Winston-Salem Transit Authority
Encyclopedia
Winston-Salem Transit Authority (WSTA) provides the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina
with safe and affordable public transportation services to approximately 10,000 people daily. With 27 daily routes, operating between 5:30am and 12:00 midnight Monday through Saturday, WSTA makes over 2 million passenger trips.
History of Safe Bus
Safe Bus was the legitimate child of the illegitimate system of segregation. Because there were no trolley services in the African American section of Winston-Salem when R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company erected its huge plants in 1914, a construction contractor, Mr. E. E. Richardson was forced to convert his Model T Ford automobile into a jitney in order to get his employees to work in time. This jitney was the first mode of flexible public transportation for residents of East Winston. The electric trolleys operated by Duke Power Company traveled on a North-South and East-West route.
As jitneys became more popular, other men in the East Winston area got in on this profitable business. By 1926, there were at least 22 African-American men operating 35 jitneys in a cutthroat and very unsafe fashion. The business bred greed among those trying to pick up people to transport to work and it created some perilous moments for those using the service. Each jitney owner had a designated area that he served. If someone else came along and picked up passengers standing on a corner usually covered by someone else, it made for some dangerous confrontations between the jitney owners. The mayor of Winston-Salem at that time, Mayor Barber, called a meeting of all the drivers and threatened to clamp down and stop allowing the transportation services to operate if they did not work together in an orderly fashion.
Mr. Clarence T. Woodland, one of the businessmen who owned a jitney service, stood to lose money if the mayor made good on his threat. Woodland called a meeting of all the jitney owners on April 24, 1926 and suggested they pool all of their funds and resources to create such a company. Out of the 35 jitney owners operating in Winston-Salem at the time, 21 men showed up for the first meeting, which was held in a small office in the Lincoln Theatre Building on Church Street in Winston-Salem. The Lincoln Theater was one of the four movie theaters frequented by the African-American citizens of Winston-Salem. Out of those attending the meeting, 13 of these men (ten were jitney owners and three were advisors) decided to work together as a unit to form the Safe Bus Company, Incorporated.
There was to be no speculation with the funds of others, stock sales were strictly limited to those directly interested and who had already invested largely in local bus operations. These initial organizers where forced to pledge their life savings and property as a guaranteed fund with which to start operating. Harvey F. Morgan was the first president of the company; Jefferson Hairston, the first vice-president; Charlie R. Peebles, secretary-treasurer, and Clarence T. Woodland assistant secretary. The other owners, Ralph R. Morgan, Elijah and Joseph Miller, Elliot Davis, George Dillahunt, George Ragsdale, John Adams each took positions within the company to ensure the company's growth and their investments.
On May 24, 1926, a charter was granted to the organization to operate buses as a corporation known as Safe Bus Company, under the laws of the state of North Carolina. The company capitalized at $100,000.00, and began operating with 35 antiquated buses. On June 1, 1926, Safe Bus Company Incorporated hit the streets of East and Northeast Winston-Salem. The operators had to map out the routes, develop schedules, and decide upon the fare, which was a nickel. Safe Bus Company's service area was confined to the areas north and northeast of the Colored Business District, CBD. Typically their routes were considered high density; short haul routes (Hinton, 1986).
Before the company could acquire adequate space, the buses were parked each night in front of Ralph R. Morgan's home at 1424 Cromartie Street in Winston-Salem. The first offices were located in the Atlantic building on Third and Church Streets and the first garage facilities were opened in a building on the corner of Third Street and Patterson Avenue (Ebony Magazine 1965).
The first four years of operation were successful. The reserve they accumulated took them through the Depression era. Charlie Peebles became the president in 1932, and led the company during both the Depression and World War II. However, most of this reserve was depleted in 1936 and 1937 and things became increasingly difficult.
In 1937, the city of Winston-Salem's traffic department ordered Safe Bus to replace one third of its fleet within 60 days of the order. Additionally, the North Carolina state revenue got $11,000.00 in back taxes from the time when the company was transferred from its jitney license code to the franchise carrier division. The money was paid under protest and was eventually returned to Safe Bus when the company's attorney discovered the law did not apply to Safe Bus Company (Sugg, 1993).
