Tuesday, August 06, 2019
Court dispute over KJ bus service
The operator of a new bus shuttle to Kiryas Joel for South Blooming Grove's growing Hasidic population has been ordered to apply for a new permit from the village while the two parties continue a court dispute over the bus service.
The state judge hearing the lawsuit brought by South Blooming Grove last week ordered the business, Derech Emunah, to seek a permit within 20 days to continue its daily runs between the two neighboring communities while the case is pending. The village had given the company a 90-day permit in January as a trial run, but later suspended it and then sued after the bus trips continued.
The bus caters to Hasidic women in South Blooming Grove, who are forbidden by their religious customs to drive and would otherwise take taxis or other hired services to Kiryas Joel to buy kosher food and for various other reasons.
South Blooming Grove's lawyers say in court papers that the village's laws allow commercial buses only on a few major roads, but were amended by the Village Board in December in response to requests from Hasidic residents for the bus service. That amendment allowed permits for buses that meet certain prescribed conditions.
Village officials soon allowed bus operator Yoel Oberlander to begin shuttling up to 28 passengers at a time from certain streets in South Blooming Grove to Kiryas Joel, with a limit of five runs per day between 9 a.m. and afternoon. They suspended his permit after residents reported that he had been speeding and lodged other complaints, according to the court papers.
Michael Sussman, the attorney respresenting Oberlander and his bus company, said Monday that no law enforcement agency had ticketed Oberlander in South Blooming Grove for speeding or any other violations. He contends the objections to the bus service stem from anti-Hasidic sentiment in the village.
Sussman said his clients will apply for a permit as ordered by state Supreme Court Justice Elaine Slobod, and are continuing their runs. "We just would like to be able to operate the bus in a peaceable, responsible manner, and provide a needed service for the community," he said.
Village officials say in court papers that they asked Oberlander for a corrective-action plan and weekly copies of his bus speed and video records, but didn't get them. They also say Oberlander was replaced by another driver after they found he was disqualified because he accumulated nine or more points on his driver's license for tickets in an 18-month period.
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