Court orders shutdown of defiant Chinatown bus firm

By Sam Wood, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Posted: January 26, 2012

Federal officials have obtained a court order requiring a popular Chinatown bus company to cease all operations after defying a previous order to shutdown.

Double Happyness Bus Company transports passengers along the Northeast Corridor, making stops in Philadelphia on the way to Washington D.C., New York City, and Albany, N.Y.

Last month, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation declared Double Happyness an "imminent hazard to safety" after a federal review found numerous serious violations of hours-of-service, vehicle maintenance, and controlled substance and alcohol testing rules.

The restraining order issued by a federal court in Philadelphia was delivered to the China Bowl Restaurant on Rockledge Ave. in Huntingdon Valley, Double Happyness Travel's apparent corporate offices, authorities said.

A man answering the phone at the restaurant denied any knowledge of the bus company.

The DOT ordered the company to shut down all transportation operations by Dec. 23. But according to the feds, Double Happyness continued to sell bus tickets and operate on its routes.

"We will continue to use every legal, roadside enforcement tool at our disposal to protect the traveling public and remove unsafe bus companies from our roads," said Anne S. Ferro, the administrator of DOT's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The restraining order cited four violations of controlled substance and alcohol use; said two drivers had failed preemployment drug tests; said the company had filed 49 false driver reports and had violated several inspection and maintenance regulations.

Contact staff writer Sam Wood at 215-854-2796 or samwood@phillynews.com.

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