BM5 via Woodhaven Posted July 19, 2018 Share #1 Posted July 19, 2018 http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-biz-bieber-tourways-port-authority-terminal-operations-20180719-story.html#nt=screamer Bieber Transportation Group, which operates daily bus lines and charter services from the Lehigh Valley to New York City and other destinations, may no longer be able to operate out of Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan by the end of the month, the bus company said on its website. In a travel alert posted to its website, Bieber Tourways Management said the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey posted signs within the Bieber terminal and began handing out fliers Wednesday stating Bieber Bus would no longer be operating out of the terminal effective July 28. Bieber’s alert did not give a reason for why the terminal would cease operations. The statement said: “Bieber Tourways Management is diligently working on a solution to this situation, as well as seeking alternative pick up and drop off locations to utilize if it becomes necessary. Please know Bieber Tourways is committed to providing our passengers with the best possible service and will continue to work until a suitable solution to this fluid situation is achieved.” Bieber said it will update its website with new details as they become available. The announcement comes as Bieber has faced recent court action, though it is not known if they may be related. Court records available online show the IRS filed a lien for $915,736 against Carl R. Bieber Inc. and Pennsylvania state authorities have filed at $187,143 lien against Bieber. In May, a Berks county judge ordered Bieber to pay First National Bank of Pennsylvania $450,968 as a result of a lawsuit. Records available online do not include details of the case. Berks County Court records also show Bieber as one of several garnishees in a lawsuit filed last year by Transforce Inc., a driver staffing service, seeking $592,098. Founded as a trucking company in 1928 and expanded to include charter bus service from the Lehigh Valley in 1946, Bieber’s website said its current fleet includes 54 buses, including several luxury coaches. The fleet is comprised of Motor Coach Industries (M.C.I.), Prevost and Van Hool over-the-road tour buses ranging in size from 33 to 56 passengers. The Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan is the main gateway for interstate buses into New York City, and a daily travel destination for thousands of Lehigh Valley commuters using Bieber’s services. Bieber has 17 daily weekday and eight weekend runs to New York originating out of Reading Intercity Bus Terminal or the main Bieber Terminal in Kutztown. Buses make stops at the Charcoal Diner in Wescosville and the Park n’ Ride in Hellertown before continuing to Port Authority. It lists itself as the official coach carrier for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Iron Pigs and the Reading Royals. Bieber arrivals and departures at the Port Authority Bus Terminal are currently at Gate 19 only. About 88,000 Lehigh Valley residents commute out of the area for work, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau. About 1,700 use public transportation, excluding taxis, to commute out of the state. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From the Bieber Website: ATTENTION ALL NEW YORK LINE RUN PASSENGERS: The Port Authority of NY & NJ posted signs within the Bus Terminal and began handing out flyers on Wednesday, July 18th, stating that Bieber Bus would no longer be operating out of the Bus Terminal effective Saturday, July 28, 2018. Bieber Tourways Management is currently diligently working on a solution to this situation, as well as seeking alternative pick up and drop off locations to utilize if it becomes necessary. Please know Bieber Tourways is committed to providing our passengers with the best possible service and will continue to work until a suitable solution to this fluid situation is achieved. Our website will be updated with new details as they become available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B35 via Church Posted July 19, 2018 Share #2 Posted July 19, 2018 This may explain the random cancellations that's been ongoing on those buses as of late.... ------------- Edit: Carl Bieber's been falling off for longer than I thought: https://www.youtube.com/user/wshaub/videos?disable_polymer=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BM5 via Woodhaven Posted July 20, 2018 Author Share #3 Posted July 20, 2018 Looks like a few people weren't too happy about those videos, lol. The company just don't have the resources necessary to provide decent service. All those problems its in right now (financial and legal) also does not help matters. Normally, I would not rely on Yelp Reviews, but if unsafe driving, and constant breakdowns is literally what's being