Chinatown-bound bus driver charged in deadly crash

The driver of a Chinatown-bound tour bus that flipped over and killed four passengers early Tuesday was found to be asleep at the wheel, prompting New York officials to demand swift legislative action to regulate the industry.

Kin Yiu Cheung, 37, of Flushing, was charged with reckless driving after his bus hit an embankment and flipped onto the roof on Interstate 95 near Richmond, Va., trapping him and 58 passengers inside around 5 a.m. Tuesday, authorities said. The bus had left Greensboro, N.C., on Monday night.

“The driver was fatigued when he ran off the right side of the road,” Sgt. Thomas Molnar of the Virginia State Police told reporters at the scene.

Dozens of other passengers on the Sky Express-owned bus were injured, some life threatening. Virginia state police said Cheung suffered minor injuries and was being held on a $3,000 bond.

Federal monitors said Sky Express has had 17 safety violations over the past two years. The North Carolina-based company did not return a call seeking comment.

This latest crash follows a deadly tour bus accident in March that killed 15 people in the Bronx and involved another Chinatown bus operator.

State and city officials Tuesday renewed calls for Albany lawmakers to pass legislation regulating intercity buses through a city permitting system.

State Sen. Daniel Squadron (D-Manhattan) said permits would help end the “Wild West atmosphere.”