154.852.1-3

By the late 1920's buses had begun to compete with the electric trolley (streetcars). The Hutchison Bus Line was the first to obtain a license to operate buses on Ames streets. With the end of the college year in 1929, the Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern Line petitioned the Iowa Commerce Commission for permission to cease streetcar service during the summer. By September, the line introduced its own buses into service in Ames and streetcars ceased permanently to run between downtown Ames and the campus. After a few years, the Midwest Transit Line Company became the primary operator of buses in Ames. One of their buses is shown in this 1946 photo.[For another view of the other side of this bus see 154.849.1-5 and 156.863.1-2, not digitized.]