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| {{pp-protected|expiry=2013-12-24T12:40:34Z|small=yes}}{{pp-pc1}} | {{pp-protected|expiry=2013-12-24T12:40:34Z|small=yes}}{{pp-pc1}} | ||
| {{Infobox Bus transit | {{Infobox Bus transit | ||
| | name = |
| name = | ||
| | logo = Sebanner white.png | | logo = Sebanner white.png | ||
| | logo_size = 250 | | logo_size = 250 | ||
| | image = Intermodal Transportation Center.JPG | | image = Intermodal Transportation Center.JPG | ||
| | image_size = |
| image_size = | ||
| | image_caption = Illini Shuttle, operated by Suburban Express, at ] in Champaign, Illinois. | | image_caption = Illini Shuttle, operated by Suburban Express, at ] in Champaign, Illinois. | ||
| | company_slogan = |
| company_slogan = | ||
| | parent = | |||
| | founded = 1983 | | founded = 1983 | ||
| | headquarters = 714 S Sixth Street <br />Champaign, Illinois 61820 | | headquarters = 714 S Sixth Street <br />Champaign, Illinois 61820 | ||
| | locale = | |||
| | service_area = Illinois, Indiana, Iowa | | service_area = Illinois, Indiana, Iowa | ||
| | service_type = ] | | service_type = ] | ||
| ⚫ | | destinations = Six universities served and Chicago suburbs | ||
| | alliance = | |||
| | routes = | |||
| ⚫ | | destinations = |
||
| | stops = | |||
| | hubs = | |||
| | stations = | |||
| | lounge = | |||
| | ridership = | |||
| | fuel_type = | |||
| | operator = | |||
| | ceo = Dennis Toeppen, President | | ceo = Dennis Toeppen, President | ||
| | website = http://www.suburbanexpress.com | | website = | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| '''Suburban Express''' is a bus service, based in |
'''Suburban Express''' is a bus service, based in ], that provides transport services to students at six universities in the ]. The company, which contracts buses from other carriers, was founded in 1983 by its current president, ], then a student at the ] (UIUC). Toeppen successfully challenged the local monopoly of ], leading to a price war that saw fares drop for both companies. | ||
| The company has become known, particularly on social media, for legal disputes arising from the rigorous enforcement of its terms of service. | |||
| The bus service has had more than 200 legal disputes with passengers and competitors and has gotten into conflicts with customers who post criticisms of the company online. | |||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| Suburban Express was founded in 1983 by Dennis Toeppen, then a 19-year-old student, to provide local transport home at weekends and holidays for students at UIUC. The only company providing this service at the time was Greyhound Lines, and Toeppen wanted to offer a lower-cost alternative. He chartered six buses and drivers, sold tickets through a local travel agency and spent $600 on advertising. The university's travel center received a commission from Greyhound and at first refused to sell Suburban Express tickets, even though they were cheaper. The travel center briefly founded its own charter service as a competitor to Suburban Express, cutting fares even further.<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 | url=http://toeppen.com/daily-herald-fare-wars-toeppen.pdf |date=October 20, 1985}}</ref> | |||
| ===Early history=== | |||
| Suburban Express was founded in 1983 by Dennis Toeppen, with an initial investment of $600. At first, the University of Illinois would not sell Suburban Express tickets even though they were half the cost, since it received a commission from competitor ].<ref name="farewars" /> A price war led both Suburban Express and Greyhound to cut prices by more than fifty percent. Greyhound initiated two Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) investigations against Suburban Express: one in spring 1984 and one in fall 1984.<ref name="farewars" /> In 1985, Toeppen charged Greyhound with "predatory pricing" for lowering their Friday to Sunday campus service from $43.70 to $14.75.<ref name=Taylor>Taylor, Barbara. “Greyhound pricing illegal, bus service officials claim.” ''The Daily Illini''. Feb. 16, 1985</ref> The two had matched ticket sales by 1985. The travel center began selling Suburban Express tickets to compensate for lost Greyhound commission revenues.<ref name="farewars" /> Suburban Express’ service expanded to Eastern Illinois University in 1985 and to Illinois State University to 1989.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia| work=Russell's Guides | date=1999-09 | volume = GLI Schedule 397 | quote=Removed from publication}}</ref> | |||
