The bus company responsible for Tuesday's crash that killed four people on Interstate 95 in Caroline County has been repainting its buses and selling tickets under different names just days after being shut down by federal officials, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Late Friday, the DOT's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a cease and desist order against Sky Express, saying that the company is now trying to operate under the names 108 Tours and 108 Bus.
The action is being taken as part of the agency's investigation of the Charlotte, N.C.-based company "and its commitment to pursue enforcement action against unsafe 'reincarnated' bus companies," the agency said.
The cease and desist order says Sky Express is repainting, or has already repainted, some or all of its vehicles and is unlawfully selling tickets for interstate transportation under other operating authority registrations. The company owns 34 buses, according to its profile on the federal agency's website.
"FMSCA is ordering Sky Express to cease and desist from providing tickets for sale of its transportation service under other names," the order says.
The agency also announced that it has subpoenaed the records of three websites that have sold tickets for Sky Express and several other bus companies. Those websites include GotoBus.com, TakeTours.com and 2001bus.com, the agency said.
"We are relentlessly targeting unsafe and illegal bus companies," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Friday in a statement. "This action sends a strong message that the U.S. Department of Transportation will utilize every legal and enforcement tool available to shut down unsafe bus companies and protect passengers and motorists."
On Tuesday, the agency issued an unsatisfactory safety rating for Sky Express and revoked the company's operating registration for violating safety regulations. That action followed Tuesday's crash of a Sky Express bus on Interstate 95 in Caroline County that killed four passengers and injured 53 others.
"FMSCA has now learned that Sky Express is attempting to operate without operating authority registration," the order says. "Such operations are unlawful."
The agency issued a subpoena to Dr. Xiangping Chen, aka Jimmy Chen, who in the filing is listed as president and chief executive officer of Ivy Media Corp./GotoBus.com. The subpoena order says Ivy Media/GotoBus.com operates the websites GotoBus.com, TakeTours.com and 2001bus.com.
The subpoena orders Chen or an authorized representative to produce documents, records and reports related to Sky Express, Antai Tours, New Century Travel, Coach 88, I-95 Coach, Hua Mei Tours, Hua Mei Travel, Hua Mei Bus, NY Ho Charter Services, United Tours, Ocean Travel, 2003 Coach, Blue Sky Bus Tours Inc. and Natural Travel to the agency's Massachusetts office administrator by June 13.
The subpoena also demands a list of all bus companies that have sold tickets through the Ivy Media-operated websites or have entered into agreements for the sale of tickets through the websites since June 1, 2009.
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