said everywhere (including on Facebook, and any comments on local news stories), it might be true after all. Earlier this year, Bieber also cut service to some areas. Bieber apparently owes $214,000 to the Port Authority (and that's just this one issue). If the Port Authority is telling customers that service will be discontinued, then that's just plain humiliating. Who knows if the other legal and financial issues are enough for the company to cease operations. Quote http://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/bieber-may-have-to-halt-service-to-port-authority Bieber may be shut out of Port Authority over money owed to agency The Kutztown-based company's owner insisted it will be able to provide uninterrupted service to New York City. The only company that provides regularly scheduled bus trips between Berks County and New York City will soon lose its berth at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan over more than $200,000 in unpaid bills, according to the agency that runs the transit hub. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says that Kutztown-based Bieber Tourways transports 450 passengers a day on its runs between Reading and Kutztown to Manhattan. The company said on its website Thursday that it is seeking alternative pickup and drop-off locations in New York City. “The Port Authority is discontinuing its agreement with Bieber Bus to operate out of the Port Authority Bus Terminal effective July 28 for non-payment of its costs for using the bus facility,” the transit agency said in an email Thursday. “Bieber currently owes the Port Authority $214,000 and the balance has been growing. The Port Authority has sent Bieber notices of termination several times in the past for non payment (2008, 2010 and 2012) as well as numerous other legal notices related to ongoing arrearages.” In a notice to its New York line run passengers, Bieber said that on Wednesday the Port Authority, which owns the terminal one block from Times Square, posted signs in the terminal and distributed fliers indicating Bieber's loss of its berth in Manhattan. The notice on the Bieber website said: “Bieber Tourways management is currently diligently working on a solution to this situation, as well as seeking alternative pickup and drop-off locations to utilize if it becomes necessary. Please know Bieber Tourways is committed to providing our passengers with the best possible service and will continue to work until a suitable solution to this fluid situation is achieved.” Steven Haddad, who has owned the company since 2000, did not go much beyond that in a brief phone interview Thursday night. “I'm not going to comment on anything the Port Authority's posted or say anything about the finances of the company,” Haddad said. “The company will be providing uninterrupted service to New York City and we will ensure that all of our customers will have appropriate service.” Port Authority's guidance The Port Authority, which said it is working to find a carrier to take over Bieber's route, had advice for Bieber passengers, including daily commuters from Berks who work in the city, and many more who commute there from the Lehigh Valley. “Customers who use the Bieber service can travel to Allentown or Bethlehem for a TransBridge bus to NYC or to Philadelphia for a Greyhound or Peter Pan bus to NYC,” it said in its email to the Reading Eagle. Bieber said its website will be updated with any developments. On weekdays there are nine scheduled runs from the Intercity Bus Terminal at Third and Court streets in Reading to the Port Authority terminal, and 17 trips from the Bieber Terminal in Kutztown. There are a dozen return trips daily to Reading, and 17 to Kutztown. A one-way trip between Reading and Manhattan costs $36. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays there are eight trips to New York and back from both Reading and Kutztown. On Thursday, Theresa Moskowitz of Wantagh, Long Island, caught a Bieber bus from the Port Authority terminal to Reading for a visit with her son, Eddie Grassi of Shenandoah, Schuylkill County, who was there to pick her up. “I'm disappointed,” she said about the Bieber news because she doesn't own a car and relies on the company's buses about once a month when she comes to stay with her son. The only other option Moskowitz could think of was to have her son drive her back and forth from the Port Authority terminal. Therefore, she's hoping Bieber can quickly work it out with the Port Authority, or find another arrival and departure spot nearby. “If not, I won't be able to visit you as often,” she told Grassi. Reading resident Gerald Mountz, with a suitcase and cane at his feet, sat in the Reading station Thursday afternoon, waiting for a ride home after completing a daytrip to New York on the bus line. Mountz said that he goes to New York a few times a year, but without a bus line from Reading it