The last Duke Power streetcar was taken out of service in December 1936. The system became an all bus operation, which Safe Bus had been since its inception. Rather than get into direct competition with Safe Bus, it kept to the white areas of the city. By 1954, Duke Power's routes covered about 80% of the city and Safe Bus about 20%. But while Duke Power's system was losing money, Safe Bus was making a profit. There was a no transfer policy between the competing transportation providers. This made for an expensive commute for those bus passengers who needed to use both systems.
Business took an upward swing after 1938. The loan for the purchase of the new fleet was paid off in four years. The company bought some property valued at $22,000.00 to build a new office. They spent $50,000.00 to build a floor and a half of a proposed 3-story facility. The company purchased controlling interest in the Camel City Cab Company, which was considered part of the transit operation. (Froomkin, 1986)
By the time the company moved into its new building, located at Third Street and Maple Avenue from its garage at 431 North Church Street, the company was purchasing 500 gallons of gasoline and 25 gallons of oil every day, at an annual cost of $30,000.00. They spent $20,000 each year for new equipment. Municipal, state and federal licensing cost them $10,000.00 annually. At the end of 1935, the company was paying its 75 employees $65,000 per year (Trawick, 1965).
Between 1935 and 1940, the company grew tremendously. The company discarded the old obsolete equipment and purchased newer vehicles. During 1937, C. T. Woodland and Joseph Miller, both invaluable members of the organization and two of the original owners of the company, died. Stepping in to replace these two gentlemen were Rev. Horace C. Woodland, a college professor, and son of Clarence Woodland and Mrs. Lolene Miller. They were made directors on the board, which distinguished Mrs. Miller as the first woman to ever hold such a position with the company (Froomkin, 1986).
In 1945, plans were developed to increase the bus fleet to 75 vehicles. The board approved a $750,000.00 bus and cab replacement program and a building expansion program, but they were forced to abandon these plans. The uncertainty of the devastation that occurred at Pearl Harbor made them leery about getting into such debt.
The drivers and mechanics of the company wanted the right to organize, so in 1946 they gained the right to do so. They negotiated for the highest wages for transport workers through their association with Local 248, Transport Workers Union, which is still functioning at the Winston-Salem Transit Authority today. Also employees got vacations with pay and overtime for holidays worked each year. (Johnson , 1955).
In 1947 John Adams became president of the company. He led the company during its most crisis-laden and difficult years. First came labor troubles, where drivers and shop employees went on strike. During the next three years, there were several strikes that lasted various lengths of time and bus operations were halted during these strikes. By the end of 1949, the union was on good terms with the company. During the next five years, all but one strike was averted. That strike, in 1954, lasted four months.
When John Adams died on February 1, 1959, Mrs. Mary Miller Burns, daughter of Elijah Miller an original owner, became the first female president on February 22, 1959. Burns began as an employee of the firm in 1942 after she graduated from North Carolina College. After six months, Mrs. Delphine Morgan succeeded Mrs. Burns as president. Mrs. Morgan began a replacement program, which allowed Safe Bus to discard old buses and purchase more modern vehicles.
In May 1955, Duke Power was released from its franchise to provide public transportation service in Winston-Salem, and a nonexclusive franchise was granted to Winston-Salem City Coach Lines, Inc., a subsidiary of City Coach Lines of Jacksonville, Florida. (Trawick, 1965).
Both Safe Bus Company and City Coach Lines operated within 1,000 feet of approximately 58 percent of the population. About 18% of the population were served by both transit companies. City Coach provided service to 74.9% of the population and Safe Bus served 28.9%. Of the 10 most heavily traveled of the 27 routes covered by both companies, Safe Bus operated six of the routes; City Coach operated the other four routes (Lassiter, 1971).
