Senator MCGEE. By not introducing it as a bill, you see, it doesn't get attacked. We can let the attack cover all the other bills and I can move in on an unsullied record.

The next witness is Mr. Richard A. Trice, vice president and traffic manager, Virginia Stage Lines, representing the National Association of Motor Bus Owners.

STATEMENT OF R. A. TRICE, VICE PRESIDENT AND TRAFFIC MANAGER, VIRGINIA STAGE LINES, INC.

Mr. TRICE. Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, my name is Richard A. Trice and I am vice president and traffic manager of Virginia Stage Lines, Inc., Charlottesville, Va., a motor common carrier of passengers, operating in interstate commerce under rights conferred by the Interstate Commerce Commission and in intrastate commerce by authority of certain State regulatory agencies.

I appear before your committee as spokesman for the National Association of Motor Bus Owners of which my company is a member. This organization, commonly called NAMBO, is the national trade association for intercity bus operations, and its members include the Greyhound, Trailways, and independent carriers who provide more than three-fourths of such service throughout the United States and a number of Canadian Provinces.

I am also authorized to present the views of the National Trailways Bus System, an association of nearly 50 independent intercity bus carriers, of which my company is a member. Further, I am likewise authorized to represent the National Bus Traffic Association, of which I am a director. This organization is the official tariff-publishing agency for the intercity bus industry and is also directly concerned with the publication of bus schedules and time tables.

My testimony is directed primarily to section 9 of S. 1033 and section 7 of S. 1195, both of which would authorize the agency administering the proposed Time Act to establish time subzones during the summer months thus effecting the equivalent of daylight time by transferring such subzones to the standard zone immediately to the east. While I am not qualified to comment authoritatively on the specific technical and legal aspects of this proposal, the intercity bus industry strongly supports its objectives since it deals with a problem of extreme importance to our operations and our patrons.

The Congress is well aware of the chaotic situation which results from the lack of uniform time standards, particularly during the summer. As your committee knows, there are two aspects to the problem. One involves the situation in which individual communities or other areas, often adjacent to one another, observe different standards some on daylight time and others on standard. The other facet is the difference in the dates on which the changes from one time to the other become effective.

For a number of reasons the intercity bus industry and its passengers are presumably more seriously affected in terms of expense, inconvenience, and confusion than is the case in any other form of transportation. In the first place, our industry transports about a third more passengers annually than do the railroads and the airlines combined. Second, almost every community in the Nation and

nearly every mile of the main rural highways are served by our buses. The Official Bus Guide, which is published monthly and contains the timetables of all the principal carriers, is approximately the size of the Washington telephone directory and lists about 370,000 bus arrival and departure times. The schedules shown therein must be revised a minimum of twice a year solely because of the change to or from daylight time for all communities which observe advanced time. In many cases, four annual revisions are involved because of the discrepancies in the dates on which the time changes become effective for States or individual communities.

In addition to the problems involved in the preparation of this official guide, which is used for routing passengers by 25,000 or more ticket agents all over the country, is the preparation and printing of timetables by the individual carriers for use in their terminals and for general distribution. One of the major carriers reports that, at the present timetables are printed and distributed 512 times a year on the average. If uniform time, as proposed by these bills, were in effect this could be reduced to three times a year.

It is estimated that an additional expense of at least $250,000 annually is incurred by the carriers as a result of this chaotic situation for printing alone. This takes no account of the additional manhours expended in scheduling departments in an attempt to rearrange service; the cost of these operations is undoubtedly several times the mere printing expenses, but it is impossible to attach a price tag to it. The problems arising from this confusing situation are by no means limited to their impact on the carriers. Inevitably they detract from the effectiveness of our service and this, in turn, affects our patronage and revenues. To avoid burdening the record with a mass of detail, some of which would be repetitive, I shall offer only two illustrations.

First, during the summer months, on the schedule for a bus operation between Steubenville, Ohio, and Mound, W. Va., a distance of about 35 miles, the bus departure times at the various communities along the route change from daylight to standard time or vice versa no less than seven times, or an average of every 5 miles. As a result we receive complaints from some communities that our schedule is too late for commuting to and from work or for shopping trips; in other communities, of course, it is too early. Since many of these short routes are unprofitable it is clearly impossible to add service. The obvious result is that the public cannot be adequately served and the carriers lose patronage.

My second example concerns an area involving the District of Columbia, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. Effective April 28, 1963, daylight time became effective in the District of Columbia and West Virginia. On Memorial Day-May 30-Virginia will go on daylight time. North Carolina does not observe daylight time and, therefore, remains on eastern standard time.

