They could go out of business if the authorities crack down on them.
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34 hurt in troubled bus line's latest episode
Fung Wah driver cited for speeding in rollover By David Abel and Kristen Green, Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent | September 6, 2006
AUBURN -- Thirty-four people were injured yesterday after a speeding Boston-bound Fung Wah bus rolled over on an Interstate 290 offramp, State Police said.
The bus, en route from New York City, overturned shortly after 2 p.m. as it tried to turn off I-290 to Route 12, landing on its driver's side in a grassy area beside the Exit 7 ramp.
Troopers cited the bus driver for traveling at a ``speed greater than reasonable and proper," said State Police Sergeant Norman Anger.
The crash is the latest in a series of mishaps for the troubled bus line, which had drawn criticism from politicians for repeated violations and safety problems. Last year, a bus erupted into flames on a Connecticut highway, moments after passengers escaped.
The bus yesterday was full, with 57 passengers, said State Police and employees at Fung Wah Transportation Inc., the budget Chinatown-to-Chinatown bus company that sells one-way tickets between Boston and New York for $15.
The injured passengers were taken to hospitals in the Worcester area. None of the injuries were serious, troopers said.
``It was pretty scary," said Andrew Sousa , 22, of Nashua, a frequent Fung Wah rider who was returning from visiting his girlfriend in New York. ``Once it flipped, then I saw [other people's] blood , I heard someone say, `Where's the baby?' "
He said that the bus left long skid marks and that everyone was able to walk away from the overturned bus, including at least two children. He said he was taken to a hospital after suffering from a sore shoulder.
``I think everyone realized that we were going too fast around the curve," he said in an interview at Auburn High School, where the uninjured and treated passengers were taken to wait for their belongings and a replacement bus. ``I just grabbed on. I thought about making sure I didn't fall onto someone."
Troopers identified the driver as Chuandai Chen , 44, of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Timothy J. Shevlin Jr. , executive director of the state Department of Telecommunications and Energy, which regulates bus companies, said the bus's route -- I-395 to I-290 to Route 12 and the Massachusetts Turnpike -- is the usual route the discount carrier takes to avoid traffic around Providence and Worcester.
Based on state inspection records obtained by the Globe, the 2001 Van-Hool passenger bus was last inspected on May 4 and had no violations. The bus was involved in a minor crash in Connecticut on March 25, according to records with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. No one was injured in that early morning crash.
A woman who answered the phone at Fung Wah's headquarters on Edinboro Street said that she could not answer questions about the crash and that company representatives were at the scene to talk to the press. Company employees at South Station also declined to comment.
Company information on a federal website says Fung Wah has 28 drivers and 20 vehicles.
Within the past year, the company has reported driving 3.03 million miles and had two crashes, none of which involved injuries, according to federal safety statistics.
In the past 30 months, the company reported receiving 34 moving violations, most involving excessive speed.
In May, the company paid $12,950 in a settlement with federal regulators over seven counts of operating a vehicle in violation of state laws. Additional details about the settlement were not available yesterday, officials said.
Fung Wah ranks significantly worse than the national average on two of three federal safety ratings, prompting calls from politicians for more inspections and tighter regulations.
State regulators, however, have long said the bus line is safe, citing the company's willingness to make changes and fix problems as signs that they do not wish to be a fly-by-night operation.
After the bus fire last year, company officials said the safety problems were fixed and attributed problems in part to the company's rapid growth.
In March 2005, a coach run by Fung Wah-rival Travel Pack caught fire, with passengers escaping unharmed.
Last November, federal officials stepped up their surprise inspections of low-fare bus companies in the Washington-to-Boston corridor over concerns that some curbside operators are unsafe and under-regulated. Following the inspections, the agency ordered 56 buses and 13 drivers out of service.
Troopers yesterday said the damaged bus would be impounded during the investigation.
A replacement for the bus, which left New York shortly after 10 a.m., left Auburn about 7:30 p.m.
Yesterday afternoon, Fung Wah sent a replacement bus to Auburn High School to take the uninjured passengers to Boston, but troopers stopped the driver from transporting them .
They said he did not speak English well enough to drive the bus, citing motor carrier regulations that require drivers of commercial vehicles to speak English so they can talk with the public.
Troopers also said the replacement driver's log book was false, but the driver was not cited for any violations.
Fung Wah officials finally arranged for a Peter Pan bus to take the passengers to Boston.
Stan Stoychev, 24, spent the afternoon at South Station, waiting for more than six hours for his friend to arrive.
``This is all really just absurd," Stoychev said.
Matilda Gomes , 46, of New Bedford, who suffered head and back injuries, arrived in Boston last night wearing a neck brace. ``I'm very angry. This is a result of poor driving skills. That person should not have been driving the bus."
Dania Guitta , of Brooklyn, said her 2-year-old son was injured. ``He fell out of his seat and injured his face," she said as she held the boy, who had bloodshot, swollen eyes. ``I'm angry. He is angry. We are never riding this bus again. "
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