer

“As a foundation of all the work that he has done Mr. Green has back of him a thorough training in engineering coupled with an apprenticeship in the shop and in the field that it is within the grasp of very few men to attain. Thus is an idea conveyed of the fund of information and knowledge which Mr. Green will be able to apply to the problems that come up in Chicago, first, in actual operation of the vehicles on the street and then in the manufacturing activities of the American Motor Bus Manufacturing Company. Other aspects of the remarkable career of the man were reviewed in Bus Transportation last February.”

(R.E. Fielder replaced Col. Green as Fifth Avenue Coach’s chief engineer)

November 1922 Bus Transportation:

“New Fifth Avenue Head.; F. T. Wood, Manager New York Surface Lines, Made President and General Manager Coach Company.

“FREDERICK T. WOOD has been elected president and general manager of the New York Transportation Company and the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. Mr. Wood succeeds John A. Ritchie, who resigned recently to become head of the reorganized Chicago Motor Bus Company and the American Motor Bus Manufacturing Company.

Mr. Wood has been identified with transportation development in New York City for more than twenty years. More recently he has been assistant to Job E. Hedges, receiver for the New York Railways, operating some of the more important surface lines in the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx.

“Under the receivership of Mr. Hedges, Mr. Wood has been the responsible operating official of the company. He brings to the Fifth Avenue Coach Company wide knowledge of bus transportation gained through years of trained observation and actual experience in New York City and in the principal capitals of Europe. He was trained in the same school of transportation as Mr. Ritchie and possesses the same aims and ideals. It is Mr. Wood's objective to carry on the same principles that have made the Fifth Avenue Coach Company one of the most talked of transportation systems in the country.

“Mr. Wood is a graduate of Williams College. He entered the transportation business twenty years ago with the old Interurban Street Railway in the horse car days. He has been identified with every progressive movement in transportation in New York city since then and enters the motor coach field with a singular knowledge of the ways and means of constructing and maintaining a modern public service corporation. For the time being, at least, Mr. Wood also will fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of George A. Green, vice president, general manager and chief engineer of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company.”

November 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Chicago (Ill.) Motor Bus Company has purchased nine ‘L’ type coaches and one ‘J’ type coach from the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, New York City. J. J. Gerlach, Pittsburgh, Pa., has purchased one ‘L’ type coach from the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. New York City. This is the second ‘L’ type purchased by him.”

December 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Fifth Avenue Bus Corporation Formed

“Announcement has been made in New York of the formation of the Fifth Avenue Bus Corporation. The charter for this concern was filed at Dover, Del., Nov. 14. The company was incorporated for the business of transportation and the capitalization entered for State taxation purposes was $40,000,000. The protective committee of the Interborough-Metropolitan 4 per cent bondholders in a recent letter to all bondholders proposed the formation of this company as a means of readjustment and disposal of the stock of the New York Transportation Company, held by the trustee in bankruptcy of the Interborough Consolidated Corporation. The New York Transportation Company is a holding company owning the entire capital stock of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, which operates the Fifth Avenue-Riverside buses.

“Under the plan the Interborough-Metropolitan committee would acquire 103,574 shares of stock in the New York Transportation Company held by the bankrupt estate. The committee represents $61,200,000 of the $63,808,000 bonds outstanding and constituting practically the sole claim against Consolidated assets.

“The stock thus acquired is to be vested in the new corporation, which will issue therefor a sufficient number of no par value shares to furnish five shares for. each $1,000 Interborough-Metropolitan 4½ per cent bond. This stock will be vested in voting trustees. The Fifth Avenue Bus Corporation has offered to purchase 103,574 shares of New York Transportation Company stock held by the Interborough Consolidated Corporation at $3,262,581, or $31.50 a share, which was the price in the open market on Nov. 15 last. This may be paid in whole or in part in cash, by surrender of receipts by owners of allowed claims against the estate of the Interborough Consolidated Corporation for $3,262,581, or, if the court shall order that dividends in liquidation on any claims in respect of Interborough- Metropolitan 4½  per cent bonds shall be paid to bondholders, by presenting the bonds for notation thereon of an amount equal to the dividends distributable with respect to such bonds at the purchase price of the stock.

“The new corporation proposes to acquire additional shares of New York Transportation Company stock, of which 131,426 are now in the hands of the public, and in place of the old stock issue new stock to be deposited with the voting trustees.

“The officers of the Fifth Avenue Bus Corporation are: Grayson M.-P. Murphy, president; Frederick Strauss, vice president, and D. R. Noyes, treasurer. The directorate comprises Mr. Murphy, Mr. Strauss, Mr. Noyes, Charles H. Sabin, Charles S. Sargent, Jr., S. A. Van Ness and Frederick T. Wood.

“It is understood that early application will be made to list the stock of the new corporation on the New York Stock Exchange as voting trust certificates.”