I might interpolate, the reason I used this particular area, is, as of today, our company has 32 arrivals in the District of Columbia. All of these buses either originate in North Carolina points or points beyond North Carolina. Effective September 2-Labor Day-Virginia will revert to standard time, on September 22 West Virginia will revert to standard time, and on October 27, the District of Columbia

will revert to standard time. This means that a company operating in these three States and the District of Columbia, which my company happens to do, will be required to publish five schedules within a period of 6 months' time.

Now what effect does this have on the passenger? Let us take a passenger in Fredericksburg, Va., approximately 50 miles from Washington. On April 27 he could leave Fredericksburg at 7:55 a.m. and arrive in Washington at 9 a.m. On April 28, leaving Fredericksburg at 7:55 a.m. Fredericksburg time, he will arrive in Washington at 10 a.m. eastern daylight time. Then on May 30, the bus that leaves Fredericksburg at 7:55 a.m. will be departing Fredericksburg at 8:55 a.m. Now it might be asked why we could not change the schedule out of Fredericksburg. This particular 7:55 a.m. departure out of Fredericksburg is a through-bus from Tampa, Fla., to New York City. So let us assume that we have a passenger in Fredericksburg who wants to arrive in Washington at 9 a.m., on April 27 he departs Fredericksburg at 7.55 a.m. and arrives in Washington at 9 a.m. On April 29, for this passenger to arrive in Washington at 9 a.m., we will have to depart Miami, Fla., 1 hour earlier and the passenger will have to depart Fredericksburg at 6:55 a.m., Fredericksburg time, to arrive in Washington at 9 a.m. On May 30 he will be back where he was on April 27. He will be departing Fredericksburg at 7:55 a.m. and arriving in Washington at 9 o'clock. Now on September 2, 1963, he will again go back to departing Fredericksburg at 6:55 a.m. Then on October 27 we again make the schedule out of Miami an hour later and then we are again departing Fredericksburg at 7:55 a.m. and arriving Washington at 9 o'clock.

In the meantime we have had to change our schedule an hour earlier, all the way between the Virginia-North Carolina line into Miami, Fla., operating an hour earlier on April 28 and reverting back to an hour later on October 27 and we have, of course, inconvenienced the people who might be using this service between these points. These are but two illustrations of countless more or less similar situations through the country.

Attached to my statement is an appendix containing excerpts from reports submitted to the National Association of Motor Bus Owners by member carriers further illustrating the wide variety of difficult and confusing problems faced by them because of this lack of time uniformity. I shall not impose upon the time of the committee to read this appendix unless it is your desire that I do so.

Senator MCGEE. The materials in the appendix will be included in the record at the end of your statement.

Mr. TRICE. Thank you.

The confusion experienced by passengers is greatly augmented in the spring and fall during the various periods when the time changes are becoming effective. It is difficult and sometimes impossible to get revised timetables printed and distributed sufficiently in advance so that the public is informed on the bus schedule changes that are to be made. In some areas, particularly where time standards are subject to local option, these periods of confusion occur four or more times a year. Especially difficult are situations in which the revised schedules have been determined and timetables printed and distributed only to find that some local community has changed its mind about whether to go on or off daylight time or revised the date of the shift.

Nor is this problem limited to short-haul operations such as that which I have just described. Large numbers of our passengers take long trips, frequently involving transfers from one busline to another or connections with rail or air transportation. Added to the confusion within our own industry is the fact that many rail schedules are based on standard time while air schedules are typically published in local time. The problem of assuring reasonably satisfactory connections under these conditions is virtually insoluable.

Our buses also transport a considerable volume of mail. Here again, the difficulty of connections arises where mail transported by bus has a prior or subsequent movement by air.

This matter of interline connections is further complicated by the fact that, on many of our relatively long-haul routes, we must serve the passengers who wish to travel comparatively short distances between intermediate points. This is a basic economic characteristic of intercity bus transportation because, on many routes, neither the short-haul nor the through traffic alone is sufficient to meet expenses. It is obvious, therefore, that here again is a situation where variations in time standards among intermediate and/or terminal points often make it impossible adequately to serve our different types of patrons. More than likely, if we meet the needs of intermediate passengers, our bus is likely to depart from or reach a terminal in a large city at an inconvenient hour with a consequent deterioration of the long-haul service and loss of patronage. It is impossible, of course, to assess the volume of missed connections, failures of friends and relatives to meet incoming passengers and myriad other frustrations resulting from this situation.

