CROSSING AMERICA BY SALOON BUS.
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A Project Intended to Show the Suitability of the Modern Passengercarrying Vehicle for Service Under Diverse Conditions.
TN OUR issue dated July 29th we ..1-stated that the establishment of the world's longest motorbus route was under consideration, and we now learn that a Reo sedan-type motorbus is making a pioneering trip of this nature between New York and San Francisco. If this venture meets with success, the
United States will have been crossed for the first time by a motorbus, and very probably a company will be formed to establish 'through passenger transportation by road from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
If the number of people who have made inquiriesconcerning the project can he taken as an indication, an almost unbelievable interest is being shown by the American public in bus touring and cross-country travel. Accordingt toireports from members of the crew,at almost every halt they are approached by people with count:less questions regarding fares, schedules, and reservations for the trip.
When the questions were first; put to them, the members of the Reo party were amused. The run had been planned for no other 'purpose than to show the possibilities of cross-country travel, to illustrate the manner in which trips of varying lengths might be made' -without inconvenience_ and discomfort, and to prove that bus transportation' .in any part of the country is practical. Another aim was to show that the modern type of bus has the stamina to conquer mountain trails and sandy roads, the speed to travel over paved highways, as well as the necessary flexibility for safe handling in city traffic. As these questions became more and snore frequent, the feeling of amusement turned to one of genuine wonder, not only because of the manifest
interest taken in the bus itself, but because of the fascination cross-country travel and bus touring seemed to have for the, inquirers.
What seemed to appeal especially to those making inquiries svas,the idea of a. personally conducted tour over highways and mountain roads instead of through cuttings and tunnels, and coming into the cities along boulevards or surfaced highways where the topography might be studied and the scenery viewed at close range.
Another matter which impressed those in charge of the Reo saloon bus was the startling increase in the number of miles. of surfaked highways now available to Use road user. Mr. "Dave" Fassett,' the veteran trans-continental driver, who made his first 'ocean-to-ocean trip in 1905 in a two-cylinder Reo, and who is driving the vehicle engaged in making the present trip, declares that the prevalence Of hard-surfaced roads was almost unbelievable to one who had negotiated the wagon trails of 20 years ago.
According to the latest information available the Reo bus has left Chicago, after having covered about 2,000 miles. It left the factory at Lansing. Michigan, some weeks ago, and proceesied to New York City, Where the real startacross the country was made. Of these 2,000 miles of road less than 70 had been unpaved, and practically all of the unpaved roads were gooa gravel. Twenty years ago the ratio of unpaved to surfaced roads was the reverse, and then the unpaved roads were almost as bad as those of Jacobean England. No attempt at great speed is planned for the present trip. Apparently no fixed itinerary will be followed, except that Seattle will be the first objective on the Pacific coast, Thence the Reo will proceed southwards by way of Tacoma, Portland, and Sacramento to San Francisco.
A few of the outstanding features of the Reo saloon bus that will probably he the first vehicle of its type to traverse the American continent will undoubtedly be of interest to our readers. Its bodywork is more like that of a luxurious private car than that of a public utility vehicle. Mounted on a special chassis with a six-cylinder engine, this body. incorporates a combination of strength and refinement, and is particularly adapted for enabling passengers to travel in comfort between the widely scattered cities of the Central and Western States.
Such comfort is regarded as being essential if patronage for long-distance bus services is to be secured. The body is divided into three compartments —one for the driver, another for nonsmoking passengers, and the third for smokers. There is ample accommodation in the passengers' compartments to seat 16 people, whilst two additional passengers can be sated in the driver's compartment.
The driver's seat, which is roomy and deeply upholstered, is separated from the upholstered folding seats provided for the passengers in his cab. The upper half of the partition between the driver's compartment and the non, smoking compartment consists of a grille of heavy nickel-plated rods. This prevents passengers from interfering with the driver, althcugh in no way hampers easy communication between driver and passengers when this is necessary. Heavy roll curtains can be drawn • down behind the driver in order to obviate refraction from the interior lights at night. At the driver's hand is a separate switch controlling a dome light for the driving compartment, whilst two doors are provided, one on each side of the body. WindoW regulators of an improved type are fitted to all doors.
The non-smoking compartment has two full-length seats, both facing forward: At the right-hand of each seat is a separate door, double catches being fitted to prevent accidental opening. Ample illumination is provided at night by two flush-type dome lights, and a ventilator is placed in the centre of the roof. A wide belt of sheet aluminium between the seating and the floor protects the upholstery from damage by passengers' feet, whilst the floor covering is of heavy rubber matting. Along the ceiling are four double clothes hooks for passengers' wraps, and push-buttons are provided for signalling to the driver. The rearmost compartment is for smokers, and it has one full-width seat extending across the rear and two longitudinal seats. Considerable space is pro-. vided below the rear seat for luggage. The upper part of the partition betweea this compartment and the non-smoking section of the bus consists of three windows, and its general equipment is very similar to that of the compartment ahead of it. A door is also provided on each side of the body. Large windows have been fitted to this bus so as to provide the maximum of visibility of the road to the driver, and of the surrounding scenery to the passengers. The engine exhaust is used for heating the body interior, and, by operating a heat-regulator lever, the 'driver can warm the interior to any temperature desired.