The Crystal Transportation Company that provides shuttle bus service between the JFK MBTA station and University of Massachusetts Boston Campus has been found to be in violation of several safety regulations and could be ordered to cease all operations on March 29.
An article by the Boston Globe published on March 21 reported that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration conducted a review of the Crystal Bus Company during which they discovered improperly maintained buses, forty-nine speeding violations and drivers who had tested positive for controlled substances. The review also revealed falsified driving hours and medical records. As a result, the company has been ordered to cease operating beyond state lines.
The company is legally permitted to operate within state boundaries until the end of the month. Crystal Transportation will have to prove they are meeting safety regulations in the meantime to remain operational.
Ellen O’Connor, the Vice Chancellor of Administration and Finance, released a statement to the UMass community stating that “the University is closely monitoring the situation and taking direct action, seeking additional information from the company and state and federal regulators. University transportation staff will be on hand at campus bus stops to monitor service and answer any questions. We are taking all necessary steps to ensure that our UMass Boston community continues to feel safe and secure when traveling to and from campus.”
General Manager of Crystal Transportation, Kevin Sheehan, has stated that the company turned in paperwork on March 4 that demonstrates that Crystal Transportation is currently in full compliance with all safety regulations.
Director of Transportation Steve Martinson wrote in an email to the Mass Media that “the University is preparing for the possibility that Crystal Transportation Co. will not meet the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration standards by the March 29th date as we have no information from federal regulators as to whether the company will meet that deadline.”
UMass Boston Student Trustee, Nolan O’Brien, Undergraduate Student Government President, Kayla Worthey, and Graduate Student Assembly President, Jesse Wright, released a joint statement to the Mass Media assuring the UMass student body that the administration was making the situation a top priority.
The administration has informed them that “if alternative transportation to and from JFK/UMass MBTA station and UMass Boston becomes necessary, the university will ensure it is provided.” They also expressed their utmost confidence in “the university…to take every measure necessary, apparent and unseen, to safely protect our students at all times.”