December 1922 Bus Transportation:

“Fifth Avenue Coach Company Has Big Year

“According to the report of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company for the year ended June 30, 1921, given out by the New York Transit Commission, the traffic for the year was the largest since the company commenced operations. For the year 52,840,135 passengers rode the buses and paid 10-cent fares. To handle this traffic the company operated 9,472,327 revenue busmiles and picked up on an average 5.57 new passengers for every mile run. The cost of service on a passenger basis was 8.2 cents exclusive of dividend payments.

“The accompanying tables show the traffic handled for the year, the trips, and miles run and the cost of operating the service. For convenience of comparison similar figures for the previous year are also given. Calculations have also been made to reduce all figures to a bus-mile basis, and also to show what percentage each of the operating accounts bears to the total. More than half of the cost of operation was for transportation expenses, while 16 per cent went to keeping the buses in repair. The rule of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company concerning depreciation of equipment filed with the commission, provides for a charge to expense from Jan. 1, 1919. "equal to 9.15 cents per bus-mile, which is estimated to be sufficient and necessary to cover wear and tear, obsolescence and Inadequacy as may occur on all equipment." The basis includes non-revenue mileage (27,459). The amounts reserved after deducting the cost of repairs were $23,351 for "depreciation of buildings," $12,039 for "shop tools and machinery," and for "depreciation of equipment" $3,588 was withdrawn from the reserve account and credited to maintenance.”

June 30, 1923 New York Times:

“BUS LINE RAISES WAGES OF CREWS; Fifth Avenue Company Also to Give Men Annual Vacations With Pay. INCREASE ON THIRD AVENUE Advance of 5 Per Cent. Granted to 2,500 Trolley Employes, Effective on July 3.

“Frederic T. Wood, President and General Manager of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, which operates the Fifth Avenue bases, last night made the following announcement at a meeting of 500 employees of the company at the garage at 605 West 132d Street:”

The following is a speech delivered by Richard W. Meade, the former president of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, at the annual (1923) meeting of the Society of Automotive Engineers. It was transcribed in Vol. 15, of the SAE’s Transactions:

“DOUBLE-DECK MOTOR OMNIBUS

“By Richard W Meade - President and general manager, Peoples Motorbus Co, of St. Louis, St. Louis.

“DOUBLE-DECK horse-drawn buses did not meet with much favor in the United States, but from the earliest days have been popular with persons of all classes in England, probably due in part to the British nation’s love of outdoors and in part to the governmental policy of prohibiting the carrying of passengers in excess of the seating-capacity. Packed vehicles continued to be characteristic of transportation in this Country until public service regulation in the early days of the present century required that a reasonable number of seats should be provided. When the number of passengers was limited to the number of seats, at the time of the introduction of motorbuses on Fifth Avenue in New York City, the failure of the experiment was predicted, whereas subsequent service has proved to be the cornerstone of success. London double-deck buses with 78 seats require about 3 sq. ft. of street space per passenger, while the latest type with 50 seats require about 4 sq. ft. In this country with the increase in size of the bus the street space per passenger has been reduced from 5 to 3 sq. ft. Private passenger cars require from 14 to 112 sq. ft. The criticism of slowness of operation that has been urged against the double-deck bus may be largely neutralized by keeping the aisles free and promoting quick loading and unloading. Enclosed upper decks cannot be used in some cities on account of the low vertical headroom due to the presence of overhead railroad viaducts and the like.

“Competition in London for the business of the 15,000 cabs and 3,700 buses that were in use at the height of the era of horse-drawn vehicles produced a revolution during the years from 1905 to 1908. The result was a merger of the three larger companies and the adoption of a standard chassis embodying the best points of the 28 different types previously used, special attention being denoted to the reduction of weight and noise. As the London police regulations required each vehicle to be presented annually for re-licensing, the London General Omnibus Co. instituted the practice of completely rebuilding each of its vehicles during the winter. One of the benefits that resulted was the designing of the various units and the methods of mounting them so that the time of making adjustments and of replacing one unit with another was minimized. Increased operating coast during the war brought concessions from the police authorities regarding carrying-capacity and a type of bus was produced approximating that of the Fifth Avenue Coach Co.’s type L. Development on the Continent did not keep pace with that in England and the United States, the double-deck buses in Paris being replaced by the single-deck, while the service in Berlin contained only about 200 double-deck omnibuses.

“In 1904 the Fifth Avenue Coach Co. owned about 60 horse-drawn and 13 electric storage-battery omnibuses and was operating at a deficit, only six of the buses having sufficient seating-capacity to operate at a profit. Only 4 miles of streets was used in regular operation and the fare was fixed at 5 cents.

