BusTalk

[Mr. Linsky]

I recently received a letter from a young lady by the name of Megan Hoffman who knew of my association with Green Bus Lines and wondered whether I knew anything about her great grand father John Patrick Traynor who was an owner of the company.

My reply followed by her reply are as follows;

Megan,

You've come to the right source (actually, a million to one shot).

I knew John Traynor quite well during my three summers as a relief driver for Green Line while in college in the late fifties.

He was a rather tall, good looking man with a chiseled face and was soft spoken albeit with an Irish brogue that you could cut with a knife (we used to kid him about that).

When we worked swing shifts a group of us would meet for coffee in the ready room at the garage early in the morning and John was always there telling us about the old days - he loved to reminisce.

When there was no inspectors car available for him to use to get to his assigned post for the rush hour he would always ride with me on my bus.

A little history.

John was one of several hundred or more independent 'jitney' drivers (mostly Jewish, Irish and Italian immigrants) that eked out livings back in the teens and early twenties by running small eight to ten passenger buses (they were really a cross between a taxi and a bus) up and down the avenues of Manhattan picking up fares at a nickel a piece (that's where the word 'jitney' comes from).

While they were unlicensed wildcats running without any permits, the city turned a blind eye to them because they were performing a public service especially on avenues such as Madison and Park that had no trolley lines (regular bus services didn't really begin in New York until the mid twenties).

It was at that time that the city began in earnest to police the routes, require franchises and oversee regularly schedule services by responsible operators.

In 1925, John along with as many as 100 of these independents formed Green Bus Lines, Inc. and each of the participants was issued stock equal to what investment they made in the venture - they all became 'stockholder drivers'.

The company toiled in Manhattan serving six crosstown routes until 1936 when they traded them for soon to be lucrative lines in southern Queens County.

At some point later down the road, John was promoted to a gold badge 'Starter' and supervised the routes checking times and helping with rear door collections during rush hours.

I don't remember the last time I saw John (probably in 1961) but I do remember what a nice gentleman he was.

Thank you for your inquiry.

A. Linsky


Mr. Linsky, thank you so much for the stories you had about my great grandpa. I never would have known anything about him if I hadn't run into you. I always wished I could have met him, but now I feel better having a picture in my head of what he was like. The information you gave to me means more than you will ever know. Thank you

Megan Hoffman


It's a good feeling to be able to help someone in a situation like this - I mean, how many of you know anyone who knew your great grandfather?

Mr. 'L'


BTW; I'm watching the personal notes on the board and I thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

[Cyberider]

Great story, Mr. Linsky. She was lucky to find you. Also, it's good to see you here because it's a good thing to think about something pleasant and distracting (buses) at a time like this. You are remaining in our thoughts and with all good wishes.

Dave