City Coach operated over eight routes, which could be subdivided into 19 lines, covering 80% of the city. Providing continuous service with holiday and weekend service curtailed, City Coach operated a fleet of 44 vehicles, 38 of which were owned by the company, the other six were leased; twenty-two of the vehicles were 34-seat buses, all the others were 32-seat buses (Overbea, 1966).
Of the 38 vehicles owned by City Coach Lines, the majority of the buses were at least 16 years old and some were 19 years old. Five of the leased buses were 15 years old and the sixth bus was 14 years old. Their vehicle replacement schedule was virtually non-existent. These older vehicles did not provide much encouragement for the public to use their vehicles.
As had Duke Power's transit system, City Coach Lines also started to lose money, partly because of the much lower concentration of bus riders in white areas of the city. In 1960, City Coach had a net income of $16,113. This income dropped to $2,175 in 1961. In 1962, the company operated at a net loss of $18,189, and in 1963 this increased to a loss of $36,757. This company was in operation until 1968, when it discontinued service following several years of loss operation and a protracted strike (Trawick, 1965).
Safe Bus covered 20% of the city and did not provide holiday service. They operated six routes over eight lines, with a rolling stock of 27 buses that were an average age of six years old, and all but three vehicles sat 35 passengers and the other three sat 32. Safe Bus had a net income of $860.00 in 1960. It jumped to $49,684 in 1961 and dropped back to $24,162.00 in 1962. It dropped back even further in 1963. (Rochester, 1971).
Safe Bus Company became the sole public transportation provider for Winston-Salem residents in 1968 when Winston-Salem experienced the loss of a transit system after City Coach Lines closed down and drove its buses out of town after a ten-month strike by its workers (Rochester, 1971). The Winston-Salem Transit Authority was created as a result of the transit troubles. Under a North Carolina law, it is illegal for a municipal government to enter into collective bargaining with a labor union. However, city code, Article IV, Sec 23-146 allowed the establishment of the Winston-Salem Transit Authority, which could act on behalf of the city in the operation of a public transportation system.
In November 1968, Safe Bus entered into a franchise agreement with the Winston-Salem Transit Authority under which Safe Bus assumed the responsibility of providing service in the areas formerly served by City Coach Lines. The former general manager and fourteen drivers (seven of whom were white), of City Coach Lines accepted positions with Safe Bus as dispatcher and drivers, respectively (Stinneford, 1993).
By 1971, Safe Bus had 16 routes comprising 23 lines. These routes were a consolidation of the Safe Bus routes and the routes operated by City Coach Lines, with some modifications. These routes offered good coverage to all but 16% of the city's population. Safe Bus officials wanted to drop four routes that were formerly operated by City Coach Lines. Those routes included West Salem - Konnoak, Crafton Heights-Lockland Avenue, Cityview, Easton, Weston-Old Lexington Road, Wake Forest University, Polo Road, Foxhall, Old Salem, Waughtown, Oak Summit, and Ogburn Station. Interestingly, these are highly profitable routes for the current transportation provider, the Winston-Salem Transit Authority (Rochester, 1971).
Due to the expansion of the company from its high-density short haul service into less profitable sections of the city and the nationwide trend of the late 1960s and early 1970s toward increased ownership of private automobiles, Safe Bus began to encounter financial difficulties.
Expectations in 1969 were high. The company immediately started making plans to woo the white passengers who were lost when City Coach went out of business. Twelve new air-conditioned, 45-passenger buses were purchased. Plans were made to improve the services by maintaining reliable schedules, all of this in hopes of giving their new patrons the best in public transportation. But the grass was not greener on the other side of the tracks. In 1969, Safe Bus lost $92,000.00 and in 1970 reported a loss of $130,000.00.
By 1971, Safe Bus found itself in the red by a $270,000.00 deficit. The company was only able to attract 40% of City Coach's passengers. This forced Safe Bus to deadhead over a large land area. Of the 14 routes picked up from City Coach, only six brought in any meaningful revenue, and the other eight routes drained profits. Safe Bus met resistance from people who had contempt for any business owned and operated by Blacks.
