Dirt cheap buses that take commuters from Queens to Manhattan are no more.
The Police Department nabbed four unlicensed charter buses last week for carrying commuters from downtown Flushing to Chinatown without a license. Click below to read the rest of the story.
Local business owners said the buses were a nuisance and were unfair to competitors, while a company official argued the buses offered a consumer-friendly alternative.
The unlicensed buses were “bad for the community,†said Dian Yu, executive director of the Downtown Flushing Transit Hub Business Improvement District. “It creates an unhealthy competition.â€
The buses appeared on Main St. in downtown Flushing in mid-June, said Yu, the first buses he had seen of that size offering trips to Manhattan for $1 as opposed to the usual $2 to $3. Smaller van services, which carry 19 passengers or fewer, cannot compete with the price, Yu said.
New Oriental Tour Inc. was using the coach buses, which carry 37 to 61 passengers, to transport commuters for $1, said Julie Wang, 29, who identified herself as a partial owner and press secretary of the company.
After receiving numerous complaints from van drivers and pedestrians, City Councilman Peter Koo enlisted the help of the Department of Transportation and the Police Department. The agencies found that the buses were not properly licensed for inter-borough commercial use.
“I’m happy that the joint operation to remove these buses from city streets was successful,†said Koo (D-Flushing). “We will continue to monitor this situation to make sure the buses don’t return.â€
The Police Department confiscated two of New Oriental’s buses in the 5th Precinct in Manhattan and two in 109th Precinct in Queens for “operating out of class,†police said.
During the sting, the Taxi and Limousine Commission also issued 31 minor violations to the company. It was fined $1,500 dollars per bus, said TLC spokesman Allan Fromberg.
