Fung Wah Bus, started by a Chinese Immigrant to New York City's Chinatown area, both revolutionized modern day bus service and reminded the public just how important Federal DOT and FMCSA regulations are.

Quick Facts:

Type: Private, Currently ordered to cease operations pending Federal Review.

Fleet Size: 28

Routes: 1, continuous Hourly Service between Manhattan and Boston Chinatown districts.

Manufacturer and Powerplant: Fung Wah operated late model motor coaches bulit by Van Hool of Belgium. The Fleet is entierly Diesel powered.

Fare Collection: Fung Wah was revolutionary for its "no frills" approach to bus travel, so much so that many of its business practices also saved them money. Tickets were purchased from a kiosk on the sidewalk instead of a bus station. The tickets were then vaildated and collected by an employee before boarding. Fung Wah was notorious for violating many Federal laws regarding fair business practices. Fung Wah employees were known to deny tickets to disabled people. Sometimes after taking the tickets Fung Wah bus conductors would kick people off the bus claiming they didnt purchase a ticket. Offering no proof of purchase this led to several bus fights. Fare was as low as $10 a ticket.

Livery: Fung Wah decided not to paint its fleet to keep costs down. Company decals were applied only along with the Chinese Characters for Fung Wah which means "Magnificent Wind".

Innovations: Started as a small van company shuttling immigrants back and forth from New York and Boston, Fung Wah revolutionized the private bus company market by offering quick cheap transportation that was not currently being offered by larger companies like Greyhound. It is estimated Fung Wah took as much as 60% of Greyhound's New York City business. When the Federal Government allowed private companies other than Greyhound "operating authority" this gave rise to companies like Fung Wah and created competition. Copycat bus companies like Lucky Star Bus used Fung Wah's business model of quick out of NYC bus travel operations. Boltbus and Yo! bus were created by Greyhound to compete with Fung Wah.

Driving Dynamics: Fung Wah Bus was well known for its terrible safety record and poor training of its employees. Fung Wah Buses were involved in numerous accidents attributed to the poor training of its drivers and poor maintenence of its bus fleet. There were several incidents of Fung Wah buses involved in roll-over accidents and fires due to lack of upkeep. Fung Wah bus drivers were also found not to comply with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. FMCSR's state that anyone driving a Bus or Truck must be able to speak, read and write English. The reason for this is because, in the event of an accident, The driver must be able to communicate what happened to the Police, Fire and EMS units that respond. Fung Wah drivers were found not to be able to speak English after being involved in accidents. 21 Fung Wah Buses were inspected by the Department of Transportation and were found to have severe cracks in the A Frames of all their buses. It was later noted these cracks are fairly common but that Fung Wah's buses had even more violations. In 2007 A Fung Wah Bus lost two of its rear wheels while on the highway. The Federal Government and the State of Massachusetts suspended Fung Wah's Right to Operate until they pay off all of their fines and get their entire fleet of buses up to proper inspection