Chinatown bus lines

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This article refers to intercity bus travel. For Chinese-owned public transit within a single city, see Dollar Van.

Passengers waiting at the Fung Wah Lines ticket window on Canal Street and the Bowery in Manhattan

Chinatown bus lines or dragon buses^[1] refers to the private transportation industry that has arisen in the Chinatown communities of the East Coast of the United States since 1998.^{[citation needed]} Similar Chinese American-run bus services are cropping up on the West Coast. The companies typically use large (50 to 60 passenger)^{[citation needed]} buses comparable to those used by other passenger bus lines and some of them screen movies for riders.^{[citation needed]} The industry in the US is subject to federal and local regulations such as unannounced inspections.^[2]

[edit] History

Fung Wah Bus

The first company to offer such services was the Fung Wah Bus, which began routes between New York City and Boston in 1998.^[3] The bus service was originally intended for transporting ethnic Chinese restaurant workers from one Chinatown to Chinatowns in other cities.^{[citation needed]} Now, some bus lines are also used to transport large groups of mainly Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants^{[citation needed]} to and from casinos such as Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, which are located in Connecticut. These gambling buses built upon the popularity of older bus routes to Atlantic City that also targeted Asian American customers.^[4]

Given their relatively competitive fares to the mainstream Greyhound Lines, it has become popular among non-Chinese customers as well, especially students.^{[citation needed]} Recently, competition has come from the Hasidic Jewish-owned Washington Deluxe and Vamoose.^[5]

Increasing popularity has also led to increasing regulatory interest. In September 2004, the City of Boston required Chinatown bus services to shift their operations from the city's Chinatown to the South Station transportation terminal. Steven Bailey of The Boston Globe suggested that the move was motivated by Peter Pan Lines' and Greyhound's interest in maintaining their monopoly on the New York-Boston bus route, and Timothy Shevlin, executive director of the state Department of Telecommunications and Energy, said, "The big dog out there, Peter Pan, is dead set against [Chinatown bus lines]. They don't want that kind of competition."^[6]

[edit] Operation

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Passengers waiting to board the Travel Pack bus to Boston in Manhattan

In addition to New York City and Boston, several bus line companies also link to the Chinatowns of Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Doraville in the Atlanta, Georgia area, and other cities. On the West Coast, buses link the Chinatowns in the San Francisco Bay Area, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles Chinatown and the San Gabriel Valley, and the Las Vegas Chinatown and casinos.

Many competitors offer discount prices that undercut the major bus lines.^{[citation needed]} Typical fares between East Coast cities range from $10 to $20. The industry has become highly competitive with companies offering hourly service between major cities.^{[citation needed]}

The Appalachian extensions of these lines tend to offer less of a price advantage: In August 2006, one-way fares from New York to Pittsburgh on the Chinese-owned All State were $35 compared with $45 advance through Greyhound Lines, while tickets from State College, Pennsylvania to New York were $35, compared to $46 for Greyhound.^[3]

The bus routes have expanded with three bus companies now running between Manhattan Chinatown and the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Today's Bus has a station in Norfolk and Tiger Travel has one in Virginia Beach.

[edit] Fleet

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Chinatown buses have overwhelmingly^[quantify] used the Van Hool C2045 as its vehicle of choice.^{[citation needed]} Fung Wah, Travel Pack, and Lucky Star out of Boston, and many other lines including Tony Bus (Washington D.C.), Eastern Bus Lines (Washington and Philadelphia), and the Albany-New York bus (now operated by Apex Bus) all have Van Hools on their roster.^{[citation needed]} However, as can be expected with small charter operators, fleet policy is somewhat haphazard and may be based on the availability of vehicles on the pre-owned coach market.^{[citation needed]}

Vehicles are typically colored white, sometimes unbranded.^{[citation needed]} Fung Wah, Eastern, and the Albany-New York buses are white. Lucky Star have began to paint some of their buses different colors.^{[citation needed]} Tony Bus Lines appears to have a policy of using one color for each of their buses, often bright primary colors.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Spot Hire/Wet Lease Operations

To meet peak demand, many Chinatown bus companies use wet leases to provide overflow capacity during the weekend.^{[citation needed]} Some smaller companies"cite". Retrieved on 2008-04-20.  use wet leases to provide their core capacity. Typically, a bus (and a driver) would be chartered from a tour bus operator. The tour bus would make one New York-Boston or New York-Washington round-trip to supplement the hourly schedule and provide extra capacity. Fung Wah out of Boston have recently used Omega Express out of Brooklyn, Entertainment Tours out of Boston, Eagle One Coach out of Quincy as charter operators.^{[citation needed]} These charter operators are not necessarily Asian-owned. Omega Express is widely known as a Russian-owned operation.^{[citation needed]} New York-Washington charter runs are often made by small independent charter operators based in small towns around DC in Maryland or Virginia. Larger players, such as DC Trails of Lorton, Va., and smaller players such as Wild Horse Run of Frederick, Md. have all been observed in New York-Washington charter runs.

These wet lease operations bring a variety of vehicle types to the Chinatown bus service. Omega Express has a preference for Prevost buses. Entertainment Tours operate Motor Coach Industries (MCI) 102A3's.^{[citation needed]} Some of the independent operators have newer buses, such as MCI D4500's. Neoplans are very rare on Chinatown services. Some Chinatown bus companies also operate late night schedules with 22-seater minibuses.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Service

This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (April 2008)

Chinatown buses run express, usually making no stops between the departure and destination points. This typically results in shorter travel times. The trip from State College, Pennsylvania to New York City takes about four hours on the Chinatown bus, compared to more than seven hours on Greyhound.