“After experimenting with a gasoline-electric system for 2 years, in 1906 a De Dion-Bouton chassis equipped with a standard London double-deck type of body was tried and, having been found satisfactory, 14 more chassis were ordered and the bodies were built in this Country to fit them. This same type continued to survive in London after 29 other makes had disappeared. Among the advantages were lightness, minimum unsprung weight, forced-fed lubrication, low consumption of fuel, single-disc clutch and general excellence of material and workmanship. Its disadvantages were automatic poppet valves and no direct drive on high gear.

“In 1908, with the extension of the service over Riverside Drive, a bus having double the capacity of those previously in service was tried and 25 additional one of this type were then ordered. In them modifications of London practice were introduced, including drop windows, a storage-battery for lighting, folding doors, electric signal-bells, push buttons, a heating system supplied from the engine exhaust, illuminated roller-curtain signs, double hand-rails for safety and a windshield for the driver. Horizontal tubular-type radiators were substituted for the honeycomb type. Further simplifications was made later by the use of semi-floating axles, steel wheels and standardized steel-base tires and by improving the quality of the tires. About 1910, Moline Knight sleeve-valve engines were first tried and have proved very successful.

“Refinements that have recently been added to meet the requirements of other cities in which bus serviced has been introduced include the reduction of the height to enable buses to pass under low viaducts, the increasing of the capacity to 67 passengers, rubber shock absorbers instead of spring shackles, a generator for lighting that makes it unnecessary to carry a large battery for this purpose and a regulator that prevents overcharging. In this effort to avoid complications the use of the fixed spark has been considered as indispensable. An important improvement that remains to be developed is the enclosed upper deck with a covering of the nature of a one-man top. When this has been produced it will give the bus an all-weather all-season capacity that will put it in its rightful place in the scheme of transportation.

“Among the factors that are suggested for guiding the future design of the bus are safety, maximum comfort and convenience of the passenger consistent with a reasonable occupation of street space, minimum operating cost and maximum safe speed. Steam, generated by low-grade fuel, is predicted as the future motive power.”

January 20, 1924 New York Times:

“CHICAGO MEN PLAN TO BUY 5TH AV. BUSES; Sound Out Transit Commission on Proposal to Take Over Local Lines.

“Transit Commissioner Le Roy T. Harkness confirmed yesterday the report that Chicago interests were negotiating for the purchase of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, which operates buses on Fifth Avenue, Riverside Drive and other streets of this city. These interests include John A. Ritchie, formerly President of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company and now President of the Chicago Motor Coach Company, and John Hertz, President of the Chicago Yellow Cab Company. Mr. Harkness announced that Mr. Ritchie and Mr. Hertz had had a conference with General John F. O’Ryan of the commission and himself this week.”

‘“They said negotiations were under way but would not be consummated by them unless their plans met with the approval of the Transit Commission.’ Mr. Harkness said. ‘They said that aside from any question of the local powers of the commission they would not care to enter the New York field unless such a course were agreeable to the commission.’

‘“The matter was gone over at length and at the end of the conference General O’Ryan and I informed them that the matter would be taken under consideration by the commission and that a definite reply would be made shortly when our deliberations were completed.’

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Company has been controlled by the New York Transportation Company, but with 45 per cent of its stock in the hands of the Fifth Avenue Bus Company, which was organized after the collapse of the Interborough Consolidated Corporation. The company, although divorced from the Interborough Rapid Transit Company by last year’s reorganization, is still controlled supposedly by Interborough interests.”

June 27, 1924 New York Times:

“$25,000,000 COACH MERGER COMPLETED; Fifth Avenue and Chicago Concerns Combine Their Interests at Conference Here.; TO FORM HOLDING COMPANY.; Interborough Rapid Transit Co. Gives Up Its Control of Coach Line.; DEAL MADE BY JOHN HERTZ.; Better Transportation in New York City is Promised by Former Newspaper Copy Boy.

“John Hertz, who began as a copy boy in a Chicago newspaper office at the age of 11, yesterday at the age of 43 put through a twenty-five-million-dollar merger of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company and the Chicago Motor Coach Company. The plans for the merger were completed at a conference in the banking office of J. W. Seligman Co., 34 Wall Street.”

“As A result of the deal the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, which controlled 51 per cent of the voting stock of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, agreed to step out, and arrangements were made for the organization of the Omnibus Company of America as a holding company for the interests involved. These are the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, the New York Transportation Company and the Chicago Motor Coach Company.

“The conference was attended by Charles H. Sabin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Guaranty Trust Company; Grayson M.-P. Murphy, Frederick Strauss, John A Ritchie, former President of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, and Mr. Hertz, who is Chairman of the Board of the Chicago Motor Coach Company. It considered an offer by Chicago interests to the stockholders of the Fifth Avenue Bus Securities Company and the New York Transportation Company for a merger by means of an exchange of securities or an alternate cash purchase.

“”In the working out of the agreements it was arranges that the Interborough Rapid Transit Company should withdraw. The company some time ago deposited 51 per cent of the voting stock of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company and this stock was resold to the public. The Interborough, however, retained its voting control. It is this control that is now given up.