| A price war broke out, in which Suburban Express and Greyhound both cut prices by more than fifty percent. Greyhound initiated two Illinois Commerce Commission investigations against Suburban Express in 1984, and in 1985 Toeppen charged Greyhound with "predatory pricing" for lowering its round-trip fare to Chicago from around $36 to $14.75. Toeppen matched the price but complained to the Justice Department, which decided not to investigate.<ref name="farewars" /> Suburban Express survived despite the price war, and was able to expand its service to ] in 1985 and to ] to 1989. | |||
| ===Disputes with passengers and competitors=== | |||
| <ref>''Russell's Guides'' (September 1999), GLI Schedule 397.</ref> | |||
| Since 1994, Suburban Express has initiated about 200 small claims actions against individuals, as well as civil lawsuits against four competitors.<ref name="DailyIlliniContinues">{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyillini.com/news/local/article_43a45b74-ae1a-11e2-9a0d-0019bb30f31a.html| work=Daily Illini | title=Suburban Express lawsuits reach 125 this year; conversation continues on Reddit | first=Corinne | last=Ruff | date=2013-04-28|quote="Suburban Express filed 209 lawsuits since April 1994, when the first lawsuit was filed in Champaign County...Champaign County Circuit Court records also show that Suburban Express brought a civil lawsuit against the Peoria Charter Coach Company in 2009. In the past, Suburban Express has filed 10 civil suits, including lawsuits against Amtrak, Champaign-Urbana MTD and then-Lincolnland Express, better known as LEX."}}</ref> In 2013, it filed 126<ref name="ArsNonstop">{{cite news| url=http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/05/non-stop-to-schadenfreude-suburban-express-u-turn-on-reddit-lawsuit/ | work=Ars Technica | title=Nonstop to schadenfreude: Suburban Express’ u-turn on reddit lawsuit | first=Sean | last=Gallagher | date=2013-05-02}}</ref> tort and contract damage lawsuits against customers it alleged violated its terms of service by printing out multiple copies of their tickets or using them on the wrong dates.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2013-06-26/bus-company-wants-reinstate-some-lawsuits.html |title=Bus company wants to reinstate some lawsuits |work=News-Gazette |publisher=News-Gazette.com |date=2013-06-26 |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref><ref name="Ars-26Apr2013">{{cite news| url=http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/04/express-to-internet-hate-bus-company-threatens-redditor-with-lawsuit/ | work=Ars Technica | title=Express to Internet Hate: Bus company threatens redditor with lawsuit | first=Sean | last=Gallagher | date=2013-04-26}}</ref> Many of the lawsuits were filed by Suburban Express in ], 30 miles from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), disqualifying students from free legal aid.<ref name="SubEx_NG1">{{cite news| url=http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2013-04-26/bus-firms-lawsuits-criticized.html | work=The News Gazette | title=Bus firm's lawsuits criticized | first=Will | last=Brumleve | date=2013-04-26}}</ref><ref name="dailyillini1" /><ref name=“tribunal">{{cite news|title=Bus Company’s lawsuits anger students|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-05-01/news/ct-met-suburban-express-20130501_1_bus-ticket-ford-county-wrong-bus/2|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=May 01, 2013|first=Kim|last=Geiger|accessdate=November 6, 2013}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | ==Services, disputes== | ||