would be much harder for him to travel. “This is about the only way for me to get up there,” he said. “And it's not only me. It's a lot of people.” At the Kutztown bus station on Thursday night Wyomissing resident Carl Bottervusch was coming home after returning from a business trip in France. Bottervusch said that his wife told him about the impending line suspension earlier in the day Thursday, and when he got to the Port Authority terminal, officials were handing out cards notifying riders that Bieber would no longer be using the facility. Bottervusch said that he gets to New York a few times a year and often takes the bus to get there because of the convenience of travel. “I think it's a big deal,” Bottervusch said. “It's one of the only ways to reasonably get to New York without having to drive into the city and pay a fortune to park. Hopefully, something can be worked out.” Bieber's struggles In addition to apparently ongoing threats of termination from the Port Authority, Bieber has had recent financial, legal and tax problems. This month a state tax lien was placed on Bieber for $62,449. And in May, a lawsuit against Bieber resulted in a Berks County judge ordering the company to pay First National Bank of Pennsylvania $450,968, according to records with the county prothonotary's office. The suit involved a loan from the bank to Bieber. Last August, Bieber agreed to pay a $20,000 civil penalty and to change its practices to resolve allegations that the company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act in a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice. The bus line suspended service in March to and from Lancaster, York, Pottstown, Limerick and Norristown. And its station at Third and Penn was listed for sale in June. According to Bieber's website, the business was founded as a trucking company in 1928 and expanded to include charter bus service in 1946. The company has a fleet of 54 buses, and is the carrier for the Reading Royals, Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and the athletic teams of Kutztown University, Muhlenberg College and DeSales University. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B35 via Church Posted July 20, 2018 Share #4 Posted July 20, 2018 Welp, not that there was any chance of anything being overturned, but the decision by the port authority is now final. Just what we need on Manhattan's streets - more curbside pickups! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BM5 via Woodhaven Posted July 21, 2018 Author Share #5 Posted July 21, 2018 I was reading this article here with comments from several elected officials. This one takes the cake: While those alternatives may work for some in the Lehigh Valley, they aren't feasible for most from Berks because of the distance of those terminals, said state Rep. Gary Day, a Lehigh County Republican who represents part of Berks, including Kutztown. Day blamed Bieber's situation on the Port Authority, which he said should act more like a business "and not a quasi-governmental monopoly." "Although I don't know the specifics of the financial situation, the amount (owed) seems like a high facility price to pay for a company delivering access to an undeserved part of Pennsylvania," he said. "The Port Authority's position of 'drive an hour to get a bus' is unrealistic and predatory toward an underserved population in Pennsylvania." Day said that New York City should be paying Bieber to help bring people in from underserved areas of Pennsylvania. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LIRRMedford Posted July 22, 2018 Share #6 Posted July 22, 2018 The state has a problem getting the city to help pay for its own transportation system, how do they think the city will react to this request? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BM5 via Woodhaven Posted July 27, 2018 Author Share #7 Posted July 27, 2018 Other companies are interested in taking over the Bieber bus routes: http://www.wfmz.com/news/mayor-companies-lining-up-to-take-bieber-s-nyc-bus-route/772283198 Also, Bieber has this on their website Quote BIEBER TRANSPORTATION WILL HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT POSTED BY NOON, FRIDAY, JULY 27, REGARDING OUR NYC LINE RUN SERVICE This might actually be the end of Bieber Passenger Service to New York (and outside of Pennsylvania, for that matter). I'll update once something new comes up. Update: Trans-Bridge Bus Lines will be acquiring most of the Bieber runs. The Wescoville and Hellertown stops will be picked up by Trans-Bridge Only. Reading and Kutztown will have no service, unless Bieber actually continues its service. Berks County residents are not happy: http://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/lehigh-valley-based-trans-bridge-to-take-over-some-nyc-runs-for-bieber-buses There's a solution to the Bieber bus dilemma, but it's one that will likely leave