Feud between New York tour bus companies escalates with wild new claims, including car abandoned in Times Square

Battle between rival double-decker tour bus companies is heating up — with new claims that drivers at one company are being treated so poorly that they’re abandoning the giant vehicles in the middle of Times Square.

This is according to TopView — filed a lawsuit last month for allegedly trying to signal a smaller competitor, which filed a blistering countersuit on Monday, calling the claims against it “false” and an attempt by another tour bus company to “distract attention from its own misconduct.”

Aurora Tourism Services is “violating regulatory requirements to avoid fair competition, while providing inferior service to consumers and damaging the reputation of the bus transfer industry,” TopView said.

Aurora (left), operating under the name Iconic Cruises, has been the subject of a furious counter-suit against TopView (right), accusing Aurora of illegal activity. Matthew McDermott

According to the Manhattan Supreme Court filing, the Aurora driver even “publicly complained about unpaid wages and left the (company) bus in the middle of Times Square in protest.”

Aurora, also known as Iconic Tours, has consistently broken the law by failing to register its buses with the relevant authorities, operating vehicles without permits or number plates and storing its buses overnight on public streets, Top View claims.

According to court documents, the company also accuses Aurora of using unlicensed ticket sellers to defraud tourists by making unauthorized bus stops and picking fights with transit agents.

TopView’s allegations, previously made in federal court, that Aurora employees intentionally wear uniforms similar to theirs and trick customers into believing they are a much larger operator are also included in the new filing.

But since Aurora filed its own obscenity lawsuit against TopView in October, accusing the competitor of beating its workers and harassing its customers with weed smoke and bullhorns, a series of new, documented claims of illegality have now become public.

Aurora denies the allegations in the counterclaim. Matthew McDermott

TopView, which operates a fleet of more than 40 buses, says it has documented nearly 100 cases where an Aurora bus was missing a vehicle license plate on the front of the bus, according to a 39-page spreadsheet provided as part of their filing.

Tour buses are also required to always affix a license plate from the city’s Department of Consumer Protection to the front of their vehicles, but TopView says in the same spreadsheet that they documented 389 instances of Aurora buses not having the required license plates while on them. operation.

Also in the spreadsheet are claims that Aurora, which will operate a fleet of four double-decker buses from 2022, is using unauthorized bus stops that are not part of the Department of Transportation’s approved stops.

“On numerous occasions,” the statement said, Aurora “operated at least two different buses with identical license plates at the same time and/or operated a bus with illegal license plates in violation (sic) of DOT, DMV, and insurance laws and regulations.”

TopView also claims that Aurora ticket sellers are selling tickets without displaying the required DWCP license and that they are tricking customers into thinking they are boarding a TopView bus, according to the statement.

“This statement demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting our rights and holding Aurora accountable for their actions,” TopView’s Asen Kostadinov said in a statement to The Post.

A TopView employee yelled at a New York Post photographer while reporting on the story. Matthew McDermott

An Aurora representative disputed TopView’s claim that one of their workers had left the bus, saying the company’s statement did not mention that the vehicle suffered a mechanical failure and broke down at an approved stop and was not impeding traffic.

Aurora’s attorney, Brandon Walters, said the company “complies with all applicable regulations” and uses a compliance firm to do so.

“Aurora denies any allegations that it is operating in an unauthorized or illegal manner,” Walters told The Post.

An Aurora representative said that “face stickers or plates are sometimes missing because they have been stolen” and that the company “has not been able to identify the vandals.”

Lister Oluwabamise Jegede, owner of Aurora Tourism Services, known as New York Iconic Cruises bus tours, said in his first lawsuit that he is fighting rival company Top View, which allegedly uses intimidation tactics, violence and vandalism to harm his business. Matthew McDermott

“Aurora violates regulatory requirements to avoid fair competition while providing inferior service to consumers and harming the reputation of the bus industry,” TopView’s counterclaim said. Matthew McDermott

Walters also sent The Post an image of six DWCP ticket seller licenses, as well as their DWCP and DOT permits for tour bus operations, in addition to 10 DOT permits for sightseeing bus stops.

He added that Aurora could use several other stops that are currently being considered by the DOT.

“Aurora’s compliance with applicable regulations is a matter of public record,” Walters said. “No one shall be in strict compliance with the New York City Administrative Code.”

DCWP, the agency that primarily regulates tour buses, declined to comment on the allegations because of the ongoing investigation, but a spokesperson told The Post that DCWP has issued Aurora two violations in the past two years for problems with the vehicles.