In 1971, the Board of Aldermen agreed to give Safe Bus $3,000 a month for six months. The $18,000, from non-tax funds, helped to cover part of the company's operating deficit. However, they needed an additional $30,000.00 to meet pressing debts. The city did not have enough money to permanently support Safe Bus.
In 1971, Safe Bus had a market value of $440,000.00, including $270,000.00 for its 50 buses and $31,000.00 for its land. Individual bus values range from $200.00 for old and scrapped buses to $19,000.00 for each of seven buses bought in 1969.
A special referendum was passed in 1972 and with the help of a federal grant; the city of Winston-Salem purchased the assets of the Safe Bus Company. The federal grant application showed the total expense to be $2,279,850.00. This included: $440,000 for the Safe Bus purchase, $41,000 for two acres of land for a garage at Hobson and Dean Streets, $280,000 for land improvements, $105,000 for the garage, $212,000 for equipment, $51,000 of fare boxes and $1.15 million, including a 7% inflation rate, for 35 new buses (Willis, 1970).
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
with safe and affordable public transportation services to approximately 10,000 people daily. With 27 daily routes, operating between 5:30am and 12:00 midnight Monday through Saturday, WSTA makes over 2 million passenger trips.
Day Routes
- 1 Oakridge to Downtown
- 2 Castle Heights/North Hampton Drive to Downtown
- 3 Providence Place to WSSU to Downtown
- 4 University Parkway to Downtown
- 5 WFU to Downtown
- 7 North Hills/Motor Road to Northside to Downtown
- 9 Mineral Springs to Downtown
- 10 Hanes Mill Road/Cherryview to Downtown
- 12 Country Club to Downtown
- 13 Peters Creek to Downtown
- 14 Stoney Glen to Downtown
- 16 Oldtown to Downtown
- 17 Cleveland Ave to Downtown
- 18 Hawthorne Rd/Hanes Mall to Downtown
- 19 Stratford Industrial Park to Downtown
- 20 Stratford Rd/Hanes Mall to Downtown
- 21 Sherwood Plaza to Downtown
- 23 Forsyth Tech (Main and West Campuses) to Downtown
- 25 West Mountain St to Cityview to Downtown
- 26 Willard Road/Union Cross to Downtown
- 29 Martindale to Downtown
- 30 Green Oaks Apts/Salem Gardens to Downtown
- 43 Westside Connector
- 44 Northside Connector
Night Routes
- 111 Walkertown Road/North Hampton Drive to Downtown
- 444 Woods Rd/Bethabara Rd/ University Parkway to Downtown
- 11 Hanes Mill Road to Downtown
- 1717 Carver School Road/Castle Heights to Downtown
- 2020 Hanes Mall Blvd/Stratford Road to Downtown
- 2323 Silas Creek/Peters Creek Parkway to Downtown
- 2929 Waughtown/Salem Gardens/WSSU to Downtown
History
At its inception, public transportation in Winston-Salem took many forms. An electric streetcar system, jitneys, and eventually motor coaches provided services for citizens of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. After the responsibility of providing public transportation changed hands in 1972 from Safe Bus Company, Inc to the Winston-Salem Transit Authority (WSTA) after the city took over, the service only got better because the foundation was so strong. The Winston-Salem Transit Authority expanded its services for the public and opportunities for its employees.History of Safe Bus
Safe Bus was the legitimate child of the illegitimate system of segregation. Because there were no trolley services in the African American section of Winston-Salem when R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company erected its huge plants in 1914, a construction contractor, Mr. E. E. Richardson was forced to convert his Model T Ford automobile into a jitney in order to get his employees to work in time. This jitney was the first mode of flexible public transportation for residents of East Winston. The electric trolleys operated by Duke Power Company traveled on a North-South and East-West route.
