China Bus Bargain

In Manhattan’s Chinatown, the tiny but growing Fung Wah Transport Van office nestles under the shadow of a Buddhist Temple. The office workers mostly speak Cantonese, with a sprinkling of English. Still, the service is gaining popularity not only with Chinese immigrants, but also among Japanese, Korean, and English-speaking  travelers looking for a bargain.

Ten times a day, Fung Wah’s white vans ferry about 10 to 15 passengers between the Lower East Side and a bakery in downtown Boston’s tiny Chinatown. Round-trip travel can be as cheap as $25 for passengers who can make it to Boston and back on the same day. 

Ling, a worker at the van’s headquarters who uses only one name, said the service started when second-generation Chinese-Americans began attending college in other cities. The China Bus, as Fung Wah’s vans are affectionately known, made it easy for parents who didn’t speak much English to take Chinese grocery care packages to their children studying at Harvard or Boston University. 

Fung Wah runs a second, local service between Manhattan’s Chinatown and Sunset Park, Brooklyn. 

Subway service between the two areas has been disrupted since last July because of the Manhattan Bridge construction, and the World Trade Center disaster caused problems with neighboring lines as well.

Fung Wah vans fill the transportation gap for people who live in Sunset Park and work in Chinatown factories. “They work very late,” Ling said.  “The van is safer.”

While passengers may be happy with both the informal van services, some others are not. The city’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority gets annoyed that some vans compete with city buses along the same routes, said Peter Graves, spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation. 

In Sunset Park, some neighbors complain about the buses stopping in the middle of the street, and the crowding of immigrants at informal street-corner bus stops. Others question the vans’ safety.

But although the services may seem informal or haphazard, they are actually subject to strict regulations.

In 1999, Congress passed a law forcing the vans, called camionetas or guaguas in

Spanish speaking areas, to undergo more stringent safety tests.  Now the vans’ brakes and steering are tested twice a year, instead of once a year like regular cars.

Just to open a van service, a company has to go through a complicated 30 to 45 day application process through either the state or federal Department of Transportation, depending whether the van crosses state lines. 

But for passengers who don’t have to worry about all the rules, the small bus services are just easy, friendly ways to get around.  And word of the bargain is spreading outside the communities they were meant to serve.

Next: Polonez Hits the Road

All Aboard
China Bus Bargain
Polonez Hits the Road
Wings and Wheels

Clare Chan, 20 Her mother convinced her to take her first ride on Fung Wah.

Yevy Spivak, 20, Unemployed Michelle Anderman, 19 Starbucks Barista They say: Fung Wah might not be punctual, but the price makes it worthwhile.

Ken Wu, Fung Wah driver The bus gets packed on weekends, but he loves his job.