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Caleh Salih, 25, has traveled by rickety bus through poverty-stained India and war-torn Lebanon for her work with the non-profit International Crisis Group, “but nothing compares to the Fung Wah,” she said.
Shuttling every half-hour between New York’s Chinatown and Boston, Fung Wah was known for being fast, cheap, and blocking access to company safety records, which, after failing several safety inspections, is what ultimately ended the company’s 17-year run in early March.
To ride the Fung Wah wasn’t just a trip, it was an experience, reeking with authenticity.
Pickup was at the curb in Chinatown, with large Chinese characters emblazoned on the bus and signs surrounding the station door. Tickets were sold online, or wordlessly at a counter. Onboard, it was a “sticky smelly situation” said Salih, with the air filled with the mixing aromas of the food fellow passengers picked up nearby. The air was also filled with coughing and sneezes, leading some customers to call it “The TB Express.”
Then, mid-point through the trip, there was always a stop at the same shady Chinese buffet by the highway. Everyone piled out, silently smoked, then piled back on for a ride that could have its fair share of speed and swerving.
In 2006, a Fung Wah bus rolled over, injuring 34 passengers. Excessive speed was cited as factor in the accident, according to the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration. The bus line was involved in six accidents between 2005 and 2008, including collisions with dividers and guardrails, a bus fire, and in one case, losing the rear two wheels while driving passengers on the Massachusetts Turnpike.
But for penny pinchers, Fung Wah was a liberation.
Even an old competitor has fond feelings. “It’s bittersweet,” said Bolt Bus General Manager David Hall.
”There was always some buses at curbside, but they were the first ones to take it to the next level with curbside-to-curbside and selling tickets over the internet,” said Hall.
Not everyone in the industry is sorry to see Fung Wah go. “It’s hard when you have one bus line bottoming out the price,” said Alex Bottiglio, marketing coordinator for GotoBus.com, an online ticket reseller.
Competition remains fierce with six other bus lines offering low-cost and speedy service between New York and Boston: BoltBus, Greyhound Express, Lucky Star, Megabus, Peter Pan, and Yo!.