Budget Travel - Chinatown Bus Companies Shut Down in Federal Safety Sweep

The U.S. Transportation Department shut down 26 bus companies as imminent safety hazards, closing dozens of routes out of New York’s Chinatown in the government’s largest safety sweep of the motor-coach industry.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-05-31/chinatown-bus-companies-shut-down-in-federal-safety-sweep

I wonder how much Greyhound/Boltbus paid the DOT to shut them down....

Good. When I use to drive into Manhattan every day you would see how those drivers were on the Bruckner or other roads and wonder who on earth would board those death traps. I've seen brakes on fire, recapped tires throwing their thread, drivers apparently trying to double the speed limit (maybe they thought you had to add the numbers on both signs).

It's sad the government can't do the necessary safety checks or enforce the self regulation of them without a sweep like this, but in the end, it's creating a safer ride for the customers.

Then again anybody who actually thought they were safe to begin with.....

Good. When I use to drive into Manhattan every day you would see how those drivers were on the Bruckner or other roads and wonder who on earth would board those death traps.Actually, it sounds like this focused mainly on companies (e.g. Apex and New Century) operating south of NYC to Philadelphia and DC, which you couldn't have seen on the Bruckner. The main operators north to Boston, Fung Wah and Lucky Star, are both alive and well. (Though I think some of the worst offenders are the companies that run from NYC to the Foxwoods/Mohegan Sun casinos in Connecticut, and I'm not sure if any of them were affected).

For the record, I take Lucky Star NY-Boston all the time and have no complaints. (I've also taken New Century to DC a couple times in the past, and found it to be significantly worse, though since its existence helps keeps Megabus fares down I can't say I'm happy to see it go.)

MSNBC: 26 bus operators shuttered over public safety concerns (http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/31/11989437-26-bus-operators-shuttered-over-public-safety-concerns)

I definitely prefer unsafe buses be OFF the road!

Federal transportation officials have shut down 26 bus operators in the Northeast corridor after a year-long investigation found that the companies posed an "imminent hazard" to public safety.

The Department of Transportation, which oversaw the investigation, called the shutdown orders the "largest single safety crackdown in the agency's history" in a press release issued Thursday.

The action applies to nine active bus companies, 13 companies that had been ordered out of service but continued to operate and three companies that had applied to become operators, as well as one ticket seller. The companies were primarily run by Apex Bus, Inc., I-95 Coach, Inc. and New Century Travel, Inc. and collectively transported more than 1,800 passengers daily from New York to Florida along Interstate 95.

rwoman,

you may have missed it, but the topic is already being discussed, so I merged your post with the existing thread.

EmailKid
Budget Travel moderator

Actually, it sounds like this focused mainly on companies (e.g. Apex and New Century) operating south of NYC to Philadelphia and DC, which you couldn't have seen on the Bruckner.

I'm sure that had I been driving on the other side of New York City my experiences would have been the same. I was stating that seeing many of the different Chinatown buses on the route I was taking twice a day, every day, was never a pleasant experience. I was speaking in general terms, not saying any of them were one of the 26 affected companies.

The bus heading to Chinatown last year from the Connecticut casino that killed fourteen or fifteen in the Bronx (which would have driven on the Bruckner had the driver not fallen asleep and crashed just before the exit) is a perfect example of why this needed to happen. The feds let several previous accidents with injuries go by, were lolly gagging around with an investigation into driver fatigue, and allowed fifteen people to die because they took no action to prevent it.

The main operators north to Boston, Fung Wah and Lucky Star, are both alive and well.

Which is absolutely amazing considering Fung Wah's abysmal track record for safety and maintenance.

I have been using New Century Travel bus service for many years. In fact, I just used it last weekend. It is my preferred way to go to Philly. I would even pay a premium to ride it instead of Ghetto Grayhound, slow and expensive Amtrak, or doing the miserable drive on 95 myself.

But best of all, I am not paying a premium. I am paying $14/ticket at the station whereas Grayhound costs about $45-50.

I like their lax attitude. I like that I can eat and drink on the bus. I like that they are willing to let me off the bus at points other than the bus station for my convenience.

I hope they work out their issues.

CNN - NTSB: Deadly 2011 bus crash caused by fatigue, speed, poor oversight (http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/05/travel/new-york-bus-crash/index.html)

Washington (CNN) -- A bus crash that killed 15 people and injured 18 others was caused by a "perfect storm" of sleep deprivation, speed and lack of oversight, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.

...

The driver, Ophadell Williams, "was impaired by fatigue at the time of the accident due to sleep deprivation, poor sleep quality and circadian factors," according to the report. "His lack of evasive braking or corrective steering action as the bus drifted off the roadway was consistent with fatigue-induced performance impairment."