The exterior of Port Authority Bus Terminal is shown © Anne-Marie Caruso / USA TODAY NETWORK
(New York, NY) – When customers saw their bus ticket price double at checkout – they decided to settle the issue in court. A class action lawsuit has been launched against the bus company Peter Pan. Travelers going from New York City to Philadelphia originally thought they were getting a deal with $11 tickets. However, the total ended up being $22 after several surcharges. The plaintiffs claim that the company engages in “deceptive” and “unfair” practices by charging what they call “junk fees”. Those fees include charges for reservation, terminal, fuel, departure and transaction fees. The lawsuit claims these fees are “deceptively named” and should not even be considered separate from the face-value price of the ticket.
The lawsuit claims that waiting until the customer checks out to tack on those fees, tricks customers into thinking they are getting a better deal. Peter Pan does seem to be making adjustments. The Boston Globe reports that on Sunday – Peter Pan added a banner to the top of their website letting customers know that riders get charged a fee of $3.99 per person. The company has not released a statement. Peter Pan is one of the largest private bus companies in the country.
