Thursday, 4:30 PM
Fung Wah bus gets stuck on curb at Weston tolls
By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff
The Fung Wah Bus Company had another mishap this morning when one of its coaches got stuck on a curb in front of a tollbooth on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Weston, police said.
No one was injured, but the westbound bus was not immediately able to continue on its trip to New York, said State Police Lieutenant Eric Anderson.
The bus approached the tollbooth at 8:30 a.m. and drove up on one of the cement lane dividers, Anderson said. It was not immediately clear how many people were onboard.
The eight-year-old bus line, which has come under scrutiny from federal and state officials for a series of safety and other violations, offers $15 one-way trips between Boston and New York, a route popular with college students. But a string of incidents have continued despite company promises to improve driver training and bolster compliance with federal safety standards.
In February, a Fung Wah bus crashed into a guardrail near the Allston-Brighton tolls on the Turnpike. The driver was cited by State Police for speeding, negligent operation, maintaining false driving records, and an equipment violation related to the bus's brakes.
In January, a set of rear wheels loosened on a Boston-bound Fung Wah bus after it had traveled nearly 200 miles at highway speeds during a trip from New York. No one was injured.
In September 2006, a Fung Wah coach rolled over while rounding an Interstate 290 ramp in Auburn, slightly injuring 34 passengers headed to Boston. State Police attributed the accident to excessive speed.
As a result of that crash, Fung Wah was fined $31,100 for violating federal safety regulations. The Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration said Fung Wah improperly hired drivers who couldn't speak English and who regularly exceeded speed limits.
In another incident, a Fung Wah coach caught fire in August 2005 on Interstate 91 in Connecticut on the way to New York. The company was not cited because federal officials concluded the fire was caused by faulty wiring.
