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Feds Give Fung Wah Buses Green Light to Resume Operations

By Lisha Arino | December 17, 2014 12:25pm
 Passengers board a Fung Wah bus in Chinatown.
Passengers board a Fung Wah bus in Chinatown.
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DNAinfo/Patrick Hedlund

CHINATOWN — Chinatown bus operator Fung Wah is eyeing a return to New York early next year, after the federal government gave it the green light to get back on the road earlier this month.

“We’re hard at work ramping up operations,” said Fung Wah’s attorney Alexander Linzer, who confirmed its return.

The discount bus carrier, known for its $15 dollar rides to and from Boston, was shut down by federal regulators for safety violations in 2013.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration "permitted limited operations to prove they can safely transport passengers and protect the motoring public" on Dec. 11 after Fung Wah put new operation safeguards in place and passed multiple inspections, according to a statement by the agency.

The company will also be subject to extra oversight, it said.

"FMCSA will aggressively and continually monitor Fung Wah’s operations and subject its vehicles and drivers to unannounced inspections to ensure that the company fully complies with all federal safety regulations," the statement read.

Fung Wah hopes to return in the first quarter of 2015, said Barry Lewis, the chief executive officer of United States Transit Funding, Inc., a company Fung Wah hired in September to help with operations and maintain compliance with state and federal regulations.

Lewis said the schedule and pricing has not been finalized, but confirmed that Fung Wah plans to resume its Boston-to-New York route.

“We’re looking to be competitive based on the companies that provide passenger transportation in Massachusetts and New York,” he said.

The company is also exploring the possibility of expanding into other cities on the Eastern Seaboard, Lewis said.

Lewis said Fung Wah plans to submit its application for a New York City intercity bus permit Thursday. The company has renewed its lease at 139 Canal St., he said, and hopes to be able to drop off and pick up passengers there.

A Department of Transportation spokeswoman said Fung Wah had reached out to the city to begin a new permit application. The review process, she said, includes presenting before the local community board.

Fung Wah had spent more than a year trying to reopen after federal regulators shut it down for safety violations nearly two years ago.

The FMCSA initially rejected Fung Wah’s new operating license in January, records show.

The company appealed the decision in March, saying it had conducted comprehensive reviews and safety audits, sold 10 of its oldest coaches and hired a full-time safety manager, among other changes, according to documents.

The FMCSA changed its mind after reviewing the company's application again in the fall and engaging in talks with the company, Linzer said.

He said they reached an agreement that allowed the carrier to resume operations. He did not elaborate on the agreement but said that conditions included adding electronic logging on Fung Wah's buses, which would help in record-keeping.

Linzer and Lewis said more work is needed before Fung Wah can begin shuttling passengers between the two cities.

Lewis said his company is making sure that Fung Wah's fleet of 13 buses is up to code, hiring about 20 new drivers and reaching out to stakeholders in both cities.

"We’re in the business of dotting i's and crossing t's," he said. "We want to make sure we pass any type of inspection with flying colors and we leave no stone unturned."