“New Stock to Be Listed

“J. & W. Seligman & Co. and Grayson M.-P. Murphy & Co. are acting as managers for the syndicate that is being formed to underwrite the offer to the New York security holders. Mr. Hertz announced that further details would be made public within a few days and that the stock of the new company would be listed in Chicago in a few days and later on the New York Stock Exchange.

“While on the face of things the matter appears to be in the hands of nationally known banking houses, actually it is a one-man transaction, and that man is Hertz, the former newspaper copy boy. For Hertz conceived the plan and put it through.

“Hertz left the newspaper business to sell automobiles. He gave that up to try the transportation game. He bought three taxicabs and borrowed seven more. And that was the beginning of the Yellow Taxicab Company in Chicago, which grew to such enormous proportions that Hertz became wealthy in a few months. He decided to reach out. He absorbed the Chicago motor buses, and now he has 335 of them operating over110 miles of streets. He reached out and took Ritchie from Fifth Avenue Coach Company eighteen months ago. Now he has taken the coach company itself.

‘“My plan,’ he said yesterday afternoon in his suite at the Waldorf, after he had returned from the conference, ‘always has been to give reasonable and economical transportation. That is what made Yellow Taxicab company the success it is in Chicago. We started out at 20 cents a mile. No one had dared to do that. No one else dared to do it for a couple of years. Now taxicab rates in Chicago are 15 percent lower than they are in New York.’

‘“When I got into the motor bus game in Chicago matters were in bad shape. We scrapped the equipment. We established responsible service. We did not ask to expand. We used the same streets that had been used. I said we would not expand until the people asked it. In the end they did ask it and now we have 335 buses running over 110 miles of streets as compared to 315 buses on twenty-nine miles of streets in New York.’

“To Give New York What It Wants

‘“We believe that New York wants responsible and economical transportation and we are going to give it. The trouble here has been absentee landlordism. The Interborough owned the company but hired men ran it. I believe that the owners should operate public utilities.’

‘“Much of the equipment here is obsolete. We are going to replace that equipment as fast as we can. We are not going to let it wear out; we are going to scrap it. In Chicago we have buses that glide past as quietly as an electric automobile and they are as comfortable as any automobile. That is the type of coach we are going to bring to New York.’

‘“We are not going to expand right off. We are going to follow the plan laid down in Chicago. We are going to wait until the public asks us to expand. And we will give them such good service that they will ask us to expand.’

‘“I known something about the transportation business, I think. I have been a chauffeur. Every one of the officers of my company, with the exception of the auditors and the bookkeepers, has been a chauffeur. We take in no outsiders. A man must come in and work up. We go on the merit system. And all our employees become stockholders immediately on an easy payment plan.’

‘“I view the problem as a three-cornered affair. There are the investors, the employees and the public. The investors must have a fair return, the employees must have a good living wage and the public must be given responsible and economical transportation. The fare here is ten cents. I don’t know that there will be any change in that, but I do not know that there will be very much of a change in what they get for their money.’

‘“The ‘Public Be Damned’ policy is old stuff. I know that we must have the good-will of the public. My efforts will be directed to winning that good-will and if I do, as I will, when the public wants us to expand we will be ready.’”

July 1, 1924 New York Times:

“BUS MERGER PLAN GIVEN IN DETAIL; New Organization to Be the Omnibus Corporation, With Hertz as Chairman.; SHARES TO BE EXCHANGED.; Syndicate Is Formed to Purchase New Stock Not Taken by Old Company Holders.

“Financial details of the merger under which the motor buses operated in New York and Chicago will be placed under a single management were announced yesterday by J. and W. Seligman Co. and Grayson M-P Murphy Co., managers under the plan.

“The plans for unification, recapitalization and reorganization involve three companies now engaged in the hauling of passengers by motor bus. They are the Fifth Avenue Bus Securities Company, a Delaware corporation, which now owns a majority of the stock of the New York Transportation Company; the New York Transportation Company of New York, which owns the entire capital stock of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company and which owns and operated bus lines in New York, and the Chicago Motor Coach Company, Delaware corporation, which owns the entire outstanding stocks of the Chicago Motor Coach Company, which owns and operates motor bus lines in Chicago and Cook County, Illinois.

“These companies will be merged into a new organization to be known as the Omnibus Corporation, of which John Hertz of Chicago will be Chairman of the board, and John A Ritchie will be President. The corporation will have an authorized issue of cumulative preferred stock of 250,000 shares, par value $100 each, of which 106,378 shares are to be presently issued, and of 1,500,000 shares of common stock without par value, of which 622,195 shares are to be issued.

“The basis of exchange for the stock of the present corporations will be as follows:

Holders of the Fifth Avenue Bus Securities Corporation stock are to receive one share of 8 per cent, convertible cumulative preferred of $100 par value and one and one-half shares of common stock in the Omnibus Corporation for each ten shares without par value of the present holdings.