As jitneys became more popular, other men in the East Winston area got in on this profitable business. By 1926, there were at least 22 African-American men operating 35 jitneys in a cutthroat and very unsafe fashion. The business bred greed among those trying to pick up people to transport to work and it created some perilous moments for those using the service. Each jitney owner had a designated area that he served. If someone else came along and picked up passengers standing on a corner usually covered by someone else, it made for some dangerous confrontations between the jitney owners. The mayor of Winston-Salem at that time, Mayor Barber, called a meeting of all the drivers and threatened to clamp down and stop allowing the transportation services to operate if they did not work together in an orderly fashion.
Mr. Clarence T. Woodland, one of the businessmen who owned a jitney service, stood to lose money if the mayor made good on his threat. Woodland called a meeting of all the jitney owners on April 24, 1926 and suggested they pool all of their funds and resources to create such a company. Out of the 35 jitney owners operating in Winston-Salem at the time, 21 men showed up for the first meeting, which was held in a small office in the Lincoln Theatre Building on Church Street in Winston-Salem. The Lincoln Theater was one of the four movie theaters frequented by the African-American citizens of Winston-Salem. Out of those attending the meeting, 13 of these men (ten were jitney owners and three were advisors) decided to work together as a unit to form the Safe Bus Company, Incorporated.
There was to be no speculation with the funds of others, stock sales were strictly limited to those directly interested and who had already invested largely in local bus operations. These initial organizers where forced to pledge their life savings and property as a guaranteed fund with which to start operating. Harvey F. Morgan was the first president of the company; Jefferson Hairston, the first vice-president; Charlie R. Peebles, secretary-treasurer, and Clarence T. Woodland assistant secretary. The other owners, Ralph R. Morgan, Elijah and Joseph Miller, Elliot Davis, George Dillahunt, George Ragsdale, John Adams each took positions within the company to ensure the company's growth and their investments.
On May 24, 1926, a charter was granted to the organization to operate buses as a corporation known as Safe Bus Company, under the laws of the state of North Carolina. The company capitalized at $100,000.00, and began operating with 35 antiquated buses. On June 1, 1926, Safe Bus Company Incorporated hit the streets of East and Northeast Winston-Salem. The operators had to map out the routes, develop schedules, and decide upon the fare, which was a nickel. Safe Bus Company's service area was confined to the areas north and northeast of the Colored Business District, CBD. Typically their routes were considered high density; short haul routes (Hinton, 1986).
Before the company could acquire adequate space, the buses were parked each night in front of Ralph R. Morgan's home at 1424 Cromartie Street in Winston-Salem. The first offices were located in the Atlantic building on Third and Church Streets and the first garage facilities were opened in a building on the corner of Third Street and Patterson Avenue (Ebony Magazine 1965).
The first four years of operation were successful. The reserve they accumulated took them through the Depression era. Charlie Peebles became the president in 1932, and led the company during both the Depression and World War II. However, most of this reserve was depleted in 1936 and 1937 and things became increasingly difficult.
In 1937, the city of Winston-Salem's traffic department ordered Safe Bus to replace one third of its fleet within 60 days of the order. Additionally, the North Carolina state revenue got $11,000.00 in back taxes from the time when the company was transferred from its jitney license code to the franchise carrier division. The money was paid under protest and was eventually returned to Safe Bus when the company's attorney discovered the law did not apply to Safe Bus Company (Sugg, 1993).
The last Duke Power streetcar was taken out of service in December 1936. The system became an all bus operation, which Safe Bus had been since its inception. Rather than get into direct competition with Safe Bus, it kept to the white areas of the city. By 1954, Duke Power's routes covered about 80% of the city and Safe Bus about 20%. But while Duke Power's system was losing money, Safe Bus was making a profit. There was a no transfer policy between the competing transportation providers. This made for an expensive commute for those bus passengers who needed to use both systems.
Business took an upward swing after 1938. The loan for the purchase of the new fleet was paid off in four years. The company bought some property valued at $22,000.00 to build a new office. They spent $50,000.00 to build a floor and a half of a proposed 3-story facility. The company purchased controlling interest in the Camel City Cab Company, which was considered part of the transit operation. (Froomkin, 1986)
By the time the company moved into its new building, located at Third Street and Maple Avenue from its garage at 431 North Church Street, the company was purchasing 500 gallons of gasoline and 25 gallons of oil every day, at an annual cost of $30,000.00. They spent $20,000 each year for new equipment. Municipal, state and federal licensing cost them $10,000.00 annually. At the end of 1935, the company was paying its 75 employees $65,000 per year (Trawick, 1965).
