BusTalk

[Mr. Linsky]

`WHEN THE SHOE WAS ON THE OTHER FOOT'

While I consider myself to be somewhere up there on my history of Green Bus Lines (NY), I continue to re-read Alan Bromberger's marvelous account of the facts (October-December 2000 Motor Coach Age) in which he approaches the subject from a slightly different prospective than will be found in my writings.

The reason being that I actually knew the people who were the history of the company while Mr. Bromberger had to rely almost solely upon what had to have been mountains of research materials, and a good job he did with it indeed!

Anyway, each time I do peruse his pages I learn new things or I learn of how something I already knew actually came about!

For instance – In the 1950's the rumors of a PBL takeover of the city routes in Queens were running rampant among the ranks at least at Green Line.

It was logical at the time because of the generally poor condition of the city's equipment and very vocal out-cries for better service that came from the ridership.

I personally remember that even their newest buses looked like unwashed and beaten up jalopies replete with dents and dings that were always ignored – and how I never failed to compare them with Green Line's pampered fleet.

In fact, according to Mr. Bromebrger's report, Mr. Cooper, the then long time president of Green Line, bragged that not only was his company making a profit and paying over a million dollars a year in taxes, and doing so at 13 cents as opposed to the city's 15 cents, but that he was also prepared to take over the city routes in Queens as soon as the Transit System was ready to give them up (and if you knew Mr.`C' the way I did, you would have known that he meant it!).

Of course, the tables eventually turned and Mr. Cooper's dream of pre-eminence in Queen's bus operations went down the drain!

Let's hope those tables turn again some day and that the colorful PBL's make a comeback!

Mr. Linsky – Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, NY