“Holders of New York Transportation Company stock are to receive three and one-tenth shares of the new 8 per cent, convertible cumulative preferred stock and four and sixty-five one hundredths shares of the new common stock for each ten shares of $10 par value of their present holdings.

“Holders of Chicago Motor Coach Corporation preferred stock are to receive the new 8 per cent, convertible cumulative preferred stock, share for share in place of their present holdings.

“Holders of Chicago Motor Coach Corporation common stock are to receive six shares of the new common stock for each share of their present holdings.

“The preferred stock will be known as Series A and will carry dividends at the rate of 8 per cent, cumulative from July 1, 1924, and will be redeemable at $115 a share. Stockholders of Fifth Avenue Bus Securities Corporation will have the option of selling their new securities issuable under the plan to a banker’s syndicate at a price equal to a banker’ syndicate at a price equal to $10 in cash for each share of the present holdings. New York Transportation Company stockholders will have a similar option at a price equal to $31 in cash for each share of their present holdings. Stockholders of these corporations will receive the right to subscribe at $10 a share for not more than 78,878 shares of new Omnibus Corporation common stock. Stockholders of the Chicago Motor Coach Corporation will have the right to subscribe at the same price for 100,000 shares of new stock in the proportion of two shares of new stock for each share owned.

‘A syndicate has been formed composed of J. and W. Seligman & co., the Guaranty Company of New York and Grayson M-P Murphy & Co., which agrees to purchase the new stock which stockholders of the Fifth Avenue Bus Securities Corporation and the New York Transportation Company may elect to sell under the terms of the plan, and all of the additional stock offer to stockholders of the existing companies and not subscribed by them. The common stock of the Omnibus Corporation will be subject to a voting trust, of which John Hertz, Edward N. D’Acona, Harold E. Forman, Charles A McCulloch, Grayson M.-P. Murphy, Charles H. Sabin and Frederick Strauss are to be the trustees.

“New earnings of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company in 1923 are put at $1,228,380. Net for the Chicago operating company for 1923 was $304,220.

“The Chicago company operates 335 buses over eighty-five miles of streets and parkways. The New York company operates an average of 303 buses over approximately twenty-five miles of the city’s main thoroughfares.”

September 10, 1924 New York Times:

“FIFTH AV. COACH CO. BOARD REORGANIZED; John A. Ritchie Made Chairman -- Omnibus Corporation Tells of Extensions in St. Louis.

“Extension of the People's Motor Bus Corporation in St. Louis, with twelve new routes, covering forty-three additional miles in that city, was announced last night by the Omnibus Corporation, following a reorganization meeting of the Board of Directors of both the Fifth Avenue Coach Company and the New York Transportation Company at the general offices, 605 West 132d Street. The new St. Louis service, it was stated, will be installed at once, with the purchased of seventy-five new motor coaches at a cost of about $1,000,000.

“Important changes of officials were made as a result of the meeting. Colonel Grayson M-P. Murphy resigned the Chairmanship of the Board of Directors, but remains as a member. H.H. Vreeland and E.J. Berwin resigned as directors, John Hertz of Chicago, Chairman of the Board of the Omnibus Corporation, and D. Raymond Noyes succeeded Vreeland and Berwind as directors. John A Ritchie, President of the Omnibus Corporation, was elected Chairman of the reorganized board.

“The stock control of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company is in the hands of a voting trust, extending for a period of five years. The voting trust has four members from Chicago and three from New York, as follows: John Hertz, John A. Ritchie, Charles A. McCulloch, and Edward D. Ancona, Chicago; John C. Jay, Colonel Grayson M-P Murphy and Charles H. Sabin, New York.

“The full Fifth Avenue Coach Company board is reorganized as follows: Chairman, John A Ritchie; members, John Hertz, Frederick T. Wood, Philip T Dodge, James B.A. Fosburgh, John C. Hay, Frederick L. Lavanburg, Colonel Grayson M-P. Murphy, Charles H. Sabin, Henry Sanderson, Edmond E. Wise, Frederick Strauss and D. Raymond Noyes.

“The operation of the company will continue under the presidency of Frederick T. Wood as President and General Manager, and his present official staff.”

April 7, 1925 New York Times:

“5TH AV. BUS CONTROL PASSES TO CHIGAGO; Omnibus Corporation Interests Have Majority in Enlarged Board of Directors.

“Formal control of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company passed to the Chicago owners of stock in the New York Transportation Company, holding company for the coach concern, at a meeting of the latter company at 15 Exchange Place, Jersey City, yesterday. The number of directors was increased from thirteen to twenty-three to give the Chicago holders a majority of the board. The following were elected to the Board of Directors:

“From New York – Philip T. Dodge, James B.A. Fosburgh, John C. Jay, Frederick L. Lavanburgh, William H. Lowe. Grayson M.-P. Murphy, Charles H. Sabin, Henry Sanderson, Frederick Strauss, Frederick T. Wood and Edmond E Wise.

