Eastern Bus
{{Short description|American commercial intercity bus service}}
{{for|the now defunct airline shuttle service|Eastern Air Lines Shuttle}}
{{Infobox bus transit
| name = Eastern Bus
| logo =
| logo_size = 250
| image = Eastern Bus bus white.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| image_caption = Eastern Shuttle bus in white livery before the marketing arrangement with Flixbus.
| company_slogan = Reliable, Affordable, Accessible
| founded = {{Start date and age|2002}}
| headquarters = 90 Bowery
New York, NY 10013
| locale = Northeastern United States
| service_area = Interstate 95 corridor
| service_type = Intercity bus service
| routes = 2
| destinations = 3
| stops = 5
| hubs =
| stations =
| lounge =
| fleet =
| ridership =
| fuel_type =
| operator =
| alliance = Flixbus
| website = {{URL|https://www.flixbus.com/}}
}}
File:Coach USA Eastern Shuttle bus-red.jpg]]
Eastern Bus, also known as Eastern Shuttle and formerly Eastern Travel, is the operator of intercity bus service between New York City and Richmond, Virginia for Flixbus.{{cite web | url=https://www.flixbus.com/eastern-bus | title=Eastern Bus is now a part of FlixBus! | publisher=Flixbus}}
History
The company was founded by Zheng Shui Ming in 2002. Zheng immigrated from Fujian Province in southern China in 1991 on a fishing vessel. He then bought a secondhand minibus from a friend in Queens and started driving. The company attracted cooks and dishwashers with jobs in Chinese restaurants as well as college students.{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/nyregion/thecity/08chin.html | title=Dreams and Desperation on Forsyth Street | first=SAKI | last=KNAFO | work=The New York Times | date=June 8, 2008 | url-access=subscription}}
Eastern hired David Wong, Chinese-born but educated in the United States with a Master of Business Administration, as a part-owner and manager of its operations. Wong added a stop near Pennsylvania Station in New York.{{cite news | url=http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/2009-08/31/content_11003463.htm | title=Magic buses | first=Rin-rin | last=Yu | work=China Daily | date=August 31, 2009}}{{cite news | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB110686461783738528 | title=On the East Coast, Chinese Buses Give Greyhound a Run | first=Barry | last=Newman | work=The Wall Street Journal | date=January 28, 2005 | url-access=subscription}}
In 2006, the company had an estimated $3 million in sales.{{cite news | url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2006-07-06-0607060060-story.html | title=The Chinatown bus is a wild ride | first=JONATHAN | last=PITTS | work=The Baltimore Sun | date=July 6, 2006 | url-access=subscription}}
In fall 2008, Coach USA acquired Eastern.{{cite web | url=http://regulations.justia.com/view/121152/ | title=Federal Register Volume 73 | publisher=Justia | date=September 18, 2008}} In winter 2009, Coach USA purchased Today's and merged it into Eastern.{{cite news | url=https://dcist.com/story/09/02/17/todays-bus-now-part-of-eastern-coac/ | title=Todays Bus Now Part of Eastern Coach/Coach USA | first=Josh | last=Novikoff | work=WAMU | date=February 17, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222043659/http://dcist.com/2009/02/todays_bus_now_part_of_eastern_coac.php | archive-date=February 22, 2012 | url-status=live}}
In August 2009, Megabus divested itself of Eastern Shuttle.{{cite web | url=http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=117331463282 | title=Notice regarding Eastern Travel on Megabus' official Facebook page | publisher=Facebook | date=August 13, 2009}}
In May 2019, the company reached a deal with Flixbus, in which Flixbus handles all marketing and sales for the company.{{cite news | url=https://www.metro-magazine.com/motorcoach/article/734779/how-greyhound-coach-usa-sales-will-impact-intercity-bus-lines | title=How Greyhound, Coach USA sales will impact intercity bus lines | first1=Joseph | last1=Schwieterman | first2=Brian | last2=Antolin | work=Metro Magazine | date=July 11, 2019}}
References
{{Reflist|1}}
External links
{{commons category|Eastern Shuttle (bus company)}}
- {{Official website|https://www.flixbus.com/}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eastern Bus (Bus Company)}}
Category:Chinese-American culture in New York City
Category:Intercity bus companies of the United States
Category:Transport companies established in 2002