| In early 2013 a customer said on ] and told the UIUC student newspaper he witnessed a bus driver tell an ] "If you don't understand English, you don't belong at the University of Illinois or any 'American' University'."<ref name="Ars-26Apr2013" /><ref name="SubEx_Techdirt" /> The Facebook post was shared 700 times and liked 600 times.<ref name="dailyillini1">{{cite news|last=Ruff |first=Corinne|url=http://www.dailyillini.com/news/local/article_43a45b74-ae1a-11e2-9a0d-0019bb30f31a.html |title=Suburban Express lawsuits reach 125 this year; conversation continues on Reddit |location=Champaign-Urbana |newspaper=The Daily Illini |date=2013-04-28 |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref><ref name="dailydott">{{cite news| url=http://www.dailydot.com/business/suburban-express-uiuc-reddit-moderator-bus-lawsuit/ | work=The Daily Dot | title=Bus Company Threatens to Sue Redditor Over Bad Press | first=Justin | last=Franz | date=2013-04-29}}</ref> Afterwards, the student received an e-mail from Suburban Express saying he owed $570<ref name="oli">{{cite news|url=http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2013-07-30/judge-allows-bus-company-refile-some-claims-against-passengers.html |title=Judge allows bus company to refile some claims against passengers |work=News-Gazette |publisher=News-Gazette.com |date=2013-07-31 |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> in liquidated damages and was banned for life.<ref name="Ars-26Apr2013" /><ref name="SubEx_Techdirt">{{cite news| url=http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130429/07194422871/bus-company-threatens-redditor-with-lawsuit-meets-ken-white-runs-away.shtml | work=Techdirt | title=Bus Company Threatens Redditor With Lawsuit, Meets Ken White, Runs Away | first=Timothy | last=Geigner | date=2013-05-02}}</ref> Suburban Express said he caused a disruption<ref name="oli"/> and called the student "a bullying, self-important brat."<ref name="SubEx_Techdirt2">{{cite news| url=http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130515/05513523093/suburban-express-goes-double-nothing-their-aggressive-behavior.shtml | work=Techdirt | title=Suburban Express Goes Double Or Nothing On Their Aggressive Behavior | first=Timothy | last=Geigner | date=2013-05-17}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | As of 2013 the company serves six universities: UIUC, Illinois State University, Eastern Illinois University, ], ] and ]. Weekend services transport students from all six campuses to several Chicago locations.<ref></ref> In the 12 months prior to April 2013 the company carried around 100,000 passengers, running up to 75 buses a day.<ref name="DailyIlliniContinues"/> | ||
| The company has acquired a reputation for rigorously enforcing its terms of service, telling one reporter: "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."<ref name="SubEx_NG1">{{cite news| url=http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2013-04-26/bus-firms-lawsuits-criticized.html | work=The News Gazette | title=Bus firm's lawsuits criticized | first=Will | last=Brumleve | date=April 26, 2013}}</ref> | |||
| This led<ref name="dailydott">{{cite news| url=http://www.dailydot.com/business/suburban-express-uiuc-reddit-moderator-bus-lawsuit/ | work=The Daily Dot | title=Bus Company Threatens to Sue Redditor Over Bad Press | first=Justin | last=Franz | date=2013-04-29}}</ref><ref name="troll">{{cite news| url=http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/05/troll-road-bus-company-posts-dirt-on-complaining-passenger/ | work=Ars Technica | title= | |||
| Troll road: Bus company posts "dirt" on complaining passenger | first=Sean | last=Gallagher | date=2013-13-02}}</ref> to a discussion on the ] 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 anonymously.<ref name="troll" /><ref name="Ars-26Apr2013" /><ref name="ArsNonstop" /><ref name="BoingBoing" /> On April 24, the company threatened to sue a Reddit moderator involved for alleged "false and libelous" statements if the posts were not removed.<ref name="Ars-19Jun2013"/><ref name="dailydott"/> The company received negative publicity as a result, which was called an example of the ].<ref name="Ars-26Apr2013">{{cite news| url=http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/04/express-to-internet-hate-bus-company-threatens-redditor-with-lawsuit/ | work=Ars Technica | title=Express to Internet Hate: Bus company threatens redditor with lawsuit | first=Sean | last=Gallagher | date=2013-04-26}}</ref><ref name="BoingBoing" /> According to ''Ars Technica'', "internet vigilantes" took down the Suburban Express website, and hacked into his Reddit account in response.<ref name="ArsNonstop" /> | |||