“From Chicago – Edward N. D’Acona, Alfred Ettlinger, Leonard S. Florsheim, Harold E Foreman, John D. Hertz, Albert D. Lasker, Otto W. Lehman, Charles A. McCulloch, John A. Ritchie, John R. Thompson, Harvey T. Woodruff and William Wrigley Jr.

“A large increase in the number of bus passengers carried by the three subsidiary companies of the Omnibus Corporation of Chicago, one of which is the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, was shown in a report for March and the first quarter of the current year, made public yesterday.

“A tabulation showing the number of passengers carried and a comparison with similar periods last year follows:

Fifth Avenue Coach Company of New York:
		1925		1924
March	$	5,885,205	$	4,724,909
First Quarter	$	14,986,319	$	12,203,580

Chicago Motor Coach Company:
		1925		1924
March	$	4,281,000	$	2,801,000
First Quarter	$	11,516,000	$	6,592,000

People’s Motorbus Company of St Louis:
		1925		1924
March	$	2,097,203	$	748,126
First Quarter	$	5,746,741	$	1,760,098

“The Fifth Avenue Coach Company began the operation of 5.4 miles of route in the Bronx on Oct. 10, 1924. The St. Louis company opened 43 miles of new routes during the year and the Chicago company began operation on the West Side in that city in March, 1924.”

June 28, 1925 New York Times:

“TAXI HEAD SILENT ON MERGER PLANS; Hertz of Yellow Company Conferred With General Motors Men at Detroit. ALSO AFTER BUS CONTROL Financial District Believes Concern That Controls Fifth Avenue Vehicles Is Involved.

“Reports of a contemplated merger of the General Motors Corporation and the Yellow Cab Manufacturing Company and the Yellow Coach Company of Chicago, were neither confirmed nor denied by John Hertz, head of the taxicab and coach companies, yesterday, according to a dispatch from Chicago.”

July 8, 1925 New York Times:

“YELLOW CAB CO. NOW IN GENERAL MOTORS; Directors and Bankers of Both Concerns Agree to the $16,000,000 Merger.; YELLOW TO BUILD TRUCKS.; Automobile Makers to Turn Over This Part of Its Business – Will Be Active In Bus Field.

“Official details covering the negotiations whereby the General Motors Corporation has acquired a controlling interest in the Yellow Cab Manufacturing Company of Chicago were made public yesterday by representatives of both companies. Completion of the deal joins the largest automobile and taxicab manufacturing units in the country, and the working agreement between the two organizations has been consummated for the purpose of expanding in the motor truck and bus fields. Under the agreement the truck division of General Motors organization will be transferred to the Yellow Cab Corporation, and in exchange the General Motors Corporation receives 800,000 shares of the common stock, a controlling interest in the Chicago organization.

“The Boards of Directors of both companies have unanimously agreed within the past few days to link the tow organizations, and the plan also has the support of the two banking concerns which represent the companies. The plan, however, has yet to be ratified by the stockholders of the Yellow Cab Manufacturing Company.

“Announcement of the details was issued for the General Motors Corporation by Alfred P. Sloan Jr., President of that organization. The statement of John Hertz, President of the Yellow Cab Company, and Lehman Brothers, the bankers for the latter company, was issued through the law firm of Chadbourne, Stanchfield & Levy.

“Change in Capital Structure

“According to the statement of Mr. Sloan, the plan calls for a readjustment of the capital structure of the Yellow Cab Manufacturing Company and the sale to it of all the stock of a new corporation, to which General Motors Corporation will transfer the plants and other assets of the General Motors truck division. The property so transferred, it is stated, will have an aggregate net book value of $16,000,000, including about $10,500,000 of net working capital, of which about $5,000,000 will be in the form of cash, this giving the new combination ample working capital. For this transfer the General Motors Corporation will receive $16,000,000. This $16,000,000 will be used for the acquisition of 800,000 shares of the common stock of the new Yellow Truck and Coach Manufacturing Company, which will be the name of the new company, which will be the name of the new company to be organized to take over the present taxicab business and the General Motors truck division.

“The capitalization of the new Yellow Truck and Coach Manufacturing Company, following completion of the plan, will consist of 150,000 shares of 7 per cent, non-voting cumulative preferred stock of $100 a share par value, 600,000 shares of Class B stock of $10 a share par value, and 800,000 shares of common stock of $10 a share par value.

“Regarding the position of the stockholders of the Yellow Cab Manufacturing Company, it is stated that the 6,000 shares of Class A stock, valued at $600,000 par, will be retired. Holders of the present Class B stock of the company will receive Class B stock in the new Yellow Truck and Coach Company on a share for share basis, and in addition they will receive an extra dividend equal to $25 a share, in the form of the 7 per cent, cumulative stock of the new company.

