Unlike Europe and Asia, most buses in North America have used one large, rectangular sign located in front above the windshield, to show the bus’s route and/or destination. But that wasn’t always the case, as we see in this unique three-pane destination sign used by Capitol Transit (CT) of Washington DC.
Unrolled Destination Sign
CT was one of several municipalities that were loyal to White Motors Corporation, and had a mostly White fleet – here an early 798 model. The left smaller rectangle identified the route number (X2, 30S, 30N, etc.), the center pane provided the destination, and the right square listed whether the bus was a Local, Limited, or Express.
There were also two curbside signs above the first set of windows that showed destination and Local/Limited/Express. These were all rotating hand-cranked signs, which meant the driver must have been pretty busy at turnarounds.
In the late 1940’s, CT purchased White’s updated 1100-series model – White’s last coach before pulling the plug on its transit bus line. In fact, White’s last bus produced was a 50-passenger Cummins-powered 1150 for CT, delivered in October 1953.
Today’s digital electronic signs can pretty much be configured in any way the company/operator desires – Metrobus (CT’s successor) shows the route number and destination on its current fleet.
Things have certainly changed over the years…
Another interesting topic Jim. Thanks!
For anyone that has lived and worked in a large city, with extensive bus routes, and busy rush hour platforms, as large as possible route number and destination signs, are the way to go. As lined-up buses swoop in to a packed platform to pick up passengers, and move onward as efficiently as possible for the next bus, large signage is vital to aid passengers visually seeking their route. With the route number showing as large and outboard, as much as possible.
Even the digital destination sign example you show, on the modern DC Metro bus, could afford to be farther outboard. The more to the left the destination number is, the easier it is for crowds of waiting passengers on a bus platform to look far down a line of buses, to see their approaching bus in the lineup. When their bus reaches the platform, there is often only a few seconds, to get that bus.
I speak from experience, as Ottawa used to invest heavily in the buses-only Transitway. And rush hour lineups at platforms, of five to ten buses, were not unusual. Miss your once an hour bus that goes to a far off rural village, and you were thoroughly screwed!
The three panel design is attractive in a vintage sense. Fine for quieter systems. But not practical during busy rush hours, with volumes of buses.
The pic below is from one of the Transitway backups, that would occasionally happen here in Ottawa. If there was a serious accident or transit construction. Buses seen, way out in the distance. Why this city has invested billions in light rail since.
Fascinating tidbit. I never thought of a split destination sign like that.
When I was a bus driver getting up shortly before the end of each route (every half hour) to change the front and side destination signs by hand was a good excuse to jump out of the seat and move the body in a different way.
I remember those roll-type signs, but never gave any thought to how often they had to be changed manually. I’m surprised they lasted as long as they did, as the technology to make somewhat modern-style dot matrix illuminated signs has been around for a long time (as used on stock ticker signs or to keep baseball scores, for example). I didn’t know GPS is now used to automatically change route signs though. A more obvious (to passengers) improvement to DC area buses is that the route information is now displayed inside the bus as well, along with where the bus is on the route. On newer buses and subway cars, this is displayed along with a graphic showing where the bus is on a small map, done in the style of the London Underground map. Also, payments can be done using Apple Pay and such, no more cash, tokens, or FareCards needed.
Capitol Transit was renamed D.C. Transit in the late 1950s after a management change (though their logo used the same distinctive typeface). DCT in turn was combined with nearby Maryland and Virginia bus services to created Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in 1973, which calls their bus service Metrobus. The pale green buses inherited from DC Transit remained in use for a long time afterward, at least some of them not repainted after 1973 to match the new red/white/blue Metrobus livery. I’ve never heard it called “DC Metro” except maybe to informally describe the DC area light rail/subway service.
Thanks for the info on DC Metro – I’ll make the change.
