Chinatown bus lines are discount intercity bus services in the United States, often operated by Chinese Americans, primarily Fujianese.<ref name=fatal/> They operate with lower overhead and lower fares compared to competing services. Destinations include most major cities as well as casinos popular with Asian Americans.
As a result of safety issues and several fatal crashes, most Chinatown bus lines were shut down by regulatory authorities in 2012. Others continue to operate with increased oversight.
Competition and price wars between newly successful companies, combined with online ticket sales,<ref name=Study/> led to a reduction in fares.<ref name=fatal/><ref name=Dishonest/><ref name=Peril>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Struggle>Template:Cite news</ref> Service to smaller cities by Chinatown bus lines had less of a price advantage.<ref name=grown/> The fierce competition led to gang violence in which rival bus operators killed or injured each other.<ref name=Peril/> Because of their low fares, Chinatown bus lines had very low profit margins; some went bankrupt and ceased operations.<ref name=Struggle/> However, the services became more popular and the number of trips by Chinatown bus lines increased.<ref name=Emergent/>
In 2004, a fully-booked bus net at least $340 profit per round trip after expenses.<ref name=Struggle/> In 2004, Vamoose Bus was launched by Hasidic Jews to compete with Chinatown bus lines.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
By 2006, many Chinatown bus lines operated service to/from casinos popular with Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=cracks>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> All riders receive free-play vouchers, and some low-income or homeless people sell them before returning to New York.<ref name=cracks/>
By 2010, service expanded to many major cities across the U.S.<ref name=expand>Template:Cite news</ref>
By 2012, riders of Chinatown buses made up over half the ridership of northeastern intercity buses, bringing annual intercity ridership to over 7 million passengers.<ref name=Chickens/>
Double Happyness Travel, Inc. was shut down in December 2011 after it was called "an imminent hazard" by transportation officials.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On May 25, 2013, a bus operated by Lucky Star was taken out of service when a manhole cover became lodged in its undercarriage.<ref name=Dishonest>Template:Cite news</ref> The company was shut down on June 5 due to "flagrant disregard for motor coach passenger safety".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lucky Star conducted an extensive bus upgrade and driver program, passed required inspections, and resumed operations in November 2013.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The shutdowns led to an increase in bus fares and some say the shutdowns were unnecessary. Jim Epstein, a writer for libertarian publication Reason, called the FMCSA practices overly harsh, writing that the agency targets Chinatown bus companies because owners are rarely fluent in English and alleging that inspectors were overly strict about defective components, confiscating several buses for minor issues.<ref name=Dishonest/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Post-shutdowns
Despite these shutdowns, in 2015, Chinatown bus lines operated 5.3 million passenger trips and 48.5 million annual miles of service, up 14% from 2013 and up 26% since 2008.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In May 2019, Eastern Bus, a Chinatown bus line, reached a deal with Flixbus, in which Flixbus handles all marketing and sales for the company.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2003 and 2004, bus burnings, driver assaults, murders, and other gang violence in New York City were linked to the possible infiltration of Asian organized crime gangs in the industry.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Among the crimes associated with gang activity was a deadly shooting in May 2003 on a busy street, which may have been in retaliation for a driver backing his bus into a rival;<ref name=fatal/> in revenge, two buses were set on fire the following year.<ref name=Damage/> Fatal stabbings occurred in October 2003<ref name=Peril/><ref name=Damage/> and in 2004.<ref name=Damage/> The boyfriend of a bus-company employee was fatally shot in an apparent bus feud in January 2004,<ref name=Peril/><ref name=fatal/> and a Chinatown bus operator was shot to death two months later.<ref name=fatal>Template:Cite news</ref> In a June 2004 incident tied to criminal gangs, two people—a Chinatown bus driver and a bystander—were murdered in a bar in Flushing, Queens; another was shot in the leg. The accused shooter was arrested in Toronto in 2011, and was extradited to the United States.<ref name=Damage/> After the 2004 shootings, the New York City Police Department increased its enforcement of Chinatown-bus laws.<ref name=fatal/> Bus-feud crime subsided by 2007.<ref name=Aboard>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2008, the Banya Organization, a Chinese gang, was accused of assaulting employees of Chinatown bus lines in an attempt to extort partial ownership and a share of the profits.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2013, police confiscated 254 guns and arrested 19 members of the largest gun-smuggling ring in New York City history; the suspects were accused of shipping guns via Chinatown bus lines.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2020, Chinatown bus lines were again accused of being a conduit for gun trafficking.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Safety record
Chinatown buses have been involved in several incidents, and there were 34 intercity bus crashes across the United States from 2001 to 2011.<ref name=Dishonest/> On a 2006 safety scale of 0 to 100, where 0 was the safest and 100 the most dangerous, Chinatown bus lines were rated between 71 and 99; Greyhound was rated 0.<ref name=Peril/> "Calculations of safety and risk are inverted," according to a 2013 City University of New York study.<ref name=Chickens/> A report in 2011 found that curbside Chinatown buses were often more dangerous than buses that stop in terminals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As of 2011, many travelers were not discouraged.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Intercity bus crashes are rare.<ref name=Aboard/>
In February 2004, after several murders connected with employees of rival Chinatown bus companies, officials conducted a surprise inspection and seized buses.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2012, General Bus, a Chinatown bus line, was noted to have a safety record worse than 99.5% of other intercity bus lines.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2017, federal data showed that three Chinatown bus lines were among the worst safety violators among U.S. intercity bus lines.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
March 18, 2005Template:SndA Boston-bound Chinatown bus operated by Lucky Star/Travel Pack stopped and evacuated its passengers on the Massachusetts Turnpike shortly before it burst into flames. No one was injured.
