  We present Hall-effect measurements of two-leg ladder compounds
Sr_{14-x}Ca_xCu_24O_41 (0 <= x <= 11.5) with the aim to determine the number of
carriers participating in dc transport. Distribution of holes between the
ladder and chain subsystems is one of the crucial questions important for
understanding the physics of these compounds. Our Hall effect and resistivity
measurements show typical semiconducting behavior for x < 11.5. However, for
x=11.5, the results are completely different, and the Hall coefficient and
resistivity behavior is qualitatively similar to that of high temperature
copper-oxide superconductors. We have determined the effective number of
carriers at room temperature and compared it to the number of holes in the
ladders obtained by other experimental techniques. We propose that going from
x=0 to x=11.5 less than 1 hole per formula unit is added to the ladders and is
responsible for a pronounced change in resistivity with Ca doping.