At some point in the 1980’s, the scroll-type signs, popularly went electric. Becoming faster to change. I recall, the manually-operated and electric signs could be operated with the destinations mispositioned. Lazy or mischievous operators, could simultaneously show the top and bottom typography of two very unrelated destinations. It was not uncommon at ends of shifts, to see operators deliberately use obscure or also sarcastic destinations, like ‘SIGHTSEEING’ or ‘CHARTER’. I always appreciated, when they used ‘HAVE A NICE DAY’. ‘GARAGE’, would give me a laugh.
For years, a specific operator in my city, would always leave the destination blank on his in-service New Look and GMC Classic buses. As his route number was always ’99’, heading east or west. This was in the ’80’s, and I’m guessing he was paying homage to hockey star Wayne Gretzky. And his supervisors allowed him, or just ignored it.
I’ve read about the changeover from Capital Transit to DC Transit, and its fantastically confusing. From what I could gather, Capital Transit had lots of problems, which were all compounded by a 1955 strike. Apparently, Capital Transit operated under a congressional franchise granted in 1933, and Congress revoked the franchise, forcing CT Directors to find a new owner.
The new owners changed the name to try to shake the old Capital Transit reputation. But the details of this deal and the reasons behind it seem very complex.
It’s great to see these pictures and read about the panel sign description here!
Of later model buses, I found Orion VII signage, offered great visibility. Excellent brightness, and large scale for the typography. With the use of ‘all caps’ text, for very easy legibility. All caps being easier to read quickly, than upper and lower-cased lettering. Both in bright sunlight, and at far distances. Again, would be enhanced if the route number was farther left.
In those “DC days”, one could ride the bus from a northern VA “locale” to “right underneath the “Pentagon”. Change to a “DC bound bus”, get a cab, go to “mall level in “Pentagon”, even go into the courtyard area..
No “metro trains ” till the “mid 70’s”.
Opened a bit of it on time for “bicentennial celebrations”.
CC effect, and never mind it was in the second half of the eighties. Thanks for the memories!
My ‘daily bus’, the usual public transport Den Oudsten body on the usual DAF chassis, with the correct route number to boot.
(image source : https://www.flickr.com/photos/arthur-a/5379859743)
Nice bus! Interesting, the bodywork included flush glass. This design must have been intended for use on autosnelwegen roadways. Rather, than just city centre streets.
That’s correct Daniel. Yet essentially it’s still a Dutch ‘standaardstreekbus’, dating back to the late sixties. Usually in yellow, the silver/grey ‘snelbus’ (fast bus) simply skipped small towns and villages.
More memories: a kid asked the driver how fast the snelbus could go. His answer: ‘200, if it has to’.
Standaardstreekbus Wikipedia;
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standaardstreekbus
A very clean and modern design, that aged well. I find it very appealing! Thank you for this info.
I remember these DCTransit buses very well. In the 1950’s, they were painted a somber flat gray. Later, starting in the early ‘60’s, they were painted in two-tone green. The interior ad space contained mostly cardboard slide-ins advertising Trans-Caribbean Airways, since the bus company owner (O. Roy Chaulk) owned both. They heavily advertised weekend excursions to Havana (pre-1960) from National (now Reagan) Airport, popular with the congressional set. These buses had a metal grate in the floor adjacent to the rear doors. By the mid-late ‘60’s, you could get on one of these worn out coaches on a cold winter morning, with all the single-hung windows closed, and be asleep in 10 minutes. The smell of exhaust fumes inside was dizzying! My ride was the cross-town H2/Soldiers Home, with a transfer to the F2/Ivy City or F4/Avondale. Those dropped me at 14th & Michigan Ave., where I commenced my 1 mile walk up to my high school. DCTransit sold School Bus Tickets, a book of 20 brown tickets for $2.00. Transfers were free.
One thing I always noticed: regardless of age, ethnicity, size or over-all build, ALL the drivers had king-cobra forearms! Steering those coaches through the city grid was WORK!
Very much bus-related, so I just add it here: Van Hool (Belgium) went bankrupt. The bus and coach division goes to VDL (the Netherlands), the trailer division ends up in the hands of Schmitz Cargobull (Germany). Officially announced today.
I still prefer the looks of these old rounded busses, no only because I logged so many miles riding them Way Down East .
-Nate