nytraveler

It has been decided that the Fung Wah bus line that runs between NYC and Boston and Washington will be allowed to continue to operate - but under new scrutiny/regulations.

The buses will be mechanically inspected on a regular basis and all of the drivers have to be requalified - that is - prove that they have a valid bus driver's license - and that they can both speak and read basic english.

Suerich68

I suppose they will have to charge more than the $15 (is it?) now to go from NY to Boston or DC.

Did no one ever equate a ridiculously cheap fare with their skimping on the very important details, such as bus maintenance, qualified drivers, etc.?

MikeT

With the Orthodox Jewish buses battling each other in court over this route, it seems like for reliability and safety, one should consider taking the national companies like Peter Pan or Greyhound, even if it costs more.

Anonymous

What evidence do you have that Greyhound is better or safer? Greyhound had an accident in New York on August 28 that killed 5 people. Has a Fung Wah bus ever had a fatal accident?

GoTravel

Is there a problem with Fung Wah?

Anonymous

Earlier this week, one of the FW buses on a NYC-Boston route took an exit ramp too fast and rolled on its side.

MikeT

Greyhound is at least satisfying the DOT standards regarding safety and training; no such guarantees with Fung Wah and the other Chinatown bus companies. That's why there is so much controversy.

Anonymous

Since the bus line that does a better job of meeting DOT standards has the worse fatality record, perhaps those standards are flawed. Furthermore, after an accident last spring, the DOT asid they would be monitorind FW's training etc. more closely.

nytraveler

It's certainly possible for any company to have a bad driver - or any driver to have an accident.

To say that a company that has routes all over the contry and has been in business for dozens of years has more fatalities than a start up local business is simply apples and oranges.

Fung Wah had had several other incidents in addition to the recent rollover (whihc had serious injuries) in a short period of time - and it hs been found that at lest some of the drivers are not qualified - and neither speak nor read basic english (so how did they get a bus drivers lic?)

It seems to me that the DOT should be watching all of them. But it is worthwhile to note that this one seems to be having more problems.

Anonymous

In a way, yes, it is apples and oranges.

But the accident was recent, and local. Thus, that driver's quaifications and errors are relevant since he was drawn from the same Greyhound staff who drive the same route as the FW buses. I have no idea what Greyhound's long-term or nationwide record might be, but I agree that it is irrelevant here.

MikeT

Except that Greyhound does 10 times the number of trips per day on that specific route and has a much longer history. So therefore one wreck with fatalities doesn't mean it is less safe, given the large number of trips you drive.

It's like saying a 16 year old is a safer driver than a 40 year old because during the 24 years of driving, the 40 year old had one accident.