“Expects Great Economies

“Commenting upon the importance of the deal from General Motors standpoint, Mr. Sloan in his statement said: ‘The Yellow Cab Manufacturing Company, apart from its position in the taxicab business, occupies a strong position in the bus field. A merger of the General Motor truck business with the business of that company is calculated to result in material economies in the manufacturing and distribution end of these important lines of business.’

‘“General Motors Corporation has recognized the importance of the bus, and believes that the proposed merger with the Yellow Cab Manufacturing Company will immediately place it in a strong position in the bus business, with the opportunity of enjoying a really unique position in the future development in that field. It also believes that is position in the heavy duty truck business will be greatly strengthened as a consequence of the combined management and the benefits derived from more economical manufacture and distribution.’

“Mr. Hertz’s statement said that ‘for a long time the Yellow Cab Manufacturing Company has been preparing to engage vigorously in the manufacture of trucks and commercial bodies, in addition to its established lines of motor buses, taxicabs and its present products. The acquisition of the General Motors facilities will immediately enable it to become a leading factor in the truck business and will secure to it at once the excellent facilities and the vast resources connected with the General Motors Corporation, a result which otherwise could not possibly have been accomplished without many years of effort.’

“From the standpoint of the stockholders of the Yellow Cab Manufacturing Company, Mr. Hertz said this deal is ‘the greatest achievement in their history. This connection with General Motors organization will assure to the Yellow company the great advantages of economical purchase in large quantities, of quantity production, intensive sale management, large savings in manufacture and the benefit of the highest technical automotive experience in the world. In association with General Motor Corporation, the premier automobile manufacturers for the company will far exceed any that they have ever had in their history.”

July 17, 1925 New York Times:

“HERTZ AND RITCHIE HEAD TRUCK MERGER; To Be Chairman and President of Yellow Cab-General Motors Combine.; SEE BIG CHANGE IN INDUSTRY.; Door-to-Door Long-Distance Transportation Probable, Head of Board Says.

“John D. Hertz, President of the Yellow Cab Manufacturing Company, has announced the personnel of the Yellow Truck and Coach Manufacturing Company, which has been organized for consolidating the truck division of the General Motors Corporation, the Yellow Cab Manufacturing Company and the Yellow Coach Manufacturing Company into one company. Mr. Hertz will be Chairman of the Board of Directors and John A. Ritchie, Chairman of the Board of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, will be President.

“George A. Green, formerly Chief Engineer of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, will be Vice President in charge of engineering; Paul H. Geyser will be Vice President In charge of production; Irving A. Babcock, Vice President in charge of finance and accounting; P.L. Emmerson, Vice President in charge of sales, and Otto E. Stoll, Vice President and manager in charge of the motor truck division.

“This combination of the cab, motor coach and truck manufacturing interests of the companies, according to Mr. Hertz, will result in great economy in the purchase of raw materials and the production of vehicles, and will give the new company one of the largest selling organizations in the world. It will thus be a benefit, he adds, not only to the security holders, but to the purchasers of vehicles and through them directly to the public.

“Mr. Hertz formal statement, which appears in the current issue of Motor Coach, says that the combination of the three companies ‘will enable us to carry out rather extensive plans we have had in mind for some time, to become the largest manufacturer of commercially operated, revenue-producing vehicles in the world. We have established a reputation through many years of manufacturing as the producers of the highest class and biggest revenue-producing taxicabs, coaches and light-delivery wagons in the world.’

“Pointing out that there will be no radical changes in the policies of the Yellow Cab Manufacturing Company, Mr. Hertz says ‘this is a most logical combination and under the new order of things will not only give us the manufacture of a line of commercial vehicles more comprehensive than any other manufacturer, but will enable us to incorporate in the design and construction of our trucks many of the operating and manufacturing refinements to be found in the construction and design of our motor coaches and taxicabs. Incidentally I might say that the General Motors Company truck division is a highly successful organization. It has an experience in the manufacture of heavy-duty vehicles extending over many years, and has in service today many of the heavy-duty trucks doing satisfactory duty all over the world.’

“Commenting on the development of the industry, Mr. Hertz adds that ‘we feel that our industry is on the brink of a tremendous evolution. Throughout the nation, all thinking transportation men appreciate that the motor coach and motor truck are destined to fill an increasingly important niche in the general scheme of things, For some time we all have been preparing for this eventuality.’

‘“I believe that the time is near at hand when a passenger will buy a railroad ticket calling for transportation of himself and baggage from his home to the place at which he intends to stop in some distant city. In other words, the purchase of his original ticket will include such transportation as taxicabs and coaches. This equally true of freight. In the near future I believe we will see the railroad shipper’s bill of lading include pick-up service and delivery, as well as transportation from one place top another. In other words, railroad companies must necessarily avail themselves of the use of such vehicles as ours in order to carry out a complete plan of transportation.’”