Between 1935 and 1940, the company grew tremendously. The company discarded the old obsolete equipment and purchased newer vehicles. During 1937, C. T. Woodland and Joseph Miller, both invaluable members of the organization and two of the original owners of the company, died. Stepping in to replace these two gentlemen were Rev. Horace C. Woodland, a college professor, and son of Clarence Woodland and Mrs. Lolene Miller. They were made directors on the board, which distinguished Mrs. Miller as the first woman to ever hold such a position with the company (Froomkin, 1986).
In 1945, plans were developed to increase the bus fleet to 75 vehicles. The board approved a $750,000.00 bus and cab replacement program and a building expansion program, but they were forced to abandon these plans. The uncertainty of the devastation that occurred at Pearl Harbor made them leery about getting into such debt.
The drivers and mechanics of the company wanted the right to organize, so in 1946 they gained the right to do so. They negotiated for the highest wages for transport workers through their association with Local 248, Transport Workers Union, which is still functioning at the Winston-Salem Transit Authority today. Also employees got vacations with pay and overtime for holidays worked each year. (Johnson , 1955).
In 1947 John Adams became president of the company. He led the company during its most crisis-laden and difficult years. First came labor troubles, where drivers and shop employees went on strike. During the next three years, there were several strikes that lasted various lengths of time and bus operations were halted during these strikes. By the end of 1949, the union was on good terms with the company. During the next five years, all but one strike was averted. That strike, in 1954, lasted four months.
When John Adams died on February 1, 1959, Mrs. Mary Miller Burns, daughter of Elijah Miller an original owner, became the first female president on February 22, 1959. Burns began as an employee of the firm in 1942 after she graduated from North Carolina College. After six months, Mrs. Delphine Morgan succeeded Mrs. Burns as president. Mrs. Morgan began a replacement program, which allowed Safe Bus to discard old buses and purchase more modern vehicles.
In May 1955, Duke Power was released from its franchise to provide public transportation service in Winston-Salem, and a nonexclusive franchise was granted to Winston-Salem City Coach Lines, Inc., a subsidiary of City Coach Lines of Jacksonville, Florida. (Trawick, 1965).
Both Safe Bus Company and City Coach Lines operated within 1,000 feet of approximately 58 percent of the population. About 18% of the population were served by both transit companies. City Coach provided service to 74.9% of the population and Safe Bus served 28.9%. Of the 10 most heavily traveled of the 27 routes covered by both companies, Safe Bus operated six of the routes; City Coach operated the other four routes (Lassiter, 1971).
City Coach operated over eight routes, which could be subdivided into 19 lines, covering 80% of the city. Providing continuous service with holiday and weekend service curtailed, City Coach operated a fleet of 44 vehicles, 38 of which were owned by the company, the other six were leased; twenty-two of the vehicles were 34-seat buses, all the others were 32-seat buses (Overbea, 1966).
Of the 38 vehicles owned by City Coach Lines, the majority of the buses were at least 16 years old and some were 19 years old. Five of the leased buses were 15 years old and the sixth bus was 14 years old. Their vehicle replacement schedule was virtually non-existent. These older vehicles did not provide much encouragement for the public to use their vehicles.
As had Duke Power's transit system, City Coach Lines also started to lose money, partly because of the much lower concentration of bus riders in white areas of the city. In 1960, City Coach had a net income of $16,113. This income dropped to $2,175 in 1961. In 1962, the company operated at a net loss of $18,189, and in 1963 this increased to a loss of $36,757. This company was in operation until 1968, when it discontinued service following several years of loss operation and a protracted strike (Trawick, 1965).
