Feds order Fung Wah to halt its bus service
Credit: METRO
The federal Department of Transportation has ordered the Fung Wah bus company to shut down immediately, one day after state officials said they were requesting the feds to declare the company an “imminent hazard” over safety concerns.
The DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration made the decision today, according to a statement from the agency.
The statement said that the agency has “ordered Fung Wah Bus Transportation, Inc., to immediately cease passenger service and provide its entire fleet of 28 motorcoaches for thorough and detailed safety inspections by qualified inspectors.”
The agency said it is continuing an examination of the discount bus company’s operations, including its vehicle safety records, driver safety performance and other records.
Additional actions against the company may be warranted, the agency said.
Ann Berwick, chair of the state Department of Public Utilities, said Monday that the agency’s Transportation Oversight Division conducted random inspections earlier this month and of nine Fung Wah buses looked at, eight had cracks in their frames. Those buses were ordered off of the road.
State officials met with the bus company’s owner who agreed to take all buses manufactured before 2005 off of the road. As of Saturday, 21 of 28 buses were taken out of service.
Calls placed Monday to the bus company’s Boston and New York City offices requesting comment were not returned.
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