„Auto“ bendrovė – Kauno visuomeninio transporto koncesininkė (1924–1927 m.)

Abstract

In this article, the author discusses the activity of the company „Auto" that maintained public transport in Kaunas from 1924 to 1927 on buses. The company signed a conession agreement with the Board of Kaunas at 10 May 1924, but it began to carry passangers on 2.09.1924. The author supposes that initially the public transport was profitable to the company. However, since 1925 the company began to incur losses for unknown reasons. „Auto" tried to gain profit manipulating tickets: once, at the beginning of the 1925, when the company printed tickets abroad without numeration; second time - at the end of the 1925, when „Auto" tried to print the tickets i Lithuania without the acknowledgment of the Board of Kaunas. Both tries failed as they were noticed and the author supposes these tries did not give profit to the company. The collapse of the „Auto" may be dated as soon as 1926. the decision of the court of 1927 only formalized the existing status quo. All property of the „Auto" was distrained and sold to satisfy the claims of the creditors. Some of the buses were transferred to the workers to satisfy their claims. The company, now ruled by its workers, managed to live at least one years (1927-1928). The history of the company after 1928 is unknown. The author concludes that the rise of the price of tickets did not give the expectable profits to the company. The only source of increasing profits could be cutting down sakaries for the administration. However, „Auto" did not event thought about it. The author also states that one of the reasons of the bancrupt of, Auto " could be the annual sum of 100.000 litas to be paid on behalf of the Board of Kaunas. That sum could be too big for the company to be paid.