Berks County travelers in the lurch. Officials from the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal announced Wednesday that a new carrier had been selected to take over Kutztown-based Bieber Tourways' slot at the Manhattan Facility. The Port Authority last week told Bieber, the only local provider of bus service to Manhattan, that their buses would no longer be able to drop people off at the terminal as of Saturday. The Port Authority claims Bieber owes it about $214,000, and has a history of being behind on its bills. The decision left the future hazy for the about 450 people who utilize Bieber's services to get to New York each day, including riders who board the buses in Reading and Kutztown. The Port Authority said it was looking for a carrier to replace Bieber, and Wednesday revealed they had found one. Bethlehem-based Trans-Bridge Lines, Inc. will take over Bieber's slot at the Port Authority facility, as well as pick of some of Bieber's route. However, at least for now the bus line, which already provides service from Allentown to Manhattan, will not dip down into Berks. Trans-Bridge will pick up Bieber's northern stops in Wescosville and Hellertown, leaving those who board the buses in Kutztown and Reading without service. According to a press release issued by Trans-Bridge, passengers will be able to board and disembark at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Park-N-Ride, which is the upper parking lot east of the Charcoal Diner on Hamilton Boulevard in Wescosville, and the Hellertown Park-N-Ride off Main Street in Hellertown. Trans-Bridge spokesman Ted Williams said Wednesday that the company is still “considering” extending routes into Berks, but will not do so for the time being. Williams, explaining that things have been moving very quickly, said Trans-Bridge does not yet have an estimate on how many new riders it will add through the new stops. He also said schedules have not yet been finalized, but that the company is working to get them out to the public as soon as possible. Williams said Trans-Bridge looked at picking up the new stops as a public service, offering transportation to Manhattan for those who otherwise would be without it. Trans-Bridge president Tom JeBran shared a similar statement in the company's press release. “Trans-Bridge has a long history of responding to the travel needs of Lehigh Valley residents who use bus service,” he said. “We hope these additions to our service will provide convenient options for passengers going to New York from Wescosville and Hellertown.” In announcing the Port Authority's decision to kick them out, Bieber posted a message on their website that said they were working to find a way to continue service from Berks to Manhattan, including securing a new drop-off spot. “Bieber Tourways Management is currently diligently working on a solution to this situation, as well as seeking alternative pick up and drop off locations to utilize if it becomes necessary,” the message, which was still up Wednesday, said. “Please know Bieber Tourways is committed to providing our passengers with the best possible service and will continue to work until a suitable solution to this fluid situation is achieved.” Bieber officials did not respond Wednesday to messages seeking comment about whether they had found a new drop-off spot or whether they were still working to find a way to continue bus service to Manhattan. Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman said Wednesday that Port Authority officials were thrilled to be able to so quickly fill the gap left by Bieber. “We applaud Trans-Bridge for stepping up and finding a way to provide uninterrupted service for those Pennsylvania commuters who depend on public transportation to get to and from work in New York City each day,” he said. “Our goal has always been to work diligently and cooperatively with private sector carriers to ensure safe, reliable trans-Hudson transportation. In this case, our efforts have proved to be a success, and will ensure that hundreds of commuters are not left searching for ways to get to work or other destinations in the city.” Local officials said they saw Wednesday's announcement as a blow to Reading and Berks. Reading Mayor Wally Scott said he was going to call Trans-Bridge and try to convince them to extend their runs to Reading. “We have a large community going back and forth to New York,” Scott said. “You could almost call New York City our sister city.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BM5 via Woodhaven Posted July 27, 2018 Author Share #8 Posted July 27, 2018 Starting tomorrow, Bieber buses will originate/terminate at Madison Avenue & 47 Street: https://www.biebergroup.com/travel-alerts BIEBER TOURWAYS WILL BE RUNNING ITS NORMAL SCHEDULE TO NYC, DROPPING AND PICKING UP AT 343 MADISON AVE AT E 47TH STREET ON THE SOUTHEAST CORNER. TICKETS MAY BE PURCHASED AT PORT AUTHORITY AT THE ACADEMY AND ADIRONDACK WINDOWS. WE ALSO ENCOURAGE ONLINE TICKETS AND FOR A LIMITED TIME, YOU MAY PURCHASE CASH FARES AT THE PICK UP LOCATION. COMMUTER TICKETS WILL STILL BE ACCEPTED. