Jitney Bus Operators Union (1 results)

Soft cover. Condition: Good. 9 issues from Volume 1 No 1 to Volume 1 No 9, 4pp each, printed on buff paper. Each has a horizontal fold with short closed tears to the ends of the fold and the edges are a touch frayed. Jitneys started in Los Angeles in 1914 - the story goes that a taxi owner who was facing bankruptcy due to the lack of work decided to hire his cabs for 5 cents per person per ride irrespective of the distance travelled (a 5 cent piece was known as a jitney). It was an instant success and the scheme soon spread to other cities in the US, including San Francisco. Needless to say the impact on the streetcar operators was severe and state and local government began to regulate the jitneys. In San Francisco this came to a head in 1916, the jitney drivers accepted that regulation was coming but they objected to the jitneys being banned from Market Street, the city's main thoroughfare. On 28 August 1916 the first issue of Jitney News appeared arguing the Market Street case and in the following weeks 9 further issues appeared, making 10 in all, 9 of which are on offer here. I'm not sure how it all turned out! I suspect the jitney drivers lost the argument but in the end the regulation, in particular the bonding requirement, was the beginning of the end for the jitney. But what goes round comes round - 100 years later another cheap & reliable form of public transport is now challenging the status quo - Uber! These are rare items, only one set is recorded, this in the San Francisco public Library. UK postage for this item will be £1.20.