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ROUND TRIP IN AUTOBUS COSTS WORKMAN
OF PARIS ONLY FOUR CENTS!
Paris, Jan. 26. "Your numbers,
messieurs'!" yells the conductor, as
a Parisian autobus-charges up to the
curb. """
And a throng of prospective pas
sengers jostles about his platform,
flourishing small tickets of colored
paper. "Forty-seven," he calls, read
ing off the number of tne lowest tick
et offered him. "Forty-eight, forty
nine, fifty" he continues "and
that'll be all!"
A jerk of the bell cord and off darts
the loaded bus.
This scene is bewildering at first
to the foreigner, yet it really mani
fests the detailed efficiency of the
wonderful Paris automus service, a
pie on in the order of the numbers
which they hold, showing the order
of their arrival at the stop.
The Paris auto buses carry 32 or
34 passengers each. The last avail
able figures showed over 1,000 of
these buses in Paris, running on
nearly 200 miles of streets.
The passenger on a Paris auto bus
can ride in all the luxury of a private
limousine, if he chooses to pay a
"high" rate of fare that is, a fare
as high as American street car com
panies demand for the privilege of
suspending oneself to their famous
straps.
The Paris bus is divided into two
compartments, first and second class.
The standard Paris autobus, with room for 34 passengers. The front
part of the bus is first class, the rear and the platform are second class.
Note how space is gained by putting the chauffeur's seat over the engine
hood. Photo by courtesy of the Engineering Magazine.
service of urban transportation which
until the war demoralized it was next
to London's the finest in the world.
The Paris buses stop only at cer
tain fixed points. Here, in an orna
mental shelter house or attached to
an arc lamp post, is a small case of
numbered paper tabs, much like the
pad of soda checks at a drug store
fountain.
Each would-be passenger, as soon
as he reaches the stop, tears off the
top number and when the bus arrives
the conductor lets the waiting peo-
First-class compartments are covered
with red leather. All the fittings are
highly polished, the ceilings are
white, the whole compartment is
beautifully clean, well lighted and
unmarred by ugly advertising cards.
For 2 cents you can ride a distance
of 1 miles in second class, 3 cents
being the first-class price. For 3
cents second class and 5 cents first
you can ride the entire length of the
line.
In addition, there are special work
ingmen's rates. All those taking ?r
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