Rochester Transit Corporation
 |
|
| Reporting mark | RSB (Rochester Subway) |
|---|---|
| Locale | City of Rochester |
| Dates of operation | 1938–1968 |
| Predecessor |
Rochester Railway Company New York State Railways |
| Successor | Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority |
| Electrification | 600v Rochester Subway (1938-1957) |
| Headquarters | Rochester, New York |
Rochester Transit Corporation (RTC) was a privately owned, for-profit transit company that operated streetcar, rail, and bus transit in the city of Rochester and surrounding suburban areas from 1938 until 1968. The city-owned Rochester Subway was operated by RTC on a contract basis from 1938 until 1957. John F. Uffert and William A. Lang served as presidents during the course of operation.
The majority of streetcar and bus transit lines in Rochester were operated by the Rochester Railway Company, which was acquired by the New York State Railways in 1905. When New York State Railways entered receivership in 1929, stockholders campaigned to maintain their investment and reorganize Rochester Railway Company. A committee of investors led by attorney Howard M. Woods proposed a reorganization that would return the company to local control. After several years of negotiation, the plan was approved by the Public Service Commission in 1937.
The new Rochester Transit Corporation assumed operation of the old Rochester Lines of the New York State Railways on August 2, 1938. The Genesee Street line was closed on March 28, 1939, with the Lyell Avenue route following on April 23. Four more lines closed on May 23, including South Avenue, St. Paul, Seneca Park, and Summerville. In an effort to eliminate the costly rail transit lines, the company quickly put together a plan to replace the remaining streetcars with bus operation.
Following approval by the Public Service Commission in 1940, RTC carried out its plan to covert the replace all trolleys with buses. The Thurston and Parsells routes were closed on December 24, 1940. On February 18, 1941, the Monroe Avenue and North Clinton lines were shut down. The Portland and Dewey lines followed a month later on March 11. The last day for streetcar service in Rochester was March 31 when the Main East and Lake Avenue lines were closed. The only rail operation which remained was the Rochester Subway, which was operated by RTC on a contract basis with the city.
In 1943 the board of directors rallied support to buy out the remainder of shares to put RTC back in local control. General manager John F. Uffert was elected president and kept the system running through the difficult war years. Postwar prosperity would bring labor unrest, and transit workers walked out in May 1952 in a disagreement over wages. After 23 days, the matter was sent to arbitration and operations resumed. Unfortunately, this incident would set the tone for labor relations throughout the rest of the company's history.
...
Wikipedia