opposed a fare increase and the city wouldn't allow it. Tramway company workers voted to strike, the company brought in strike-breakers, and violence quickly broke out with seven dead and 52 seriously wounded before federal troops intervened. In the end the Denver Tramway Company filed for bankruptcy. The bankruptcy court allowed a fare increase and the Denver Tramway Company was able to get back on its feet. But years of neglect due to insufficient funds and an increase in automobile ownership meant that many Denverites stopped using the streetcar system. Decline and end of streetcar operation In 1924 the first Denver Tramway bus service began operating between Englewood and Fort Logan. The company began to phase out streetcars in favor of trolley coaches (buses that used the overhead electric lines) and motor buses (internal combustion buses). Buses were less expensive to operate and were more flexible, as they were not confined to tracks. In addition, moving away from trolleys meant that the Denver Tramway no longer had an obligation to maintain the streets that it served. At the start of 1949, Denver Tramway had 131 streetcars in service, 138 trolley coaches, and 116 gasoline-powered buses. By the end of 1950 the streetcars were no longer in use and within 5 years most of the infrastructure for them had been removed. Trolley bus service ended in 1955. Cars were becoming a larger part of life for Denverites. The Denver Tramway Company, with its monopoly on public transportation in the Denver area, was not expanding quickly and more commuters were using cars to get to and from Denver. Author Sherah Collins writes, "... in 1970, Denver had more cars per capita than any other place in the country, which is not surprising due to the lack of public transit options."From 1969 to 1971, the Denver Tramway Company continued service under the sponsorship of the City and County of Denver. In 1971 with aging equipment, low revenues, and lackluster ridership the Denver Tramway Company transferred all of its assets to city-owned Denver Metro Transit. As the Denver Metro Transit was an entity created by Denver, suburban service continued only for those suburbs willing to contribute a subsidy. Within two years Denver Metro Transit was nearly bankrupt. In July 1974 Denver Metro Transit became part of the Regional Transportation District (RTD), the entity created to operate public transit services in eight of the twelve