Phases of PASSENGER TRAVEL
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THE POPULARITY OF THE COACH IN AMERICA.
An Impression of One or Two of the Favourite Road Services, and the Comfort Which They Provide.
A. GOOD deal of the early motorbus and coach history of the United States was made in the Iron Ranges situated in the State of Minnesota, where to-day motorbus travel is in an advanced state.
Starting out in 1913 with crude equipment the first bus made a trip which brought in fares amounting to, roughly, 10s. To-day as many as 4-5,000 motor coaches operate over 234,000 miles of highways in the States and carry a billion passengers annually. The published statement of one large bus company shows it to be carrying as many as 300,000 passengers per month, and its buses travel 25,000,000 miles ia a twelve-month.
Bus services in the States extend from Minneapolis in the north to Florida in the south and from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi, where connecting lines carry on to the Pacific. In between is a perfect network of lines connecting the larger cities.
Amongst the latest developments in long-distance coach travel in America is the non-stop coach plying between Los ' Angeles and San Francisco and known, as the " rcitecoach," which has been introduced by the Pickwick COMpany. Briefly such a coach adds pullman 'and dining-car service to the attractions of road travel. Two features present themselves in a class never before attained. These are a complete kitchen buffet for preparing hot and cold luncheons and a well-appointed lavatory with washstand, large mirror, etc. Individual armchairs that rest the
whole body are also included in the interior furniture. Each seat is floodlighted with an individual electric lamp, and by just the press of a wall button a uniformed steward is called who attends to orders for hot or cold lunch and light refreshments.
A metal handle near the floor allows the cushioned chair to recline to just the restful position required for a nap. A folding card table has also been introduced into this section. Tinder the guidance of veteran drivers these huge coaches pace off the 445 miles in quiet, vibrationless performance, while passengers take their meals, read, smoke, or enjoy the fleeting panorama, as comfortably as in an armchair at home.
Another interesting motor service which has been inaugurated and in which the Santa Fe Railway Company is interested is one to the ruins of the Santa Fe forests. The trips are known as The Indian Detour and comprise a two-day or three-day motor outing under ideal conditions through the Spanish and Indian south-west states of America, and they offer to the traveller on the railway's through trains, to or from California, a feature unique in transcontinental travel. On these trips there is none of the usual petty
worries of an average motor trip. The railway company provides hotel accommodation and meals, whether in town or at a picturesque ranch or rest house.
Still a further development . in the American bus' industry is the twinengined twin coach, which has attained considerable popularity.