February 7, 1940, marked a dramatic change for Austin commuters. At 1:40 p.m. 500 Austinites boarded the electric streetcars at 6th and Congress for one final ride. The ceremonial ride also launched the Austin Transit Company's brand new fleet of buses.
Roy Velasquez chose Nash Moreno's service station at 1005 E.
6th Street to serve as the headquarters for his newly created
taxi service because of its location. The streetcar tracks ended
at 6th and Chicon and Velasquez built his business by catering
to riders who needed to travel beyond the streetcar lines. In
this photo Nash Moreno (fifth from the right) poses with the fleet
of Roy's Taxis in front of his auto repair service.
Felix Danz (first from left) and Joe Carriage (fifth from left) are just two of the drivers who were ready to roll in their delivery trucks, bringing bread and baked goods to the people of Austin. In the 1930s the Paulissen Bakery had 10 trucks covering eight routes throughout Central Texas. The building behind them, at 302 West 15th Street, housed both the Paulissen Bakery and Bybee's Drug Store.
This 1972 photograph of the intersection of E. 15th Street and the access road of I-35 captures that natural by-product of modern commerce and labor -- heavy traffic.
With the increase in privately owned vehicles over the years the City of Austin eventually saw a chance to increase revenues by installing that bane of the downtown worker, the parking meter in 1937. Parkaidettes, women police officers who patrol the city streets issuing parking tickets to violating vehicles, arrived in 1957.