August 16, 2005Template:SndA New York-bound bus operated by Fung Wah Bus Transportation caught fire on Interstate 91 near Meriden, Connecticut. Although the passengers later criticized the driver for being unhelpful and untrained in evacuating the bus, no injuries were reported.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After the August 2005 bus fire, the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy began conducting three surprise inspections per month on all bus companies leaving Boston's South Station terminal. SenatorChuck Schumer of New York proposed a four-point federal plan which would includes surprise inspections and a national safety standard for bus operators.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
August 15, 2006Template:SndA Shun Fa bus traveling from New York to Pittsburgh crashed. Ten passengers were injured, five of whom were hospitalized, one in critical condition.<ref name=Peril/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
June 23, 2008Template:SndA bus loading passengers was struck by an out-of-control dump truck at the intersection of Canal Street and the Bowery in New York's Chinatown. The impact pushed the bus onto the sidewalk and into a bank. A sign attached to a light pole fell, injuring a 57-year-old woman who later died. Several people, including two police officers, were treated for minor injuries.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> State Department of Transportation inspectors found that the dump truck, owned by CPQ Freight Systems, had eight mechanical issues including faulty brakes which led to the crash.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
May 31, 2011Template:Snd A commercial tour bus operated by Sky Express crashed on Interstate 95, killing four people and injuring dozens.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
September 21, 2014Template:SndA Chinatown bus overturned and killed two people and injured 48 people in Delaware.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
September 23, 2017Template:SndA bus operated by Dahlia Group slammed into a city bus in Flushing, killing Dahlia’s driver, a city bus passenger, and a pedestrian, and injuring 16 people.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Some surviving passengers have said that the driver, Ophadell Williams, fell asleep at the wheel. He was not charged initially, pending investigation.<ref name="Mcgeehan-16April">Template:Cite news</ref> Williams said that he was awake and sober at the time of the crash.<ref name="Mcgeehan-3-24">Template:Cite news</ref> The bus driver blamed the crash on a tractor-trailer that he swerved to avoid, causing the bus to flip on its side and crash into an overhead highway sign which split the bus in half. He said the two possibly hit each other.<ref name="CNN">Template:Cite news</ref> The crash triggered an investigation by the New York State Police and National Transportation Safety Board.<ref name="Reuters-3-13">Template:Cite news</ref>
The truck driver was located by authorities, denied the bus driver's account and was cleared of responsibility.<ref name="Mcgeehan-16April" /> The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the accident was driver fatigue. The NTSB also notes that the bus was going at least Template:Convert, compared to the Template:Convert speed limit, and faster than other bus traffic. The driver should not have had a license at the time because he had not cleared all previous suspensions from his record. These suspensions were recorded under his middle name while his CDL was under his first name. After his record became public state officials revoked his license.<ref name="NTSB">Template:Cite report</ref><ref name="Mcgeehan-16April" /><ref name="CNN" />
The driver, Ophadell Williams, was charged by the Bronx County District Attorney's office with 54 felony and misdemeanor counts, including charges of criminally negligent homicide and manslaughter. Prosecutors argued that Williams was too tired to get behind the wheel, and was so sleep-deprived that his actions were no different than someone driving under the influence.<ref name="nyt12">Template:Cite news</ref> On December 7, 2012, the jury found Williams not guilty of all charges except one count of misdemeanor aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle; his sentence was commuted to time served.<ref name="nyt12" /> Years later, Williams, then employed as an MTA traffic checker, was lauded as a hero in the media after he spotted smoke coming from a utility room at a subway station in Queens, New York, and quickly evacuated passengers to their safety.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Other criticism
Buses often do not follow their scheduled timetables;<ref name=Study/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> many are unreliable, sometimes skipping scheduled stops.<ref name=Aboard/>
The curbside bus stops used by Chinatown bus lines led to many complaints from nearby residents and business owners due to noise, pollution, trash, blocked traffic, and sidewalk overcrowding.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The complaints led to increased regulations in several cities, including permit requirements, bus stop requirements, fines and fees, as well as the construction of the Independence Transportation Center in Philadelphia.<ref name=Study/><ref name=Surviving>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Fining>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> These regulations were also allegedly influenced by Peter Pan Bus Lines and Greyhound Lines, which face competition from Chinatown bus lines.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
See also
Xe Đò Hoàng (lit. 'Hoàng Bus') or Hoang Express is an intercity bus service based in Orange County, California with a route connecting Little Saigon in Orange County with the community in San Jose.
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