CARRIERS - MOTOR CARRIER ACT OF 1935 - ISSUANCE OF CERTIFICATES OF CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY

Applicant petitioned the Interstate Commerce Commission for a certificate of public convenience and necessity to operate a transcontinental bus line, claiming that it offered a distinct type of low-cost service, that by so doing it attracted a portion of the travelling public not served by other carriers, that its through-trip features were a special convenience to its passengers, and that meals en route were included in its fare charges, which were slightly lower than those of existing carriers. The protesting carriers claimed that existing bus facilities could amply handle all of applicant\u27s traffic, that competition in the motor bus field was not in the public interest, and that applicant\u27s lower rates were due to low wages and inadequate equipment, not to bona fide lower operating costs. The commission found that while there was no through-trip transcontinental bus service available, there were numerous connecting lines which offered practically the same service with only one or two bus changes. Evidence also showed that protesting bus lines had experienced an increase in traffic during the time of applicant\u27s operations. Held, Commissioner Eastman dissenting, that applicant is entitled to a certificate of convenience and necessity for its transcontinental operations. All American Bus Lines, Inc., common carrier application, (I. C. C. 1939) 18 M. C. C. 755