JITNEY OPERATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES

Abstract

AN ANALYSIS OF THE HISTORY OF JITNEYS IN THE UNITED STATES IS IMPORTANT TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE CURRENT SITUATIONS FACED BY DEMAND-RESPONSIVE TRANSIT SYSTEMS SUCH AS DIAL-A-RIDE. THIS PAPER FOCUSES ON THE LESSONS THAT ARE APPLICABLE TO INNOVATIONS IN DEMAND-RESPONSIVE TRANSIT SYSTEMS. WITHIN A FEW YEARS OF THEIR INTRODUCTION IN 1910 AS AD HOC MOTORIZED STAGECOACHES, JITNEY OPERATIONS HAD SPREAD ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND WERE DIVERTING AS MUCH AS 50 PERCENT OF THE PEAK-HOUR STREETCAR PASSENGERS. THE TRANSIT INDUSTRY REACTED BY GETTING LEGISLATION PASSED THAT REGULATED MOST JITNEYS OUT OF EXISTENCE. MANY OF THESE REGULATIONS STILL EXIST AND COULD PROVE TO BE A MAJOR STUMBLING BLOCK TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SYSTEMS SUCH AS DIAL-A-RIDE. TRANSIT OPERATORS SEEMED TO TAKE THE ATTITUDE THAT THEY WERE IN THE ELECTRIC STREET RAILWAY INDUSTRY AS OPPOSED TO BEING IN THE BUSINESS OF URBAN TRANSPORTATION. EARLY CONVENTIONAL MOTOR BUSES WERE SLOW IN BEING INTRODUCED BY THOSE TRANSIT OPERATORS. IN FACT, MOST OF THE IMPETUS FOR CHANGE CAME FROM OUTSIDE OF THE ESTABLISHED INDUSTRY. THERE ARE ILLEGAL JITNEY OPERATIONS THAT ARE NOW SERVING UNFULFILLED TRAVEL DEMANDS OF INNER-CITY RESIDENTS. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THERE IS A NEED TO CREATE A FAVORABLE CLIMATE FOR MORE EXPERIMENTATION WITH JITNEY OPERATIONS.

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