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Fung Wah Buses Declared "Imminent Hazard" By State Inspectors
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 26, 2013
Modified Feb 26, 2013
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By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 26, 2013
Modified Feb 26, 2013
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State inspectors in Massachusetts want the federal government to suspend or revoke Fung Wah’s license to operate, because the discount bus company is failing safety inspections. Last night inspectors looked at nine buses and found serious problems with eight, including cracks in the frames. As a result, the company agreed to take 21 older buses off the road. But they're still operating today between NYC and Boston—an employee who answered the phone today at the company's downtown office said, "We're not shut down! We're running! Every hour!"
The bus company has a history of safety violations. In 2006, Fung Wah agreed to inspections after thirty three passengers were injured when a speeding bus rolled off an exit ramp in Massachusetts. The company paid $30,000 in fines in the wake of that crash. In 2008, a woman was killed after a dump truck crashed into a Fung Wah bus near the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge in Chinatown. And in January of this year, a man and a woman were seriously injured after another Fung Wah bus driver ran into them near the same spot.
Inspectors with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities are calling on the US Department of Transportation to order Fung Wah to “immediately cease passenger service and provide its entire fleet of 28 motorcoaches for thorough and detailed safety inspections by qualified inspectors.” CBS Boston reports that on one bus, "inspectors found multiple oil leaks from different parts of the engine, and nuts and bolts that weren’t secure. There were also faulty lights, a door with a broken latch and the lack of proper registration on the charter bus hired by Fung Wah."
CBS also reports that a Boston Police sergeant has learned that Fung Wah drivers have "driven failed buses off the lot and actually put them right back in service." Inspectors filled out paperwork in the lobby of Fung Wah Bus Company yesterday, but Fung Wah's employees aren't sweating it. One worker told ABC 7, "The buses have no problem really. They just need to be repaired. It's not big problem." So aside from needing repairs, the buses are totally fine!
Tagged
buses
Chinatown
fung wah
safety
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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