This is an old revision of this page, as edited by CorporateM (talk | contribs) at 23:50, 20 September 2013 (→2013 controversy: the FOIA request is only relevant to various editorialized conjectures and speculation). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 23:50, 20 September 2013 by CorporateM (talk | contribs) (→2013 controversy: the FOIA request is only relevant to various editorialized conjectures and speculation)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) | |
 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).
Suburban Express has been criticized online for fining customers $100 for using a ticket on the wrong day or for the wrong destination, suing 125 of its customers, and sending legal threats to customers that speak negatively of the company online.
History
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 Greyhound. By spring semester 1984, Suburban Express had 20-30% of the market-share for the Chicago to Champaign route. 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. In 1985, Dennis Toeppen charged Greyhound with "predatory pricing" for lowering their Friday to Sunday campus service from $43.70 to $14.75. The two had matched ticket sales by 1985. The travel center began selling Suburban Express tickets to compensate for lost Greyhound commission revenues. Suburban Express’ service expanded to Eastern Illinois University in 1985 and to Illinois State University to 1989. In 2004, Lincolnland Express (also known as LEX) entered the bus market, and began to compete with Suburban Express, until it went out of business in 2012.
2013 controversy
In 2013, Suburban Express filed 126 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. Many of the lawsuits were filed in Ford County, 30 miles from campus, which defendants claimed was done intentionally to disqualify students from free legal aid from the university. Suburban Express claimed that Ford County was chosen for its open calendar and available parking. In early 2013 a customer said on Facebook and told the student newspaper he 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'." Afterwards, the witness to the event received a letter from Suburban Express saying he owed $500 in liquidated damages and was banned for life. 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 anonymously. On April 24th, The company threatened to sue a Reddit moderator involved, saying that he was knowingly posting "false and libelous information" and allowing libel to remain "despite clear knowledge... that the materials are untruthful." According to Ars Technica, "internet vigilantes" took down the company website, stole the founder's identity and hacked into his Reddit account. By May 2nd, the company closed all 125 of its lawsuits, and also withdrew its threat of legal action against the Reddit moderator.
In May 2013, after prior cases were dismissed with prejudice, Suburban Express hired a new attorney and attempted to reopen the case, as well as file similar motions in more than 100 of the previously dismissed cases.
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" (PDF). Daily Herald (Arlington Heights).
- Dodson, Don. "Go Suburban-Leave the driving to entrepreneur." The News-Gazette. April 8, 1990
- Taylor, Barbara. “Greyhound pricing illegal, bus service officials claim.” The Daily Illini. Feb. 16, 1985
- . 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) - Taiwo, Tolu. "Now that LEX is gone, Suburban Express needs to step up transportation services". The Daily Illini. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- "Lincolnland Express bus company to shut down permanently". New Gazette. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
- ^ 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.
- Ruff, Corinne. "Suburban Express lawsuits reach 125 this year; conversation continues on Reddit." Daily Illini. April 28, 2013
- ^ Geigner, Timothy (2013-05-02). "Bus Company Threatens Redditor With Lawsuit, Meets Ken White, Runs Away". Techdirt.
- Geigner, Timothy (2013-05-17). "Suburban Express Goes Double Or Nothing On Their Aggressive Behavior". Techdirt.
- ^ Franz, Justin (2013-04-29). "Bus Company Threatens to Sue Redditor Over Bad Press". The Daily Dot.
- ^ 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