CHINATOWN — Weeks after seizing two buses operated by YEP Tour Inc. over around $300,000 in parking and illegal loading and unloading fines, the New York City sheriff on Jan. 26 seized a third bus from the company.
The company on Thursday night had to cough up $4,200 — $3,700 in fines plus administration fees — to reclaim the bus that was seized near the corner of East Broadway and Pike Street, according to the office of State Sen. Daniel Squadron, who praised the continued aggressive enforcement against rogue bus operators.
"Enforcement actions are coming fast and furious," said Squadron. "This isn't the wild wild west anymore."
@NYCSHERIFF conducts enforcement operations pursuant to writ of execution for $4,000 in Intercity Traffic Violations @NYPD5Pct & @NYPD7Pct pic.twitter.com/yWCiX8P3JY
— NYC SHERIFF (@NYCSHERIFF) January 27, 2017
Squadron joined neighbors in rejoicing after two YEP buses were seized on Jan. 11 at the same corner — which is often illegally used as a makeshift bus stop, according to advocates and the local community board — forcing the company to pay $15,000 on the spot.
The operator is known for skirting local bus laws by parking and loading and unloading passengers without a permit from the Department of Transportation, clogging up crowded streets and restricting mobility, according to Community Board 3, which last year passed a resolution imploring the DOT to withhold a permit from the company.
Squadron in 2012 penned the Intercity Bus Law, which mandated that bus companies apply for permits to use designated bus stops with community input, to crack down on bus operators blocking intersections.
A manager for YEP could not immediately be reached for comment.
