is heating up — with new claims that drivers at one of the companies are treated so poorly, that they abandon the gigantic vehicles in the middle of Times Square.for allegedly trying to honk out a smaller competitor — which filed a blistering counterclaim Monday calling the claims against it “false” and an effort by the other tour bus company “to distract from their own record of misconduct.”
Claims TopView previously made in federal court that Aurora workers deliberately don similar uniforms as theirs and trick customers into believing they are the much larger operator are also included in the new filing. Also in the spreadsheet are claims that Aurora, who has operated a fleet of four double-decker buses since 2022, uses unauthorized bus stops that are not part of their Department of Transportation permitted stops.
“This filing demonstrates our unwavering commitment to defending our rights and holding Aurora accountable for their actions,” said Asen Kostadinov, of TopView, in a statement to The Post.A rep for Aurora disputed TopView’s claim that one of their workers had abandoned a bus, saying the company’s filing failed to mention that the vehicle had suffered a mechanical failure and broken down at an approved stop and did not impede traffic.
The Aurora rep said that “front stickers or plates are sometimes missing because they are stolen” and that the company “has not been able to identify the vandals.
DCWP, the agency largely tasked with regulating tourist buses, declined to comment on the allegations because of an ongoing investigation, but a spokesperson told The Post that DCWP has issued Aurora two violations over the past two years for vehicle issues.