Feds shut down Fung Wah bus line

GlobalPost

BOSTON — The US Department of Transportation said on Tuesday that it ordered the Fung Wah bus line to shut down.

The department said, it told Fung Wah to "immediately cease passenger service and provide its entire fleet of 28 motorcoaches for thorough and detailed safety inspections by qualified inspectors," according to The Boston Globe.

The discount bus line runs primarily between Boston and New York's Chinatown.

The announcement came after officials in the state of Massachusetts found serious issues on eight buses in the fleet, including cracks in the frames, the Associated Press reported.

The shut down will allow officials to inspect the entire fleet, not just the 21 buses Fung Wah had previously agreed to take off the road, the AP said.

On Monday, Department of Public Utilities Chairwoman Ann Berwick said, "We have asked the federal Department of Transportation to declare an imminent hazard which would effectively shut down the company until it could operate" safely, according to The Boston Herald.

Fung Wah has had a poor history with safety, having been fined $31,100 in 2006 for violating federal regulations.

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