Chinatown bus lines

From Free net encyclopedia

Image:DSCN2989 fungwahticketbooth e.JPG Image:2000coach-nyc.jpeg

Chinatown bus lines, also called 野雞車 (ye3 ji1 che1, which translates as wild chicken trucks) in Chinese, refers to the private transportation industry that has arisen in the Chinatown communities of the East Coast of the United States during the 1990s. Similar Chinese American-run bus services are cropping up on the West Coast.

The companies typically use large (50 to 60 passenger) buses comparable to those used by other passenger bus lines and often screen movies for riders.

The first company to offer such services was the Fung Wah Bus, which began routes between New York City and Boston in 1995. The bus service was originally intended for transporting ethnic Chinese restaurant workers from one Chinatown to Chinatowns in other cities. Now, some bus lines are also used to transport large groups of mainly Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants to and from casinos such as Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, which are located between Boston and New York. The industry has quickly spread and many competitors offer discount prices that undercut the major bus lines. Typical fares between East Coast cities range from $10 to $20. The industry has become highly competitive with companies offering hourly service between major cities.

Increasing popularity has also lead to increasing regulatory interest. In September 2004, the city of Boston required Chinatown bus services to shift their operations from the city's Chinatown to the South Station transportation terminal.

In addition to New York City and Boston, several bus line companies also link to the Chinatowns of Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Doraville in the Atlanta, Georgia area, and other cities. On the West Coast, buses link the Chinatowns in the San Francisco Bay area, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles Chinatown and the San Gabriel Valley, and the Las Vegas Chinatown and casinos.

Image:DSCN2984 mulberrystbus e.JPG

The use of such lines is very informal. Often ticket booths are walk-up windows on the street, or are located inside restaurants and bakeries throughout a given Chinatown community. With the exception of Boston, the lines use no stations of their own. Passengers are usually directed to wait along a given curbside for the arrival of the bus. Several bus stops are also near major hotels and in the parking areas of major Chinese supermarkets. Given their relatively competitive fares to the mainstream Greyhound Lines, it has become popular among non-Chinese customers as well, especially students.

The bus service has gained such popularity that it was mentioned in several articles in the New York Times and on the radio programs Marketplace and Morning Edition on National Public Radio.

The bus routes have expanded with three bus companies now running between Manhattan Chinatown and Virginia Beach/Norfolk. Today's Bus has a station in Norfolk and Tiger Travel has one in Virginia Beach.

[edit]

Recent events

In early 2004, up to three murders in New York City were linked the possible infiltration of Asian organized crime gangs into the industry.

On March 18, 2005, a Boston-bound Chinatown bus operated by Travel Pack stopped and evacuated its passengers on the Massachusetts Turnpike shortly before bursting into flames. No one was injured. The Boston Globe covered the incident.

In July 2005, Fung Wah Bus, a Boston-New York carrier, attracted the attention of the Massachusetts attorney general for illegally refusing to transport handicapped passengers. The Boston Herald covered the matter.

On August 16, 2005, a New York-bound Fung Wah bus caught fire on Interstate 91 near Meriden, Connecticut. Though the passengers later criticized the driver for being unhelpful and untrained in evacuating the bus, all passengers were eventually evacuated and no injuries were reported. [1].

After the August 16 incident, the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy instituted a policy of holding three surprise inspections per month on all bus companies that leave South Station in Boston. New York may institute a similar policy; however, inspections would be difficult in New York because the buses do not all leave the city from the same location. WNYC ran a short news story on the topic.

[edit]

Bus companies

[edit]

External links

Retrieved from "http://www.netipedia.com/index.php/Chinatown_bus_lines"