"Fung Wah removes 21 buses from fleet; Cracks found in vehicles’ frames" by Katie Johnston | Globe Staff, February 26, 2013
The Fung Wah bus company, which has a history of crashes and other safety problems, has taken almost its entire fleet off the road following inspections by the state Department of Public Utilities that found cracks in the frames of many of the company’s aging buses.
The department is asking the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to shut down the low-cost carrier until it fixes safety problems found in the state inspections. The DPU does not have that authority.
In a letter to the federal agency, state officials said Fung Wah does not understand basic safety requirements and is “currently incapable of maintaining a fleet of motor coaches.”
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Fung Wah, based in Boston, is running reduced service to and from New York, primarily by using charter buses....
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"Fung Wah bus line stops rolling, for now; Loyal clientele willing to ride, but company suspends service for repairs" by Taryn Luna and Alyssa Edes | Globe Correspondents, February 27, 2013
Sure, there are the cracked bus frames, a history of highway accidents, and, most recently, a growing chorus of regulators questioning the safety of Fung Wah’s 28-vehicle fleet. But there are also $15 fares for a fast ride to New York, and that’s enough to inspire loyalty among customers willing to take their
chances.
“When people ride Fung Wah, you know . . . it’s probably not the safest,” said Victor Kakulu, 32, of Roxbury, as he waited at South Station for the 3 p.m. Fung Wah bus to New York. “But it’s a matter of timeliness, affordability, urgency. They get you where you’re going, so you take your chances.”
But soon Kakulu and other loyal customers may have to find a different ride, as Fung Wah — which virtually invented cut-rate, no-frills bus service between Boston and New York — may be facing too many troubles to keep operating.
Late Tuesday night, Fung Wah posted a sign at its South Station berth saying service was being suspended for bus repairs. That came just hours after the bus line was told that it is in danger of being kicked out of South Station.
On Tuesday, Massachusetts transportation officials sent Fung Wah a “cease and desist order” preventing it from operating out of its docks at South Station as long as the company’s own fleet of buses is grounded. Federal regulators had ordered Fung Wah to remove all 28 of its buses from service earlier this week after inspectors found cracks in the frames of some of the vehicles.
Fung Wah had been continuing to run passenger service out of South Station using buses chartered from other carriers.
MBTA spokesman Joseph Pesaturo said Fung Wah ran another bus out of South Station after receiving the cease and desist notice. “And if they continue to operate service, we will have to consider what steps to take next,” Pesaturo said....
Last month, one of its buses hit two pedestrians in Manhattan, according to news reports. In 2007, a Fung Wah bus crashed into a guardrail at the Allston-Brighton tolls, another rolled while rounding an interstate ramp in 2006, slightly injuring 34 passengers, while in 2005 a Fung Wah bus caught fire on a highway in Connecticut.
Meanwhile, the Boston-New York travel corridor has become more crowded with BoltBus and Megabus lines now competing against Fung Wah. Still, the carrier has its loyal patrons, including those who forked over $15 Tuesday for a one-way trip to New York City.
“I don’t want them to shut them down,” said Hector Pina of Boston, who was at South Station Tuesday for the 3 p.m. Fung Wah bus to New York. “I travel with them all the time and have never had any problems.”
At the neighboring Lucky Star dock at South Station, 20-year-old Kingsley Tan of Boston was waiting to board the bus to New York. The St. John’s University student said despite its reputation he never had a problem riding Fung Wah.
“They do drive really fast,” Tan said. “Sometimes there’s random traffic they still weave through. They’re always sneaking around [cars] and going faster, but it’s a bus, not a car.”
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UPDATE: Federal authorities shut down Fung Wah
Low-priced buses fill a needed niche
