| Revision as of 14:26, 20 June 2013 editBlue Square Thing (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers78,230 edits →2013 controversy: Hmm - tricky to get this right. I can't guarantee to have done so, but - under **BLP** issues it would be wrong to link actions to a specific individual when it is only "alleged to have been" someone I think. Tread carefully here.← Previous edit | Revision as of 17:31, 23 June 2013 edit undo2602:306:c423:d89:21f:5bff:febf:e186 (talk) Restored history section which was summarily dispatched without good cause.Next edit → | ||
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| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| === Early years === | === Early years === | ||
| ==History== | |||
| Suburban Express was founded in 1983 by an undergraduate at the University of Illinois, and started selling tickets for half the price of incumbent Greyhound. At that time, the ] travel center would not sell Suburban Express tickets, since they earned a commission from ]. A price-war led both Suburban Express and Greyhound to decrease prices more than fifty percent. Two Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) investigations were initiated by Greyhound. The two had matched ticket sales by 1985. The travel center began allowing Suburban Express tickets to compensate for lost Greyhound commission revenues, and the service expanded to Eastern Illinois University (1985), and Illinois State University (1989).<ref name="farewars">{{cite news | work=Daily Herald (Arlington Heights) | title=Fare wars - Bus service run by student butts heads with Greyhound | first=Dan | last=Rozek | date=1985-10-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia| work=Russell's Guides | date=1999-09 | volume = GLI Schedule 397 | quote=Removed from publication}}</ref> | |||
| Students of the ] ("UIUC") have had a variety of transportation options over the life of the university. In the early 1980s, most students wishing to travel to the Chicago area used ] (]s), ] (]es) and ]. | |||
| In 1983, a student of the University of Illinois became dissatisfied with the Amtrak's high fares and Greyhound's unreliable service, and started Suburban Express. Suburban Express used a novel ] - that of a "virtual" bus company - in that it did not own any buses or facilities. Rather, it contracted buses from established carriers, sold tickets through a travel agent, and used public streets and suburban malls as its bus stops.<ref name=farewars>''Fare wars - Bus service run by student butts heads with Greyhound''. Dan Rozek. ]. Chicago, Illinois. Sunday, October 20, 1985. Page 20.</ref> | |||
| The first charter of six buses carried about 300 students to the Chicago suburbs for the ] break in 1983 undercutting Greyhound's prices by $4 to $8. The concept was partially encouraged by a Greyhound ]'s ] around the same period. Charter service continued in the spring of 1984, but encountered a few problems. UIUC refused to allow Suburban Express ticket sales at the university travel center because the school received a ] for selling Greyhound tickets and they feared Greyhound's reaction to selling competing tickets.<ref name="farewars"/> | |||
| The company also met stiff competition from its main rival, Greyhound. A ] ensued and by February 1985 both sides had reduced round trip ticket prices from $36 to $14.75. In 1984, Greyhound also contacted the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) which initiated two separate investigations of Suburban Express. The first ICC investigation in Spring of 1984 found Suburban Express to be operating a regular service without the ICC's approval. In response Suburban Express changed the operation to a private charter for UIUC students and staff excluding it from ICC jurisdiction. The second investigation was in fall of 1984 and found the company to be operating according to ICC rules.<ref name="farewars"/> | |||
| In the spring of 1984, the Illini Union Travel Center also attempted to create its own charter service to recover increasing losses of commissions on ticket sales. Unable to compete with Greyhound and Suburban Express, the university's charter service ended after only one weekend of service. By October 1985, UIUC allowed sales of Suburban Express tickets at the Illini Union Travel Center to recover revenue lost by the decline of Greyhound ticket sales. At that time, the manager of the Travel Center said that Suburban Express tickets accounted for over half of the tickets sold weekly.<ref name="farewars"/> | |||
| Suburban Express eventually displaced Greyhound as the most popular mode of transportation to/from the Chicago suburbs.<ref>''Champaign man takes one of the last Concorde trips''; Lynda Zimmer. News-Gazette Staff Writer. News Gazette. Champaign, Ill. Oct 29, 2003. pg. B.5.</ref> In 1989, Greyhound pulled out of the Champaign-to-Suburbs market altogether.<ref>Russell's Guide September 1999 - GLI Schedule 397 removed from publication</ref> Suburban Express added ] in Charleston, IL to its route structure in 1985.<ref name="farewars"/> Illinois State University was served from 1989-1993 and from 2003–present. As of 2003, annual ridership was approximately 55,000 passengers.<ref>http://www.suburbanexpress.com/bulletpoints.html</ref> | |||
| Similar ventures were formed at other midwestern universities to transport students to the Chicago suburbs. | |||
| * HoosierBus serves ] and ] and was founded in 2003 by two University students.<ref>https://www.hoosierbus.com/about.html</ref> | |||
| * Catch A Ride, Inc. serves Indiana University, founded by a parent of IU students.<ref>http://www.catcharide.com/about.html</ref> | |||
| * Burbsbus.com used to serve Iowa | |||
| === 2013 controversy === | === 2013 controversy === | ||
Revision as of 17:31, 23 June 2013
 | |
 Illini Shuttle, operated by Suburban Express, at Illinois Terminal in Champaign, Illinois. | |
| Founded | 1983 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 714 S Sixth Street Champaign, Illinois 61820 |
| Service area | Illinois, Indiana, Iowa |
| Service type | Intercity coach service |
| Destinations | 6 Universities served and Chicago Suburbs |
| Chief executive | Dennis Toeppen, President |
| Website | http://www.suburbanexpress.com |
Suburban Express is a bus company that serves six universities in the Mid-Western United States. It was founded in 1983 by Dennis Toeppen, then a student of the University of Illinois (UIUC). At first the University would not sell Suburban Express tickets, since it gained a commission from competitor Greyhound; however, by 1985, Suburban Express accounted for half the tickets sold at the UIUC travel center.