Safe Bus covered 20% of the city and did not provide holiday service. They operated six routes over eight lines, with a rolling stock of 27 buses that were an average age of six years old, and all but three vehicles sat 35 passengers and the other three sat 32. Safe Bus had a net income of $860.00 in 1960. It jumped to $49,684 in 1961 and dropped back to $24,162.00 in 1962. It dropped back even further in 1963. (Rochester, 1971).
Safe Bus Company became the sole public transportation provider for Winston-Salem residents in 1968 when Winston-Salem experienced the loss of a transit system after City Coach Lines closed down and drove its buses out of town after a ten-month strike by its workers (Rochester, 1971). The Winston-Salem Transit Authority was created as a result of the transit troubles. Under a North Carolina law, it is illegal for a municipal government to enter into collective bargaining with a labor union. However, city code, Article IV, Sec 23-146 allowed the establishment of the Winston-Salem Transit Authority, which could act on behalf of the city in the operation of a public transportation system.
In November 1968, Safe Bus entered into a franchise agreement with the Winston-Salem Transit Authority under which Safe Bus assumed the responsibility of providing service in the areas formerly served by City Coach Lines. The former general manager and fourteen drivers (seven of whom were white), of City Coach Lines accepted positions with Safe Bus as dispatcher and drivers, respectively (Stinneford, 1993).
By 1971, Safe Bus had 16 routes comprising 23 lines. These routes were a consolidation of the Safe Bus routes and the routes operated by City Coach Lines, with some modifications. These routes offered good coverage to all but 16% of the city's population. Safe Bus officials wanted to drop four routes that were formerly operated by City Coach Lines. Those routes included West Salem - Konnoak, Crafton Heights-Lockland Avenue, Cityview, Easton, Weston-Old Lexington Road, Wake Forest University, Polo Road, Foxhall, Old Salem, Waughtown, Oak Summit, and Ogburn Station. Interestingly, these are highly profitable routes for the current transportation provider, the Winston-Salem Transit Authority (Rochester, 1971).
Due to the expansion of the company from its high-density short haul service into less profitable sections of the city and the nationwide trend of the late 1960s and early 1970s toward increased ownership of private automobiles, Safe Bus began to encounter financial difficulties.
Expectations in 1969 were high. The company immediately started making plans to woo the white passengers who were lost when City Coach went out of business. Twelve new air-conditioned, 45-passenger buses were purchased. Plans were made to improve the services by maintaining reliable schedules, all of this in hopes of giving their new patrons the best in public transportation. But the grass was not greener on the other side of the tracks. In 1969, Safe Bus lost $92,000.00 and in 1970 reported a loss of $130,000.00.
By 1971, Safe Bus found itself in the red by a $270,000.00 deficit. The company was only able to attract 40% of City Coach's passengers. This forced Safe Bus to deadhead over a large land area. Of the 14 routes picked up from City Coach, only six brought in any meaningful revenue, and the other eight routes drained profits. Safe Bus met resistance from people who had contempt for any business owned and operated by Blacks.
In 1971, the Board of Aldermen agreed to give Safe Bus $3,000 a month for six months. The $18,000, from non-tax funds, helped to cover part of the company's operating deficit. However, they needed an additional $30,000.00 to meet pressing debts. The city did not have enough money to permanently support Safe Bus.
In 1971, Safe Bus had a market value of $440,000.00, including $270,000.00 for its 50 buses and $31,000.00 for its land. Individual bus values range from $200.00 for old and scrapped buses to $19,000.00 for each of seven buses bought in 1969.
A special referendum was passed in 1972 and with the help of a federal grant; the city of Winston-Salem purchased the assets of the Safe Bus Company. The federal grant application showed the total expense to be $2,279,850.00. This included: $440,000 for the Safe Bus purchase, $41,000 for two acres of land for a garage at Hobson and Dean Streets, $280,000 for land improvements, $105,000 for the garage, $212,000 for equipment, $51,000 of fare boxes and $1.15 million, including a 7% inflation rate, for 35 new buses (Willis, 1970).