Feds shutdown NYC-based bus company

NEW YORK -- A New York City-based bus company running service as far south as Florida has been ordered to shut down immediately after federal investigators concluded it was a danger to public safety.

Many of the bus companies operating in Chinatown offer cheap fares to cities along the east coast.

Ming An, Inc. offers service to Virginia, Florida, and Georgia from Canal Street, but not anymore, not after getting busted by federal inspectors.

"I have no way back home. Now I have to find something as cheap as this," said Edward Syper, a passenger.

Edward Syper has no way to get home to Florida after the bus company he was using, Ming An, Inc., got shutdown by the federal government.

"Nothing is as cheap as this. It was $60 just to go there. I just searched for another ticket and it was $300 for both of us," Syper said.

Ming An is one of three bus companies operating out of this Canal Street store-front, but all we found at the company desk was an empty chair.

A receptionist for another company directed us to a number, but when Eyewitness News called, there was no response.

The Department of Transportation alleges that Ming An failed to conduct pre-employment drug and alcohol testing for its drivers who racked up numerous speeding citations.

The company also allegedly did not require drivers to maintain log books or conduct safety inspections and lacked a repair and maintenance program.

The federal government is cracking down on bus companies for safety violations.

Last week, it shutdown Fung Wah, another Chinatown bus company.

In March 2011, 15 people died when a bus traveling to Chinatown crashed on I-95 in the Bronx.

The Department of Transportation is trying to prevent that from happening again.

"We will not let up and we will not slow down," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood wrote in response to Friday's shutdown. "Companies that ignore safety regulations will not be tolerated."

The Department of Transportation launched a free app you can download for your iPhone and iPad called SaferBus that allows you to check a company's safety record before you take your trip.

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