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BM5 via Woodhaven Posted September 22, 2018 Author Share #9 Posted September 22, 2018 Apparently, Bieber bus service has made massive cuts to its operations. Service no longer operates into New York City anymore. For a brief period in early August, the then-new terminal at Madison and 47th was moved to 31 Street & 8 Avenue (near Penn Station). Starting August 27, buses no longer operate into New York at all. They instead operate to Port Imperial in Weehawken, where rider have to transfer to NY Waterways to get into New York. The headways have also dropped, buses run every hour during the rush hour periods, instead of every 20-30 minutes. Quote August 24, 2018 To our passengers: Bieber Transportation Group is pleased to announce that we are partnering with New York Waterway effective Monday, August 27, 2018. This partnership will enable us to better serve your ride to NYC and provide transportation for you to the Midtown terminal, with optional ferry ticket purchases to the Downtown and Wall Street terminals. Our buses will drop off and pick up at the Port Imperial Dock in Weehawken, NJ. Your ferry ticket to the Midtown terminal is included with your bus ticket. These ferries run every 10 minutes and FREE Waterway bus service on the Manhattan side is available to take passengers further in to the city. Purchasing tickets in NY will still be available at Port Authority from the Academy or Adirondack Trailways windows. The passengers can grab the Waterway bus on 42nd St (North Side) to go to the Midtown Ferry Terminal on W 39th and 12th Ave. These buses are trackable at www.nywaterway.com This new service on the Ferries may be a better option as construction on 495 begins after Labor Day. The severe traffic delays in and out of the city will be avoided to some extent with using the ferries, and hopefully less congestion and headaches for our travelers. The permit process for our permanent curbside location has progressed and we expect that announcement in the very near future. This location will be located in close proximity to subway and mass transit. Remember the ferry service in both directions from and to the Midtown Terminal will be free to our passengers and the bus service on the NYC side is free to all ferry passengers. If you have a commuter book, please ask your driver for a round trip ferry ticket for that day. Port Imperial Dock is at 4800 Avenue at Port Imperial in Weehawken, NJ Midtown terminal – W 39th St and 12th Ave – Free Service included with your Bieber bus ticket Wall St ---- Pier 11 at South Street/ Wall St -additional fee required Downtown --- Brookfield Place/Battery Park City at Vesey Street - -additional fee required For further information on NY Waterway, please visit www.nywaterway.com PLEASE REFER TO OUR SCHEDULE PAGE FOR UPDATED TIMES EFFECTIVE AUGUST 27, 2018 We appreciate your continued and loyal business and we hope that this change will make for a positive experience. http://www.biebergroup.com/new-york-city Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mtatransit Posted September 22, 2018 Share #10 Posted September 22, 2018 4 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said: Apparently, Bieber bus service has made massive cuts to its operations. Service no longer operates into New York City anymore. For a brief period in early August, the then-new terminal at Madison and 47th was moved to 31 Street & 8 Avenue (near Penn Station). Starting August 27, buses no longer operate into New York at all. They instead operate to Port Imperial in Weehawken, where rider have to transfer to NY Waterways to get into New York. The headways have also dropped, buses run every hour during the rush hour periods, instead of every 20-30 minutes. Thats crazy! Are they running into financial problems? Cutting service to Port Imperial is not ideal, but thats not the main problem, but reduction to every hour is going to kill ridership. They might as well sell the whole operation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B35 via Church Posted September 22, 2018 Share #11 Posted September 22, 2018 Much of nobody needing to get to NYC is going to take a bus from that general region of PA to Port Imperial, regardless of how frequent service is.... RIP Bieber Tourways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Future ENY OP Posted September 22, 2018 Share #12 Posted September 22, 2018 RIP BIEBER TOURWAYS 1946-2018 I hope New York Waterway is getting Bieber to pay upfront for this service with the lack of track record it currently has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BM5 via Woodhaven Posted November 3, 2018 Author Share #13 Posted November 