As noted earlier, this statement is limited to the urgent need for at uniform time standard. Our members have repeatedly gone on record in this respect as evidenced by the following excerpt from a resolution adopted by the last annual meeting of our association:

Whereas, the problems of scheduling and the confusion arising from divergent time zones are being annually increased and compounded: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the National Association of Motor Bus Owners urge upon the administration and the Congress that every effort be made to establish time uniformity in the coming year.

This resolution is in accord with the position of the National Trailways Bus System and the National Bus Traffic Associations, the two organizations to which I referred earlier and for which I am authorized to speak.

I should like also to reiterate my previous statement that we do not take a position on the technical and legal aspects of these measures; this, it seems to us, is an appropriate matter of determination by the Congress with the advice of officials who possess the essential knowledge of administrative and legal considerations. While our immediate and urgent concern is achievement of time uniformity, it is also the consensus of the intercity bus industry that general adoption of advanced (daylight) time between the last Sunday in April and the last Sunday in October is much to be preferred.

We earnestly request your committee to approve a measure which will meet the need for time uniformity. Its adoption would permit our carriers to provide a more convenient and attractive service for the approximately 460 million passengers we transport annually, it

would eliminate much of the present confusion, and it would result in substantial reductions in unnecessary expense to the carriers. I am most appreciative of this opportunity to present our views and I shall be glad to attempt the answers to such questions as the chairman and members may have.

(The attachment follows:)

APPENDIX TO THE STATEMENT OF R. A. TRICE

EXAMPLES OF CONFUSION AND UNCERTAINTY IN INTERCITY BUS OPERATIONS
RESULTING FROM LACK OF TIME UNIFORMITY

1. In 1962 the State of Virginia changed to daylight saving time except for the city of Bristol, but, instead of conforming the daylight saving time switchover dates to those of other States-last Sunday of April to last Sunday of October-Virginia adopted May 30 to September 3. This change required an extra printing of all Greyhound time tables in the entire eastern area, from Richmond to Boston; this is in addition to the changes normally made to accommodate the seasonal traffic pattern and daylight time conversion dates. Moreover, as the normal fall schedule change date was September 6 and Virginia reverted to standard time on September 3, it created a 3-day period when buses were operated on daylight time, while the locality was on standard time. 2. Approximately one-third of the State of Indiana is located in the central standard time zone, yet it unofficially observes daylight time the year round. This action is by vote of the communities involved. South Bend, Ind., late in 1962, joined this group. The South Bend action was not taken until all of the Greyhound schedules and folders had been printed on the assumption that central time would prevail. The result was a great deal of confusion, particularly with respect to the "Official Bus Guide" which is used nationwide as the authority.

As an example, charter groups would schedule bus coaches into South Bend for football games arriving after the games had started.

3. Bus sales representatives and independent travel agents, who set up itineraries for long charter trips and special tours, usually prepare the itineraries months ahead of time. They do not have available the necessary information on local times in late spring, summer and fall. Some specify "all times standard," while others attempt to determine the local time for each city, whether a meal stop, driver relief, or hotel stopover is planned. The result is uncertainty at best, and late arrival at worst. The total effect of this confusion is impossible to calculate, but it adds up to a costly inefficiency in utilizing the various travel facilities, particularly driver personnel and restaurant and hotel staffs who are geared to the time schedules for the travel groups they serve. 4. According to a Carolina carrier:

"Being on the border of the area where daylight time is observed, we really catch the brunt of it. It had been bad enough in the past when we had a time change on the last Sunday of April and the last Sunday of October, which requires two schedule changes a year. To perfect each of these changes, it is necessary to have a schedule meeting of all the carriers along the east coast twice a year. Not only does this cost all the carriers in traveling expense for this number of men to be away from home, but it is expensive in the salaries that are involved. Then too, it is necessary to have a complete reprinting of schedule folders twice a year to say nothing of the printing expense.

"This year the problem is made much more difficult because Virginia goes on daylight saving time May 30 and comes out on September 4, which does not conform with daylight saving time in States north thereof, which makes for four scheduled meetings and four changes of schedule within a 6-month period. Not only is it a cost to us in actual money expended to make changes, but it costs us again because the public has to get familiar with leaving time four different times in a 6-month period, which confuses them. Then they lay the blame on the bus companies and wind up driving their car and we lose the revenue."

5. This company deplores the plight of the Salisbury, Md., passengers to New York City who must determine the frequent changes in scheduled departures set for 1:40 p.m. in early April, change to 2:45 p.m. on April 29, change to 1:45 p.m. on May 30, change to 2:45 p.m. on September 3, change to 1:45 p.m. on October 28, etc.

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