Suburban Express has been criticized online on Yelp and Reddit for "cutthroat business practices," including a $100 fine for using a ticket on the wrong day or for the wrong destination and suing 125 of its own customers.
History
Early years
History
Students of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ("UIUC") have had a variety of transportation options over the life of the university. In the early 1980s, most students wishing to travel to the Chicago area used Amtrak (trains), Greyhound Lines (buses) and private automobiles.
In 1983, a student of the University of Illinois became dissatisfied with the Amtrak's high fares and Greyhound's unreliable service, and started Suburban Express. Suburban Express used a novel business model - that of a "virtual" bus company - in that it did not own any buses or facilities. Rather, it contracted buses from established carriers, sold tickets through a travel agent, and used public streets and suburban malls as its bus stops.
The first charter of six buses carried about 300 students to the Chicago suburbs for the Thanksgiving break in 1983 undercutting Greyhound's prices by $4 to $8. The concept was partially encouraged by a Greyhound bus driver's strike around the same period. Charter service continued in the spring of 1984, but encountered a few problems. UIUC refused to allow Suburban Express ticket sales at the university travel center because the school received a commission for selling Greyhound tickets and they feared Greyhound's reaction to selling competing tickets.
The company also met stiff competition from its main rival, Greyhound. A price war ensued and by February 1985 both sides had reduced round trip ticket prices from $36 to $14.75. In 1984, Greyhound also contacted the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) which initiated two separate investigations of Suburban Express. The first ICC investigation in Spring of 1984 found Suburban Express to be operating a regular service without the ICC's approval. In response Suburban Express changed the operation to a private charter for UIUC students and staff excluding it from ICC jurisdiction. The second investigation was in fall of 1984 and found the company to be operating according to ICC rules.
In the spring of 1984, the Illini Union Travel Center also attempted to create its own charter service to recover increasing losses of commissions on ticket sales. Unable to compete with Greyhound and Suburban Express, the university's charter service ended after only one weekend of service. By October 1985, UIUC allowed sales of Suburban Express tickets at the Illini Union Travel Center to recover revenue lost by the decline of Greyhound ticket sales. At that time, the manager of the Travel Center said that Suburban Express tickets accounted for over half of the tickets sold weekly.
Suburban Express eventually displaced Greyhound as the most popular mode of transportation to/from the Chicago suburbs. In 1989, Greyhound pulled out of the Champaign-to-Suburbs market altogether. Suburban Express added Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL to its route structure in 1985. Illinois State University was served from 1989-1993 and from 2003–present. As of 2003, annual ridership was approximately 55,000 passengers.
Similar ventures were formed at other midwestern universities to transport students to the Chicago suburbs.
- HoosierBus serves Purdue University and Indiana University and was founded in 2003 by two University students.
- Catch A Ride, Inc. serves Indiana University, founded by a parent of IU students.
- Burbsbus.com used to serve Iowa
2013 controversy
In 2013, Suburban Express filed 126 tort and contract damage lawsuits against customers it alleged violated its terms of service. Many of the lawsuits were filed in Ford County, 30 miles from campus. Attorneys representing customers alleged that the choice of venue was a strategic move done intentionally to disqualify students from free legal aid from the university. In early 2013 a customer said on Facebook and told the student paper that they had witnessed a bus driver tell a foreign student "If you don't understand English, you don't belong at the University of Illinois or any 'American' University'." The post was shared 700 times and liked 600 times. Afterwards, he received a letter from Suburban Express saying he owed $500 in liquidated damages and was banned for life. The company also threatened to sue. On the company website, Suburban Express called the student "a bullying, self-important brat," and claimed his actions were intended to promote a student ride-sharing website that was planned, but since aborted.