3, 2018 Even with the reduced schedule, Bieber is having problems. Every weekend, runs are cancelled, because of "operational issues". Take a look at this weekend schedule, for example: https://www.biebergroup.com/travel-alerts They should just quit while they're at it, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BM5 via Woodhaven Posted November 6, 2018 Author Share #14 Posted November 6, 2018 Bieber returns to NYC tomorrow: https://www.biebergroup.com/travel-alerts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brokecrazy Posted December 1, 2018 Share #15 Posted December 1, 2018 Now , the NYC bus stop is at 8 Ave and 39st M20 bus stop. service to ferry discontinued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GojiMet86 Posted December 3, 2018 Share #16 Posted December 3, 2018 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/03/nyregion/port-authority-bieber-bus-evicted.html Quote Kicked Out of Port Authority, Bieber Bus Got a Prime Stop on a Crowded Curb By Winnie Hu Dec. 3, 2018 A financially struggling bus company was kicked out of the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan after failing to pay $214,000 in fees. But instead of shutting down, the scofflaw company found a new home at a fraction of the cost: on the curb outside. Passengers just need to walk down the street to catch Carl R. Bieber Inc.buses to the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania. The new bus stop on Eighth Avenue, near 39th Street, was approved by city transportation officials despite the objections of residents, community leaders and others who say that it crams even more buses and people (and luggage) into one of New York’s most congested corridors — and essentially rewards Bieber with a prime spot. “If you pay for something — and then you don’t pay — how do you get something better?” said Joe Tabone, the manager of a liquor store next to Bieber’s stop. “I don’t think that’s fair.” Bieber’s curbside spot is part of what critics say is a much larger problem: a booming fleet of private buses that roll through Manhattan and pull over on streets, making New York’s already bleak traffic picture even worse. Across New York, the number of bus companies with permits for curbside stops has more than tripled since 2013, to 151 from 46. Many intercity and commuter buses rely on curbside loading and unloading of passengers not only because it is cheaper for carriers, but also because they cannot all fit in the outdated Port Authority Bus Terminal. As a result, critics say, the buses are adding to choked streets at a time when traffic in Midtown Manhattan is crawling at an average of 4.7 miles per hour, among the slowest speeds of any major American city. They also say the so-called “curbside terminals” have blocked sidewalks and entrances to stores and other businesses and worsened air pollution. “It is cheaper for the bus company, but city residents, workers and visitors pay a heavy price,” said David Sandler, 39, a member of a local community board that opposed Bieber’s bus stop. Across the United States, intercity bus travel is soaring. There were an estimated 61.6 million rides in 2015, up from about 45.2 million rides in 2008, fueled by the arrival and expansion of carriers such as Megabus and BoltBus that offer low fares, wireless internet and online ticketing, according to Joseph P. Schwieterman, director of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul University. Intercity bus ridership has especially thrived in the New York City region, in part as more buses offer people a wider choice of pickup and drop-off locations and significantly lower fares than trains. The city’s strong job market has also drawn long-haul commuters from Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, upstate New York and elsewhere. In 2018, there were an estimated 22 million intercity bus rides in the New York City area alone, or about a million more rides than in 2014, according to Mr. Schwieterman. Buses are “a solution to the congestion problem” since they offer an alternative to driving, said Peter J. Pantuso, the president and chief executive of the American Bus Association, an industry group. But, he added, cities have been slow to invest in new terminals and infrastructure as they “have identified they have challenges, but they haven’t quite figured out how to address them yet.” The Port Authority, the country’s busiest bus terminal, opened in 1950 in part to help reduce congestion. Today, all 186 active passenger boarding areas — spread over three floors in two buildings — are full during peak hours. A larger terminal is planned, though it is years away. For now, 18 bus companies and New Jersey Transit share the terminal. Megabus is not one of them because its double-decker buses are too tall to fit. So passengers wait to be picked up at a bus stop on the Far West Side where there is no bathroom, food court