During this period better motors, cars, and brakes were developed. Motors became more powerful and could operate larger cars. The cars were sturdier, carried more passengers, and were more comfortable, sometimes luxurious. The double-deck streetcar gained wide acceptance primarily in Britain, though it was also tried in the United States.
With large open spaces and a rapidly increasing population, the United States was the prime area for streetcar expansion. The ability of streetcar lines to stretch into rural areas helped cities to grow, as workers could commute relatively long distances to work. Streetcar companies, to increase the number of riders, often built amusement parks at the end of the tracks and encouraged holiday excursions.
As streetcar companies extended their routes, they met lines from nearby communities. Linking these extensions created interurban railways. Trips covering hundreds of miles soon became possible but would have required many car changes. Although many interurbans went bankrupt for lack of support, they helped to improve intercity communications and to facilitate trade.
After World War I the streetcar's role began to fade. Profits often disappeared as costs rose, and fares remained fixed. Buses, cheaper to operate and able to change routes easily, were used more widely, and subways proved more feasible in the larger cities. The most dramatic impact came from the vastly increased use of the automobile. As automobile prices fell, people bought them, abandoning streetcars.
Although some U.S. cities had remnants of streetcar systems after World War II, most had replaced streetcars with other forms of transport before the war. Cities in other parts of the world were slower to shift to other transportation, and in some areas of Europe and South America, where there is less competition from the automobile, streetcar systems are maintained.
