RTD Needn’t Hang Its Head in Shame in the Red Cars’ Shadow

Had enough of the Rapid Transit District’s accidents and inept accounting practices? Like to return to the good old days of fixed rail and Pacific Electric’s Red Cars? Convinced that one trolley is worth a dozen buses and that RTD can’t be compared with the old PE?

You’re not alone. Since the electric interurbans that once linked the cities of Southern California made their last run on the Long Beach-Los Angeles line 25 years ago, streetcar buffs have wailed over their passing. Every new bus mishap or political attack on the RTD reminds us of the time when Southern California had a transit system second to none.

Rail fans love to spread out a map of the Pacific Electric system and note how on Sunday in the 1920s and ‘30s riders could travel from one end of the county to the other on a $1 pass. Next they recall how a Long Beach resident, George Livesey, established an all-time record of more than 300 miles in a single day--all for $1! Then they smirk and make some snide remark about RTD matching that.

RTD needn’t hang its head in shame any longer. Livesey’s ride is now second-best. An RTD patron stepped aboard a bus one Saturday for a journey that should finally lay to rest that old myth about the superiority of PE’s Big Red Cars. On a $2-per-day tourist pass the RTD rider, who prefers anonymity rather than a call from the President, outrode Livesey by nearly 100 miles.

Back in 1928 Livesey rolled out of Long Beach one Sunday at 5:40 a.m. on the Los Angeles-bound car. He returned to Long Beach at 12:33 a.m. Monday, having covered 334 miles.

Livesey’s challenger boarded a bus at the Cal Poly Pomona terminal at 5:04 a.m., returning at 10:35 p.m. In between, RTD whisked our rider to Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Bernardino, Riverside, through Orange County to Long Beach again, back to Riverside and on to Los Angeles and Altadena before returning to Cal Poly. A conservative estimate is that the journey covered at least 400 miles in 17 1/2 hours.

We don’t know if Livesey’s Red Cars ran on schedule, but the RTD buses occasionally arrived at their destinations early. Those running late were usually within three or four minutes of their designated arrival times.

It’s true that Livesey’s trip cost only $1, but, considering inflation, the RTD rider got a much better bargain--even at $2 a day. As recently as 1981, RTD matched Pacific Electric by selling the tourist pass for $1. And RTD’s pass was good any day of the week, not only on Sunday, on all regularly scheduled routes. Livesey couldn’t use his pass on the Riverside or San Bernardino run, and there was no Red Car from Riverside to Long Beach.

Red Car officials were so impressed by Livesey’s trip that they reported it in the May 10, 1928, issue of the Pacific Electric magazine. They saw it as good publicity, and used it to encourage the sale of passes.

RTD’s unimaginative policy-makers are not likely to be interested in the ride that broke Livesey’s record. They have discontinued tourist passes, and even when the passes were available only out-of-town visitors could buy them. Other major municipal transit systems still sell holiday passes to build good will and revenue, but not RTD.

The Rapid Transit District has fallen on hard times lately. With its image at an all-time low and dearly in need of improvement, it’s time for the district to emphasize the positive accomplishments of a system that is a lot better than even RTD seems willing to admit. Its fares, service and route times compare favorably with those of the PE at its peak, despite traffic congestion far worse than anything that the old Red Cars had to face.

RTD could start by introducing a recreational pass for local residents. If available at reasonable rates and restricted to off-peak hours and weekends, it could stimulate support for the RTD without hindering commuters. There even may be another George Livesey out there ready to break that 500-mile barrier.