[PRCo] Re: 88 Transit and Suburban

[Edward H. Lybarger]

Blue Ridge Lines competed with PRCo on both interurbans.  PRCo competed with
itself on Charleroi with a bus route that didn't make it into the
Depression.  Greyhound acquired Blue Ridge in 1955, then sold the
Washington-Wheeling service about 1959 to Suburban Lines, based in
Washington.  The Charleroi service was sold to 88 Transit Lines at about the
same time.  Both companies were owned by the drivers, which worked well for
a while and then became a problem as rider numbers dropped and drivers
retired but still wanted dividends.  Finally Suburban was sold to Shortway
out of Detroit, who bankrupt it pretty quickly.  88 Transit is still around,
and contracts to Mid-Mon Valley Transit Authority.

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org] On Behalf Of Phillip
Clark Campbell
Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 2:20 PM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: [PRCo] 88 Transit and Suburban


> ----- Original Message ----

> From: Edward H. Lybarger <trams2 at comcast.net>
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 7:01:27 AM
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: More photos
> 
> 88 Transit and Suburban were not in business in the early '50s.  They 
> were a late '50s result of Greyhound's decision to get out of the 
> local service business that they had acquired in 1955 through the 
> purchase of Blue Ridge from Potomac Edison.
> 
This is more than I ever wanted to know about coaches but here you have
piqued my interest, to a limited degree.  Who competed with Charleroi and
Washington service if any?  Did 88 eventually operate these routes?  I'm
sorry;  while I recognize the name 'Suburban' I do not remember anything
about them.  Was Suburban the competitor for Charleroi and Washington?


Phil