Bill Would Allow NYC to Regulate Bargain Buses
NEW YORK (CBS New York) -- Some state lawmakers want to impose stricter controls on bargain buses.
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Bargain bus riders are afraid the regulation will jack up prices
"I come up every month just about and I find it very economical," Jesse Moore said. "They charge me $30 from Fayetteville, N.C. If it ain't broke don't fix it." Moore is afraid greater regulation of the discount buses will increase fares.
Companies such as Megabus and BoltBus offer rides between New York City and Boston for as low as one dollar, but critics complain they clog city streets in Midtown and Chinatown.
"The streets of Chinatown are like the wild west," State Senator Daniel Squadron said. "Buses can stop anywhere, double park, idle, drive around the streets, sidewalks will overflow at certain times and other times you won't be able to know where to go to pick up these buses."
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WCBS 880's Rich Lamb with the story from Manhattan
"We have had to contend with traffic congestion, pollution caused by idling buses, dangerous conditions for pedestrians," Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said.
A bill sponsored by Silver would allow the city's Department of Transportation to regulate the bargain buses by requiring permits and designating pickup and drop off sites.
"They want a monopoly on bus travel," Michael Anthony, who was heading to the Carolinas, said. "It's just a way of scrutinizing someone who is able to give people the same amount of service at a lesser price."
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