| Between April 1994 and April 2013 it initiated 209 lawsuits, mostly small-claims actions against individuals but also lawsuits against four competitors.<ref name="DailyIlliniContinues">{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyillini.com/news/local/article_43a45b74-ae1a-11e2-9a0d-0019bb30f31a.html| work=Daily Illini | title=Suburban Express lawsuits reach 125 this year; conversation continues on Reddit | first=Corinne | last=Ruff | date=April 28, 2013}}</ref> In 2013 alone it filed 126 lawsuits against students it said had printed out multiple copies of tickets or used them on the wrong dates; 116 of these were dismissed with prejudice, though some of the dismissals were overturned.<ref name="oli">{{cite news|first=Will|last=Brumleve|url=http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2013-07-30/judge-allows-bus-company-refile-some-claims-against-passengers.html |title=Judge allows bus company to refile some claims against passengers |work=The News-Gazette |date=July 31, 2013}}</ref> Many of the lawsuits were filed in ], 30 miles from UIUC, which made students ineligible for the university's free legal aid for cases filed in ].<ref name="SubEx_NG1"/> The company issued a a lifetime ban and penalty of $570 to one student for allegedly disruptive behavior on a bus; according to the student's mother he was defending an overseas student from abuse by the driver.<ref name="oli"/> The case triggered discussion among students on Facebook and the UIUC ], a threat by the company to sue the subreddit's moderator, and an attack on the company's website.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/05/troll-road-bus-company-posts-dirt-on-complaining-passenger/ | work=Ars Technica | title=Troll road: Bus company posts "dirt" on complaining passenger | first=Sean | last=Gallagher | date=February 13, 2013}} | |||
| *{{cite news| url=http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/04/express-to-internet-hate-bus-company-threatens-redditor-with-lawsuit/ | work=Ars Technica | title=Express to Internet Hate: Bus company threatens redditor with lawsuit | first=Sean | last=Gallagher | date=April 26, 2013}} | |||
| *{{cite news| url=http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/05/non-stop-to-schadenfreude-suburban-express-u-turn-on-reddit-lawsuit/ | work=Ars Technica | title=Nonstop to schadenfreude: Suburban Express’ u-turn on reddit lawsuit | first=Sean | last=Gallagher | date=May 2, 2013}}</ref> The company filed ] requests with the university to identify the subreddit's users.<ref name="Ars-19Jun2013">{{cite news| url=http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/06/bus-co-that-threatened-redditor-with-lawsuit-tries-to-reopen-suits/ | work=Ars Technica | title=Bus company that threatened redditor with lawsuit tries to reopen suit| first=Sean | last=Gallagher | date=June 19, 2013}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | ==Services== | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| Suburban Express has a negative reputation on ] and Reddit, where customers claim the company has "cutthroat business practices," such as fining, banning and suing customers who allegedly violate its terms of service.<ref name="Ars-26Apr2013" /><ref name="BoingBoing">{{cite news| url=http://boingboing.net/2013/04/27/suburban-express-bus-line-send.html | work=Boing Boing | title=Suburban Express bus-line sends bullying, cowardly legal threat to Reddit, discovers Streisand Effect | first=Cory | last=Doctorow | date=2013-04-27}}</ref><ref name="dailydott"/> According to the company,<ref name="SubEx_NG1" /> {{quote|1=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== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 00:37, 9 November 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 | Six universities served and Chicago suburbs |
| Chief executive | Dennis Toeppen, President |
| Website | www.suburbanexpress.com |
Suburban Express is a bus service, based in Champaign, Illinois, that provides transport services to students at six universities in the American Midwest. The company, which contracts buses from other carriers, was founded in 1983 by its current president, Dennis Toeppen, then a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Toeppen successfully challenged the local monopoly of Greyhound, leading to a price war that saw fares drop for both companies.
