Public Transportation In The Last Century

The story about the Streetcar Conspiracy states that the death of the electric streetcars is no accident. Many people believe, between 1938-1950, General Motors’(GM) conspired with other companies, including Standard Oil and Firestone Tire’s, to put an end to electric streetcars. During this time, electric streetcars were a popular method of transportation, but GM wanted it gone so they could sell diesel and gasoline buses instead. The urban legend states that, GM began purchasing streetcar lines, then shutting them down, and not long after advertising a trend away from them. Thus, leaving 90 percent of the population without transportation options.

During the mid 19th century, the railways were the fastest, cleanest and cheapest method of transportation. For about 20 years, they had the highest power-to-weight ratio, and the lowest rolling resistance. Dated from since 1888, electric streetcars were most popular in urban areas. By the 1920s’, there were about 1,200 streetcar companies serving many different cities itself and linking

History of the Assault on Public Transportation in the Last Century,” explains why public transportation is the worst in the industrialized world. Bradford Snell, an author and former attorney for the United States Senate, states that, to continue their scheme, GM purchased the largest bus operating company, Omnibus, and the largest bus production company, Yellow Coach Bus. He explains that, between 1926-1936, GM had destroyed all the railways and converted them into bus routes. Snell argues that, “General Motors’ destruction of electric transit systems across the country left millions of urban residents without an attractive alternative to automobile travel.” To further explain, Snell is saying that because GM destroyed the transit system, many people were left without transportation options. Due to this, they had no other option but to purchase an automobile for private