This led to a discussion on the subreddit for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign stating: "Don't ride Suburban Express! They're likely to sue you, have terrible reviews, and also this." The "this" linked to a series of anonymous insults to critics of Suburban Express, calling them "lonely virgins," "chronic masturbators" and other derogatory names that the moderator implied were posted by Suburban Express representatives.
On April 24th, The company threatened to sue a Reddit moderator involved, claiming he was knowingly posting "false and libelous information" and allowing libel to remain "despite clear knowledge... that the materials are untruthful." The letter said Suburban Express would sue if the posts weren't removed by April 27th. The company received widespread negative publicity as a result, which was called an example of the Streisand Effect by Ken White of Popehat. According to Ars Technica, "internet vigilantes" took down the company website, stole the founder's identity and hacked into his Reddit account.
The Reddit moderator said he was only one of many editors that manage the thread and that he didn't believe any false or libelous comments were made. Suburban Express' lawyer admitted they did not understand how Reddit works. By May 2nd, the company closed all 125 of its lawsuits, and also withdrew its threat of legal action against the Reddit moderator, saying the company would find alternative means to promote compliance with its terms of service. The company said its policies were intended to get buses boarded faster, not "turn small claims court into a profit center."
In May 2013, after prior cases were dismissed with prejudice, Suburban Express hired a new attorney and attempted to reopen the case. According to Ars Technica, the company filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the University to access communications which "mention, relate, or pertain to" the company or named individuals.
Services
Suburban Express serves six midwest universities: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois State University, Eastern Illinois University, Purdue University, University of Iowa, and Indiana University. Weekend services transport students from all six campuses directly to several Suburban Chicago locations. The Illini Shuttle runs every day from Champaign and Urbana to the Chicago Airports of O'Hare and Chicago suburbs. Suburban Express is a "virtual" bus company, in that it does not own any buses or facilities, but instead contracts buses from other carriers.
Suburban Express has a negative reputation on Yelp and Reddit, where customers claim the company has "cutthroat business practices," such as fining, banning and suing customers that allegedly violate its terms of service. The terms of service state that customers may be charged a $100 fine in the event the ticket is used for the wrong day or the wrong route. Students also claim that the organization bans, fines and threatens to sue customers that speak negatively of the company online. According to the company, "we have a few very simple rules: Bring a printed ticket. Don't try to get on a bus you can't get a ticket for because it's sold out by using a ticket for another date. Don't try to get two rides when you have only paid for one. Don't try to ride with a counterfeit ticket."
References
- ^ Gallagher, Sean (2013-04-26). "Express to Internet Hate: Bus company threatens redditor with lawsuit". Ars Technica.
- ^ Doctorow, Cory (2013-04-27). "Suburban Express bus-line sends bullying, cowardly legal threat to Reddit, discovers Streisand Effect". Boing Boing.
- ^ Fare wars - Bus service run by student butts heads with Greyhound. Dan Rozek. Daily Herald. Chicago, Illinois. Sunday, October 20, 1985. Page 20.
- Champaign man takes one of the last Concorde trips; Lynda Zimmer. News-Gazette Staff Writer. News Gazette. Champaign, Ill. Oct 29, 2003. pg. B.5.
- Russell's Guide September 1999 - GLI Schedule 397 removed from publication
- http://www.suburbanexpress.com/bulletpoints.html
- https://www.hoosierbus.com/about.html
- http://www.catcharide.com/about.html
- ^ Gallagher, Sean (2013-05-02). "Nonstop to schadenfreude: Suburban Express' u-turn on reddit lawsuit". Ars Technica.
- ^ Brumleve, Will (2013-04-26). "Bus firm's lawsuits criticized". The News Gazette.
- ^ Geigner, Timothy (2013-05-02). "Bus Company Threatens Redditor With Lawsuit, Meets Ken White, Runs Away". Techdirt.
- ^ Franz, Justin (2013-04-29). "Bus Company Threatens to Sue Redditor Over Bad Press". The Daily Dot.
- Geigner, Timothy (2013-05-17). "Suburban Express Goes Double Or Nothing On Their Aggressive Behavior". Techdirt.
- ^ Gallagher, Sean (2013-13-02). "Troll road: Bus company posts "dirt" on complaining passenger". Ars Technica.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Gallagher, Sean (2013-06-19). "Bus company that threatened redditor with lawsuit tries to reopen suit". Ars Technica.
- Suburban Express website
- Illini Shuttle website