or shelter from the cold and rain. Still, they keep coming. Since the carrier started in New York in 2008, ridership has tripled, and routes have expanded to 38 cities from six. Sean Hughes, a spokesman for Megabus, said the carrier has worked to address community concerns about congestion and idling, including offering drivers bonuses for not idling. Today, there are 118 curbside bus stops in Manhattan, according to the city, of which 66 are clustered between 14th and 59th streets in neighborhoods that are already overrun with cars. In total, the Manhattan stops are used hundreds of times a day by private buses — on a recent weekday passengers were dropped off 946 times and picked up 799 times. One bus stop, on 34th Street between Ninth and 10th Avenues, has brought constant honking as buses have idled and slowed traffic, as well as piles of trash left behind by passengers, according to Pat Forbes, a cybersecurity executive who lives across the street from the stop. “I don’t think anyone has anything against buses — it’s just where they’re at,” said Mr. Forbes, 58. “They couldn’t have picked a worse area if they tried.’’ Christine Berthet, a member of a Midtown Manhattan community board, said bus companies all want to be near the Port Authority and Pennsylvania Station, but sometimes can be persuaded to go farther away where there is more room. But even that is no longer the best solution. “We have run out of spots,” she said. Bieber buses rolled into the Port Authority in the 1970s, carrying visitors and commuters seeking high-paying jobs without the city’s high cost of living. In recent years, about 450 passengers rode on weekdays, though that number has declined. Bieber’s license to operate at the Port Authority was terminated on July 28, the first time that has happened in recent years, said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the terminal. He said Bieber still owes about $125,000. Matthew Daus, a lawyer who represents Bieber, said the company was facing “financial difficulties in the year leading up to the termination by the Port, and was seeking refinancing in order to keep current with the Port payments, and the refinancing was delayed.” Mr. Daus also said Bieber had to apply for a curbside spot because it could not return to the terminal and that other companies at the terminal also have outside spaces. A Port Authority official opposed the location of Bieber’s stop, arguing in an October letter to the city that adding a curbside spot to the heavily congested area outside the terminal “only complicates an already challenging environment.” It also puts bus companies paying to use the terminal at a competitive disadvantage, according to the letter. City transportation officials said they have limited authority to reject bus stops and were responsive to concerns about Bieber by issuing a permit for only three months — instead of the usual three years — so they could monitor its operations. The stop is already used by a public bus. State law caps how much can be charged in administrative fees for a bus stop: Bieber has paid $1,140. (It would be $4,560 for a full year.) Steve Haddad, the president and chief executive officer of Bieber, said in a statement that “our company looks forward to being a good neighbor to the community and to continue serving our customers, who have no other way to get to and from New York City to earn a living.” The company, he added, has stationed a dispatcher at the stop to ensure safe and efficient operations. After leaving the terminal, Bieber buses operated on city streets without an approved bus stop, racking up violations and fines, according to The Morning Call, which has reported on the company’s financial and legal troubles. Mr. Daus said many violations have been dismissed and others were being appealed or contested. Bieber buses then dropped off passengers in Weehawken, N.J., where they took a ferry across the Hudson River to Manhattan and then used other buses to continue through Midtown. “I said I was missing one mode of transport — an airplane,” said Esther Peña, 22, a hospital clinical research coordinator whose two-and-a-half hour one-way commute from Allentown, Pa., grew even longer, to three hours. Many passengers said Bieber should have paid its bills and that its problem became theirs because there were few other transit options. Yolanda Campbell, 32, a nurse, shivered as she waited recently on the curb for a Bieber bus. She had been driving because she did not want to follow Bieber as it moved around and other bus companies had limited routes and hours. But she would get so tired that she had to pull over to nap. “I was falling asleep every day,” she said about her commute from the Allentown area. “I don’t care if they’re on the street as long as I don’t have to drive.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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