Vol. 4, No. 9, September 2007
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Only in Atlantic City
Jitneys are the city’s unique and affordable means of transportation
The jitney is an almost-uniquely Atlantic City mode of transportation. Though the distinctive short buses seem timeless parts of the city, they have been around less than 100 years. Their history, however, encompasses some of the resort’s best and worst times.
Jitney buses arrived on Absecon Island in 1915, when automobiles were relatively new. Though several of the larger hotels had private motorcars to pick up valued guests from the train station, most people used trolleys to get around. Jitney drivers charged 5 cents a head (“jitney” was once slang for a nickel, and the name stuck). On good summer days, drivers made between $15 and $20 a day, and even in the off-season they could expect to make $10 a shift. Jitneys were essentially large motorcars.
At first, jitneys were almost entirely unregulated, and they ran roughshod over the city during the 1915 tourist season. About 500 of them crowded the streets, picking up and discharging passengers willy-nilly.
There may have been some legitimate public safety concerns, but the trolley owners were most concerned—their income dropped by almost 75 percent. By November 1915, the Atlantic City Traction Company was reporting an annual loss of over $100,000. Unable to pay its debts, it fell into receivership.
City officials proposed more stringent regulations, but jitney drivers bitterly contested any change—in March 1916, they staged a 12-hour strike to show the public just how indispensable they were. But the demand for regulation was indomitable, and by August the City Council had passed a comprehensive jitney regulation bill.
Jitneys were now forced to run regular routes, and the 5 cent fare was written into law. Drivers could be fined up to $100 (a good week’s pay) for a variety of offenses, including overloading passengers, not following prescribed routes, and crossing avenues in mid-street.
As a result of the stricter oversights, the number of jitneys was reduced to 200. In 1917, further legislation reduced the number of jitneys to 190, where it remains today.
In the ensuing years the trolley line struggled and eventually died, while jitneys became an accepted part of the city. Once considered dangerous rebels, jitneys were now a welcome part of the city’s fabric.
Even though fares rose (to a dime by the 1940s, and higher still in the future, reaching the current $2 fare), the routes remained dependable, and riding the jitney became a necessary part of an Atlantic City vacation and an easy way for car-less residents to navigate their hometown.
The Atlantic City Jitney Association, founded in 1915, championed the cause of the privately run buses from its inception. It faced its darkest days in the early 1970s, when gas rationing and the city’s general decline raised the possibility that the service might disappear.
But the advent of casino gaming in 1978 brought the jitney drivers millions of new passengers, and with routes customized to serve casinos in the Boardwalk and Marina areas, jitneys adjusted to the new casino-driven resort. By the early 1980s, rides cost 75 cents, and routes were running profitably 24 hours a day.
To provide service to the city’s growing casino population, jitney routes increased to four. In addition, in the 1990s the Jitney Association partnered with the South Jersey Transportation Authority to run free round-trip shuttles between the train station and the casinos.
The Jitney Association is currently trying to battle a free shuttle service instituted by Harrah’s Entertainment to transport players between its four properties in Atlantic City. The jitney is more than a part of Atlantic City’s past; it is an indelible part of American culture. In 1982, the Smithsonian Institute received a full-size retired jitney for its collections, a fitting reminder of this humble bus’ contribution to the city and the nation.