The use of such lines is very informal. Often, ticket booths are walk-up windows on the street, or are located inside restaurants and bakeries throughout a given Chinatown community.^{[citation needed]} Some lines even simply collect cash-payment after passengers have boarded the bus.^{[citation needed]} However, tickets are often sold online, either by the bus companies themselves or by portals and print-outs of confirmation emails are used as tickets.^{[citation needed]}

Except in Boston, the lines rarely use stations of their own.^{[citation needed]} Passengers are usually directed to wait along a given curbside for the arrival of the bus, although many companies offer waiting areas at or near the pickup points. Several bus stops are also near major hotels and in the parking areas of major Chinese supermarkets. In New York, several bus lines pick up passengers on a stretch of Forsyth Street at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge.^{[citation needed]} The sidewalk here, between Canal Street and East Broadway, serves as a de facto terminal.^{[citation needed]}

As Chinatown buses gained popularity, some have began making stops at traditionally non-Asian neighborhoods. Most^[quantify] of NY-DC Chinatown buses make at least one stop in Midtown Manhattan, typically close to Penn Station and Herald Square.^{[citation needed]}

Anecdotal reports^[who?] have been received that New York to Boston Chinatown buses occasionally make unscheduled stops in Brooklyn at locations near Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) when New York-bound, and at locations in Weston, Framingham, and Newton on the Massachusetts Turnpike (Mass Pike) when Boston-bound. These unscheduled stops are by prior arrangement and may or may not be sanctioned by the Chinatown bus management.^{[citation needed]}

Because of the informal "no-frills" nature of Chinatown bus service, disabled passengers have complained about the lack of handicapped access.^[7]

[edit] Routing

This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (April 2008)

New York to Boston Chinatown buses generally use the Massachusetts Turnpike from Boston to I-84, and thence follow I-84 to I-91 to I-95. As I-95 approaches New York, several routings are possible depending on the traffic situation.^{[citation needed]} Some drivers use the Throg's Neck Bridge to reach the LIE, thence to the BQE, and then Manhattan Bridge to Canal St. Other drivers use the Whitestone Bridge. Most drivers use the Triborough Bridge when traffic is not congested, and reach the BQE via Astoria Blvd.

Some 'Casino Buses' use I-395 to make an intermediate stop at Foxwoods Resort Casino between Mass Turnpike and I-95.

[edit] Crime

In 2003 and 2004, a number of bus arsons, driver assaults, and murders in New York City were linked to the possible infiltration of Asian organized crime gangs into the industry.^[8][9]

[edit] Safety

• On March 18, 2005, a Boston-bound Chinatown bus operated by Lucky Star/Travel Pack stopped and evacuated its passengers on the Massachusetts Turnpike shortly before bursting into flames. No one was injured.^[10]
• On August 16, 2005, a New York-bound Fung Wah bus caught fire on Interstate 91 near Meriden, Connecticut. Though the passengers later criticized the driver for being unhelpful and untrained in evacuating the bus, all passengers were eventually evacuated and no injuries were reported.^[11]
  • After the August 16 incident, the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy instituted a policy of holding three surprise inspections per month on all bus companies that leave South Station in Boston. New York senator Chuck Schumer proposed a four-point federal plan that includes surprise inspections and creating a national safety standard for bus operators. New York may institute a similar policy; however, inspections would be difficult in New York because the buses do not all leave the city from the same location.^[12]
• On January 20, 2006, a surprise inspection on Forsyth Street in New York's Chinatown resulted in two Washington-bound buses being pulled temporarily out of service and a driver running away from authorities.^[13]
• On August 15, 2006, a Shun Fa bus travelling from New York to Pittsburgh crashed; 10 passengers were injured, with 5 requiring hospitalization. One person was in critical condition.^{[14] [15]}
• On September 6, 2006, a Fung Wah bus rolled over in Auburn, Massachusetts, and caused minor injuries to 34 passengers.^[16] Excessive speed was cited as a factor and the bus company was fined.^[17]
• On January 3, 2007, a Fung Wah bus lost its back two wheels in Framingham, Massachusetts, early on a trip to New York. No injuries were reported.^[18]
• On February 14, 2007, a Fung Wah bus en route to New York lost control and hit a guardrail on the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) in Allston, Massachusetts. No injuries were reported. State officials had advised Fung Wah to suspend operations because of the winter storms that day.^[19]
• On February 18, 2007, a bus (owned by Tremblay Motorcoach) operated by Sunshine Travel caught fire on the Massachusetts Turnpike near interchange 10A in Millbury, Massachusetts. All 50 passengers were evacuated and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is unknown. The bus was returning to the Chinatown in Boston from Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.^[20]
• On March 23, 2007, a New York-bound Fung Wah bus from Boston got stuck on a concrete barrier in front of a tollbooth on the Massachusetts Turnpike at Route 128 in Weston, Massachusetts, when the bus drove up on a cement lane divider. The driver had entered an automobile-only lane and tried to change lanes. No one was injured in the incident, but the bus was taken out of service and passengers boarded another Fung Wah bus that arrived later.^[21]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Chinatown bus lines

• Most Chinatown Bus Information and other low cost, non-Chinatown bus lines in New York City.
• Brief History of Chinatown Bus, Gotobus, updated in 2008.