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Competing with passenger railroads of the Lehigh Valley and Jersey Central, which transported people from downtown Wilkes-Barre to the bigger cities, Frank Martz Sr. had a risky idea in 1928.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn or about June 1, Frank Martz motor bus magnate operating lines in Wilkes-Barre and Plymouth, will inaugurate a bus line service between Wilkes-Barre and New York City with two large deluxe busses leaving here daily,\u201d the Wilkes-Barre Record reported on May 16, 1928.<\/p>\n
It was a chancy but bold move by Martz to compete with passenger railroads that had been the primary source of transportation to New York City since the 1870s.<\/p>\n
Starting his business with a flatbed truck with four bench row seats in 1908, Martz slowly grew his local transportation business into a multi-state industry, eventually becoming the Frank Martz Coach Company.<\/p>\n
The Wilkes-Barre-to-New York route could be seen as Martz testing the waters for expansion.<\/p>\n
The Wilkes-Barre terminal was at the Capitol Theatre on Public Square, where buses left at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily, while the point of origin in New York was at the Hotel Astor in the Broadway district of Manhattan.<\/p>\n
Buses left New York at 6 p.m. and 1 a.m. to return to Wilkes-Barre.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 1 a.m. leaving time from New York has been purposely planned for the convenience of those who care to visit the metropolis and enjoy a show or boxing event,\u201d the Wilkes-Barre Record reported.<\/p>\n
While it takes about two hours to drive to New York City today, it took Martz buses approximately six hours as they stopped to pick up paying passengers in Bear Creek, Mount Pocono, Stroudsburg, Easton, and Jersey City.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fare from the Wilkes-Barre terminal has been placed at $4 for one-way or $7.50 round trip,\u201d the newspaper reported.<\/p>\n
Each bus carried 27 passengers.<\/p>\n
Martz\u2019s bold experiment to compete with passenger railroads worked.<\/p>\n
With the success of the Wilkes-Barre to New York City route, Martz expanded and added a second big city destination in mid-August 1928.<\/p>\n
\u201cEncouraged by the popularity of the Wilkes-Barre to New York service, the Martz bus service is about to open a similar bus line between Wilkes-Barre and Philadelphia,\u201d the Evening News reported on Aug. 10, 1928.<\/p>\n
Passengers on the first voyage from Wilkes-Barre to Philadelphia were reporters from the Times Leader and Evening News, the Wilkes-Barre Record, Wilkes-Barre Mayor Daniel L. Hart, Wilkes-Barre City Solicitor Edwin B. Morgan, and Wilkes-Barre Council members William B. Loftus, Charles Berry, and Edward Donohue. Martz played host on the inaugural trip to Philadelphia along with Martz\u2019s general manager, William A. Gallagher, and company lawyer Abe Salsburg.<\/p>\n
Leaving Wilkes-Barre City Hall at 9 a.m., they arrived and were greeted by Philadelphia Mayor Harry A. Mackey just after 12 p.m. They had lunch at the Locust Club at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, where Martz expressed his plan to add Philadelphia to his bus route.<\/p>\n
\u201cMayor Mackey told Mr. Martz that Philadelphia would be glad to welcome as many persons as possible who would come from Northeastern Pennsylvania and said that Mr. Martz could have any convenient location desired in Philadelphia as a terminal for his bus line,\u201d the Wilkes-Barre Record reported on Aug. 11, 1928.<\/p>\n
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