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 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
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 UIUC travel center would not sell Suburban Express tickets, since they earned a commission from Greyhound. 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).
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, Suburban Express hired a new lawyer in an attempt to reinstate the lawsuits it had been forced to withdraw after negative reactions in the media in April. The company's owner also filed Freedom of Information Act requests with the university in order to "dox" Reddit users.
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.
- ^ Rozek, Dan (1985-10-20). "Fare wars - Bus service run by student butts heads with Greyhound". Daily Herald (Arlington Heights).
- . Vol. GLI Schedule 397. 1999-09.
Removed from publication
{{cite encyclopedia}}:|work=ignored (help); Check date values in:|date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ 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