The Ohmer fare register was, in various models, a mechanical device for registering and recording the fares of passengers on
streetcars,
bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
es and
taxis in the early 20th century. It was invented and improved by members and employees of the Ohmer family of Dayton, Ohio, especially John F. Ohmer who founded the Ohmer Fare Register Company in 1898, and his brother Wilfred I. Ohmer of the Recording and Computing Machines Company of
Dayton, Ohio. This latter company employed up to 9,000 people at one time and was a major manufacturer of precision equipment during
World War I. It was subsequently renamed the Ohmer Corporation and in 1949, acquired by
Rockwell Manufacturing Company.
Fare registers on city buses were replaced by fare boxes by the middle of the 20th century, and today by ticket or card machines. Ohmer fare registers can be found in use and on display at trolley museums throughout the U.S.
A station on the
Sacramento Northern line through
Concord, California, was called "Ohmer", named for the Ohmer company and its fare register. The site is now occupied by the
North Concord/Martinez Station
North Concord/Martinez station is a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station located in the Sun Terrace neighborhood of Concord, California. The station serves the northern area of Concord and nearby Martinez. It is located near State Route 4.
...
of the
Bay Area Rapid Transit
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a rapid transit system serving the San Francisco Bay Area in California. BART serves 50 stations along six routes on of rapid transit lines, including a spur line in eastern Contra Costa County which uses ...
system.
See also
*
Taximeter
References
US Patent No. 764494, issued July 5, 1904
External links
{{commonscatinline
*
ttps://www.nytimes.com/1938/11/05/archives/john-f-ohmer-82-register-inventor-president-and-founder-of-the-firm.html NY Times Obituary Nov.5, 1938, John F. Ohmer
Fare collection systems
Measuring instruments
Tram technology