Atlantic City's Jitneys Celebrate 100th Anniversary With Throwback Fares
By Kim Glovas
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CBS) -- An icon of Atlantic City is celebrating its centennial this year, and today there's a special deal for anyone who wants to ride the AC jitney.
Tom Woodruff is president of the Atlantic City Jitney Association, which was founded on May 18th, 1915. This afternoon between 1pm and 6pm, he says, fares will be the same as they were when the jitneys first hit the streets of Atlantic City.
"The term jitney is an Old English phrase that means 'five cents,' and that was the original fare," he explains. "And so we thought it would be a good idea to do a throwback and give everybody a chance to ride for five cents."
But there is a tiny catch: exact change in the form of a five-cent piece. "Anybody that has a nickel -- no change will be given -- you can ride."
If you don't have a nickel, the fare is still $2.25. But, Woodruff notes, that's still a deal, since the average taxi fare in Atlantic City is fifteen dollars. And he says the jitneys run 24/7, every day of the year, and have never lost their popularity.
"We're the longest running jitney service, probably in the world, at least in the United States," Woodruff tells KYW Newsradio.