Dollar van

A dollar van (also known as a jitney) is a privately owned type of bus service used to carry passengers in the United States. Dollar vans are typically modified passenger vans, and often operate in urban neighborhoods that are under-served by public mass transit or taxis. Some of the dollar vans are licensed and regulated, while others operate illegally. Passengers may board them at designated stops along their route or hail them as share taxis.

A dollar van in Union City, New Jersey, 2009
Cartoon by Marguerite Martyn of a jitney cab and passengers in 1915 St. Louis, Missouri

Both common names – dollar van and jitney – originated similarly. Jitney is an archaic term for an American nickel, the common fare for early jitneys. In the late 20th century, when a typical fare was one dollar, the corresponding name came into usage, though "jitney" is still also common.

Dollar vans are often owned and used by members of inner-city communities, such as African/Caribbean American, Latino, and Asian-American populations. Travelers cite cost and greater frequency as factors in choosing jitneys over larger bus service, whereas safety and comfort are cited for choosing buses.

Atlanta

Jitney buses were popular in Atlanta from 1915 to 1925 as an alternative to streetcars.[1]

New York City area

In New York City, dollar vans serve major areas that lack adequate subway service. The vans pick up and drop off anywhere along a route, and payment is made at the end of a trip. During periods when even limited public mass transit is unavailable, such as the January 2005 Green Bus Lines and Command Bus Company strike or the December 2005 New York City transit strike, dollar vans may become the only feasible method of transportation for many commuters. In such situations, city governments may pass legislation to deter price gouging.[2]

Northern New Jersey has a number of companies running dollar vans, often following similar routes to New Jersey Transit buses but at a slightly lower price and greater frequency. The most common routes have an eastern terminus on street level in Manhattan, either near the Port Authority Bus Terminal or the George Washington Bridge Bus Station.[3] Often, several different companies ply the same route.

Miami

In Miami, jitneys (also known as the Miami Mini Bus) run through various neighborhoods, mostly those stretching between Downtown Miami to The Mall at 163rd Street in North Miami Beach, Florida.

San Francisco

A

San Francisco's Jitneys ran 1914–2016.[4][5]

Ontario

Due to heavy-handed regulations, the intercity bus industry in Ontario has long been controlled by the duopoly of Greyhound and Megabus, with each company staying out of the other's routes. [6] Greyhound Canada exclusively runs all routes that originate or end in Ottawa, while Megabus has exclusive right to the Montreal-Toronto corridor. Many communities in the Golden Horseshoe region and Ottawa-Gatineau metropolitan area are under-served by the duopoly for their high prices, infrequent schedules or lack of route coverage. As such, informal and semi-legal dollar vans or jitneys flourish in the province. Many of those services are organized with published schedules and fixed fare, whose contact information can be found on Kijiji or Craigslist.

Many dollar van routes start or end at Yorkdale and/or Don Mills station.

Quebec

For reasons very similar to in Ontario, there is a significant presence of organized dollar van service in Quebec that provides connections to destinations outside of the province.

Many of the established dollar van services use Namur station as a rallying point.


See also

References

  1. Chambliss, Julian C. (2008). "A Question of Progress and Welfare: The Jitney Bus Phenomenon in Atlanta, 1915-1925". Georgia Historical Quarterly. 92 (4): 486–506. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  2. Richardson, Lynda (December 12, 1999). "As Transit Strike Looms, 'Dollar Vans' and Ferries Are Poised to Cash In". The New York Times.
  3. "Jitney Buses of New Jersey". Jitney Buses of New Jersey. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
  4. "San Francisco's Last Jitney Has Been Driven Out Of Business". www.thirdcarriageage.com.
  5. "San Francisco's Early Jitneys". The Third Carriage Age. March 2, 2016.
  6. Dunne, James. "Is German FlixBus the fix for Canada's bus woes?". CBC News.
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