RAPID-TRANSTT SI^BWAYS TN METHOPOMTA N CITIKS. 



771 



There is one inai'ked (lill'crciice hclwccii foi'd^n nnd AiiiericMii 

 lines. Most of the foi-nier have first and s(>coud-eh»ss (•()nij)ai-tn)ents 

 or cars; the hitter charge the same fai-e foi- every one. The (ihisgow 

 subway maintains only one service and ihc tendency elsewhere is in 

 this direction. Some London roads have already made the change. 



The uniform fare, regardless of distance, is also more common 

 with us than abroad. In Paris and Budapest it is in vogue, but the 

 lines are so short as to render a graded system unnecessary. The 

 Glasgow company intended to adopt it, but as the cars run continu- 

 ously around the circle, one would be able to ride indefinitely for one 

 fare. To prevent this, a zone sj^stem was adojMed. A penny ticket 

 (2 cents) allows one to go as far as the fourth station from where 

 he enters the car, or about 1| miles — one-fourth the circumference 





iiiiiiiifc-iii 



Fio. 5.— A Central London Railway car. 



of the road. A 2-penny ticket (4 cents) entitles one to travel any 

 distance, but not more than once around the cii-cle. A ticket is 

 given each passenger, which he gives up upon lea^•ing the station at 

 his destination. Any one who has ridden farther than his ticket 

 indicates is thus found out and required to pay. 



That the subways of London, Paris, Budapest, Glasgow, and Bos- 

 ton were needed and are performing a useful social service is shown 

 by the large number of passengers can-ied. Their influence can 

 only partially be estimated, but undoubtedly the etTect upon social 

 conditions, especially housing and overcrowding, is considerable, 

 not to mention the saving of time in going to and from work. Doubt- 

 less rapid transit will not solve either the housing problem or trans- 

 form our cities into Utopias, but it will alleviate social conditions 

 and prevent what other\\ise would be unbearable evils. 



