Wheels Fall Off Discount Tour Bus

[matcom]

<snip>

A set of rear wheels loosened on a Boston-bound Fung Wah bus yesterday, barely hanging on the coach after it had traveled nearly 200 miles at highway speeds on an early-morning trip from New York.

None of the 30 passengers on board was injured, but State Police cited the company for failure to properly maintain equipment. It was the latest mishap for the discount bus line, which has been under state and federal scrutiny since a string of maintenance and operation problems starting in August 2005.

State Police Sergeant Robert Dousquet said the driver of the bus, Xing Lee of New York, told investigators he pulled into the Framingham service plaza of the Massachusetts Turnpike at 7:40 a.m. after feeling "a strange sensation" while driving the vehicle. Police credited him for noticing something amiss and pulling over before the wheels completely separated from the rear axle, possibly causing a crash. He was not cited.

State Police arrived to find the two right rear wheels dangling from the bus axle. Investigators said the bolts appeared to have sheared off, an indication that the lug nuts may not have been properly tightened.

Fung Wah operates 20 full-size motor coaches that can each carry 42 passengers. They have 10 wheels -- two in the front, and four sets of two in the rear. Six of the rear wheels on the bus yesterday were still in place.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/01/04/wheel_scare_halts_fung_wah_bus_trip?mode=PF

[XNASA]

1. 8 out of 10 ain't bad.

I was once on a tour bus in Italy that caught fire.

We were allowed to hang out at a local wedding reception while a new bus was sent. Many of the passengers wanted to stay and participate in the festivities and wouldn't get on the new bus.

Fun times.

[Little Wing]

2. If only they would have come off in the middle of a McDonald's drive-thru

the panicked look on the drivers' stupid lazy assed drive-thru faces behind them would've been priceless

HONK I WANT FRIES HONK HONK

[Richardo]

5. Where did THAT come from?

:shrug:

[bicentennial_baby]

3. Man, they have no luck with those things, eh?

:scared:

:hi:

[Hugin]

4. From the 'Moral of the Story Dept.':

You only get what you paid for...

[displacedtexan]

6. I thought the headline was a metaphor.

Silly moi.

[Gormy Cuss]

7. The wheels on the bus are suposed to go round and round,round and round...

not fall on the ground, on the ground, on the ground.

How many more incidents before the state or feds shut down Fung Wah?
It's a cheap ticket to the city, but only if the bus makes it there in one piece.