From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fung Wah Bus Transportation Inc is a bus company that operates between Boston and New York City. Founded in 1997, Fung Wah operates more than 20 buses a day with hourly scheduled service. Like other Chinatown bus services, Fung Wah operates from both traditional bus terminals (South Station in Boston) and stops in New York's Chinatown.

Fung Wah is known for its low fares in comparison to other bus and rail routes between Boston and New York. Due to the low prices, Fung Wah has become a popular way for young people and other travelers on a budget to travel between Boston and New York. ^[1] Recently, the company has also become known for its high rate of accidents, as well as a discrimination lawsuit filed by the Massachusetts Attorney General for refusing to sell tickets to a visually-impaired couple with a guide dog.

The name Fung Wah comes from the Cantonese pronunciation of the Chinese name, 風華, which means "magnificent wind."

Fung Wah began in 1997 as a dollar van service shuttling Chinese immigrants in New York between Brooklyn and Chinatown.^[2] A year later it expanded to connect the Chinatowns in New York and Boston^[2], and gradually grew to being a low cost intercity transit provider.^[3] It originally operated out of the Boston Chinatown, but moved to the South Station terminal in 2004 due to traffic concerns from the city.^[4]

The Fung Wah bus has been involved in several safety-related incidents. In 2005, the company was given a federal safety rating of 73 out of 100, 100 being the worst, and 75 or above considered at risk of being unsafe and subject to investigation.^[2] Ian Grossman of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reported that Fung Wah drivers rated in the worst 2 percent of drivers nationwide based on regulatory violations, and nine out of 71 Fung Wah drivers were suspended after inspection between 2004 and 2006.^[3]

• August 16, 2005: A New York-bound 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.^[5]
• September 6, 2006: A bus rolled over in Auburn, Massachusetts and caused minor injuries to 34 passengers.^[6] Excessive speed was cited as a factor and the bus company was fined.^[7]
• January 3, 2007: In Framingham, Massachusetts, a New York-bound bus lost its back two wheels. No injuries were reported. ^[8]
• February 14, 2007: The driver of a New York-bound lost control in a winter storm and hit a guardrail on the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) in Allston, Massachusetts. No injuries were reported. ^[9]
• March 23, 2007: A New York-bound bus got stuck on a concrete barrier in front of a tollbooth on the Massachusetts Turnpike at Route 128 in Weston, Massachusetts, when the bus drove up on a cement lane divider. The driver had entered an automobile-only lane and tried to change lines. No one was injured in the incident, but the bus was taken out of service and passengers boarded another Fung Wah bus that arrived later.^[10]

• Fung Wah Bus official Website - Purchase eTicket at www.fungwahbus.com .