The company has become known, particularly on social media, for legal disputes arising from the rigorous enforcement of its terms of service.
History
Suburban Express was founded in 1983 by Dennis Toeppen, then a 19-year-old student, to provide local transport home at weekends and holidays for students at UIUC. The only company providing this service at the time was Greyhound Lines, and Toeppen wanted to offer a lower-cost alternative. He chartered six buses and drivers, sold tickets through a local travel agency and spent $600 on advertising. The university's travel center received a commission from Greyhound and at first refused to sell Suburban Express tickets, even though they were cheaper. The travel center briefly founded its own charter service as a competitor to Suburban Express, cutting fares even further.
A price war broke out, in which Suburban Express and Greyhound both cut prices by more than fifty percent. Greyhound initiated two Illinois Commerce Commission investigations against Suburban Express in 1984, and in 1985 Toeppen charged Greyhound with "predatory pricing" for lowering its round-trip fare to Chicago from around $36 to $14.75. Toeppen matched the price but complained to the Justice Department, which decided not to investigate. Suburban Express survived despite the price war, and was able to expand its service to Eastern Illinois University in 1985 and to Illinois State University to 1989.
Services, disputes
As of 2013 the company serves six universities: UIUC, Illinois State University, Eastern Illinois University, Purdue University, University of Iowa and Indiana University. Weekend services transport students from all six campuses to several Chicago locations. In the 12 months prior to April 2013 the company carried around 100,000 passengers, running up to 75 buses a day.
The company has acquired a reputation for rigorously enforcing its terms of service, telling one reporter: "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."
Between April 1994 and April 2013 it initiated 209 lawsuits, mostly small-claims actions against individuals but also lawsuits against four competitors. In 2013 alone it filed 126 lawsuits against students it said had printed out multiple copies of tickets or used them on the wrong dates; 116 of these were dismissed with prejudice, though some of the dismissals were overturned. Many of the lawsuits were filed in Ford County, 30 miles from UIUC, which made students ineligible for the university's free legal aid for cases filed in Champaign County. The company issued a a lifetime ban and penalty of $570 to one student for allegedly disruptive behavior on a bus; according to the student's mother he was defending an overseas student from abuse by the driver. The case triggered discussion among students on Facebook and the UIUC subreddit, a threat by the company to sue the subreddit's moderator, and an attack on the company's website. The company filed Freedom of Information Act requests with the university to identify the subreddit's users.
References
- ^ Rozek, Dan (October 20, 1985). "Fare wars - Bus service run by student butts heads with Greyhound" (PDF). Daily Herald (Arlington Heights).
- Russell's Guides (September 1999), GLI Schedule 397.
- Suburban Express website
- ^ Ruff, Corinne (April 28, 2013). "Suburban Express lawsuits reach 125 this year; conversation continues on Reddit". Daily Illini.
- ^ Brumleve, Will (April 26, 2013). "Bus firm's lawsuits criticized". The News Gazette.
- ^ Brumleve, Will (July 31, 2013). "Judge allows bus company to refile some claims against passengers". The News-Gazette.
- Gallagher, Sean (February 13, 2013). "Troll road: Bus company posts "dirt" on complaining passenger". Ars Technica.
- Gallagher, Sean (April 26, 2013). "Express to Internet Hate: Bus company threatens redditor with lawsuit". Ars Technica.
- Gallagher, Sean (May 2, 2013). "Nonstop to schadenfreude: Suburban Express' u-turn on reddit lawsuit". Ars Technica.
- Gallagher, Sean (June 19, 2013). "Bus company that threatened redditor with lawsuit tries to reopen suit". Ars Technica.