farewell, fung wah

More commonly known as the Chinatown bus Fung Wah was one of the pioneers in dirt-cheap bus transport in the east coast (apparently mostly in the New York area and connecting to other major cities in the area. Said to have inspired the competition that lead to the rise of other low-cost buses (some chinatown and some not - such as bolt and megabus), Fung Wah was an icon in the northeast.

This morning, the U.S. Department of Transportation put a hold on all Fung Wah buses pending safety inspections. This is coming off the heels of Fung Wah already pulling it's popular NY-Boston buses for that same reason. While not completely undue, it's always sad to see an icon go.

I still remember the one and only time I took the chinatown bus to New York for a day trip. I had the seat in the back next to the bathroom...it was quite a 4 hour bus-ride...but it got us there in record time. While efficient, the drivers will take many risks, often at the peril of others. While I never took that particular busline again...it was nice to know that there was a chinatown bus there to keep other bus companies competitive. I guess this is the end for Fung Wah...farewell...