Letter to the Editor: Response to Suburban Express apology

By Yihan Zhou

Suburban Express sent an offensive advertisement and a following apology.

In my opinion, the company did not mean to apologize to anyone. I have to admit that I have a different opinion on the way Suburban Express is operated. I believe a good company should serve everyone in need, regardless of race and national origin. Suburban Express claims to have proudly served the Champaign-Urbana community since 1983. Unfortunately, it has been managed poorly for almost 20 years, using a notorious business strategy: attract passengers and sue them to get the fines.

209 lawsuits were filed by Suburban Express between 1994 and 2013 alone. Some of the defendants were University students, and high fines have added a heavy financial burden on these students. I support beneficial competition among bus companies, but I am extremely angry and disappointed to see a company targeting a specific country in its advertisements.

Under any condition, I want to remind the creator of the offensive advertisement of a Chinese idiom: “Those who love others are constantly loved by them. Those who respect others are constantly respected by them.”

Yihan is a sophomore in LAS.

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