October 9, 1925 New York Times:

“8,788,935 MORE BUS FARES.; Fifth Avenue Company Reports Big Passenger Gain for Nine Months.

“An increase of 8,788,935 revenue passengers carried by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company lines in the nine months ended Sept. 30, compared with the same period last year, is shown in the report of the Omnibus Corporation of Chicago for its subsidiaries. The New York company transported 54,532,985 passengers against 45,744,050 last year.”

October 1, 1926 New York Times:

“22 NEW 5TH AV. BUSES PUT INTO OPERATION; Lower Deck Seats Fitted With Leather -- Automatic Fare Boxes Installed on Platforms.

“Fifth Ave Coach Co installs 22 new double-decked cars”

February 18, 1927 New York Times:

“FIFTH AV. COACH CO. TESTS STEAM BUSES; Experiments With Automotive Boiler as Means to Aid in Solving Traffic Problem.; CALLED CHEAP, FLEXIBLE.; Engineer Sees a Revolutionary Effect-Street Railway Also Said to Be Interested.

“The possibility that steam may be used to help solve New York City's surface transit problem was disclosed yesterday when it was learned that the Fifth Avenue Coach Company is testing a standard bus chassis driven by a new type of automotive boiler. Used with a steam engine of conventional type, the vehicle is said to combine flexibility and economy. The cost of fuel and maintenance for the improved boiler are estimated to be one-third of the cost of a standard gasoline motor. The boiler operates automatically and the system of control is simpler than that of an automobile. It was perfected by Frank J. Curran, an engineer now living in New York City.

“The test of the new device are under the supervision of L.H. Palmer, Vice President of the Fifth Avenue Company, and William McClellan of the engineering firm of McClellan & Junkersfeld, Inc. Ten tons of railway car axles are used on the test chassis to approximate the weight of a fully loaded bus. The odd-looking vehicle is being driven around the city, particularly in the hilly districts of Washington Heights.

“Testing of the boiler by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company follows its application for franchises to operate a citywide bus system.

“Expects Successful Tests

“Both Mr. Palmer and Dr. McClellan said the test were not far enough advanced to determine definitely how it would operated under actual working conditions. However, Dr. McClellan said that if test proved as successful as he expected the result would be almost as revolutionary in its effects on heavy duty automobile engineering on heavy grades and in countries where gasoline was high-priced.

‘“It might seem odd that what is popularly supposed to be an almost outworn type of motive power should be utilized to solve the latest problems of street transportation,’ said Dr. McClellan in explaining the new device. ‘Doubtless many persons will recall the unsatisfactory results obtained when steam was first applied to road vehicles in the present century. The fact remains, however, that in twenty-five years engineering and manufacturing methods have evolved to a point that makes application of steam not only practicable but highly desirable for heavy duty.’

‘“The boiler used in the Fifth Avenue coach tests is of the water tube variety. It is designed to generate large quantities of steam immediately, thus meeting the requirements pf vehicles that must start and stop with the minimum loss of time. Built to withstand a pressure of 3,000 pounds to the square inch, the boiler operated at 800 pounds. In the boiler itself there is twenty-seven gallons of water under this pressure. This means that there is constantly available a reservoir of power equal to moving a heavy vehicle tow or three block without consumption of additional fuel.’

“Operates On Any Liquid Fuel

‘“The boiler operates with any kind of liquid fuel, such as domestic heating oil, costing 7 cents a gallon, as against gasoline costing from 20 to 30 cents a gallon. When the engine stops no steam is consumed, which means a further economy. Both boiler and engine may be installed in any truck chassis after removable of the clutch and transmission gears.’

“Dr. McClellan said the device should prove a great help to street railway companies, which must sometimes operated gasoline buses at considerable losses. It is also being studied by one large city electric railway as a substitute for the expensive underground conduit system. In an effort to improve the transmission gears on these vehicles some of the larger transit companies have used a gasoline-electric type of bus. Use of the steam device would eliminate the need of electrical transmission devices, according to Dr. McClellan.

“Dr. McClellan is a former President of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and designed the boiler equipment in the Avon and Cahokia plants of the North American Company and in other large power installations. He was a member of the Muscle Shoals Commission and former Chief Engineer of the New York State Public Service Commission.”

© 2004 Mark Theobald - Coachbuilt.com

Robert T. Swaine -The Cravath firm and its predecessors, 1819-1906, Volume 1, pub 1946

Fifth Avenue Coach Company Collection - New York Historical Society

Oliver J. Ogden - New York Fifth Avenue Coach Company: 1885-1960 - pub 2008

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G.N. Georgano & G. Marshall Naul - The Complete Encyclopedia of Commercial Vehicles

Albert Mroz - Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Trucks & Commercial Vehicles

Donald F. Wood - American Buses

Denis Miller - The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trucks and Buses

Susan Meikle Mandell - A Historical Survey of Transit Buses in the United States

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