Results tagged “fungwah”

That bus exhaust fume you smell is that sound of a bus price war! Greyhound has entered the fray of discount bus routes, dropping their prices as low as $15 for one way and $30 for round-trip for the NYC-Boston route that the Chinatown buses have dominated with their low low prices. Fung Wah currently charges $15 for a one-way ticket.

If you've got millions, does the Port Authority have a deal for you! The Port Authority is considering bids for naming rights to the bus terminal. And some companies might be interested, since it's in the hubbub of Times Square, even though some critics think people might be confused.

But PA officials doubt that even the most ardent preservationists would bemoan the loss of "Port Authority Bus Terminal" from the cityscape.

Continue reading "What's in the Port Authority Bus Terminal's Name?"

- And on a final non-NYC-but-big-movie-fan note, Chicagoist has a very special Get Well Roger Ebert project. Add your photograph of you giving the thumbs-up to the Get Well Roger Flickr Pool to let the recuperating critic know you care! And Roger definitely knows about it - it's on his website, too!

Next up in our Tourist series, is The Parker String Quartet, a young classical string quartet that performs in venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center and Wynn Walent. Walent is a New York singer songwriter who recently released his debut album. These two acts recently joined together for a weeklong tour (co-presented by Concert Artists Guild and Kitchen Sink Music). The tour brought classical music into bars and clubs, pairing it up with music you would usually hear in such places. Below the two acts documented their experience:

Is this a new era in Chinatown buses? The Fung Wah Bus Company has agreed to 30 day of unannounced inspections and driver checks. Last week, a speeding Fung Wah bus overturned on a Massachusetts highway and 33 passengers were injured, raising more concerns about safety on cheap and unregulated bus lines. What's more, Fung Wah will also make sure only "properly trained" drivers who "speak the English language and to converse with the general public" will be manning the buses. Well, that's all well and good, but what about after the 30 days? Will Fung Wah go back to its old ways? Or will they raise prices in order to keep "up-to-inspection" standards buses and drivesr?

Here we go: Fung Wah Bus's manager says that Tuesday's crash in Massachusetts that left over 30 people injured was due to the route being unfamiliar to the driver. NY1 reported, "The manager says the bus driver had to take an alternate route due to an accident and did not know the area." What? An exit ramp is an exit ramp - you slow down on them! Though the manager says the driver was trained, Fung Wah did break the rules: The driver was "taken out of service" along with the bus because he didn't speak English and had a false log book - both against the law! The federal Department of Transporstation told the AP, "Speeding is their No. 1 challenge. They need to work to curb their drivers' behavior," but said that Fung Wah had been responsive to DOT concerns in the past.

Thirty three Fung Wah bus passengers were injured when a bus "rolled off an exit ramp" in Massachusetts yesterday. The State Police said, "It appears the bus was probably traveling too fast for the off-ramp, which caused the bus to roll over on its side." The injuries were not serious, but one woman told the Daily News, "Everybody knew [the driver was speeding]. The weater was fine. The roads weren't slick and it's the middle of the day so traffic wasn't bad. Yes, I have to say it was the driver's fault." Well, he was probably in a hurry to pick up more $15 passengers. While it's scary, it probably won't prevent people from taking them.

- Watch Aziz Ansari and Rob Huebel's second Shutterbugs movie and feel better about life.

I'm a teacher, which means I have a prolonged and much deserved vacation ahead of me. I want to travel on a limited budget. I've heard about the Chinatown buses and their cheap fares to Boston and Washington, DC. Is this a safe way to travel?