Exclusive | Bus firms sue NYC anti-idling law that is making bounty hunters rich

A coalition of private interstate bus companies is filing a federal lawsuit Monday alleging New York City unfairly hit them with a blizzard of tickets under the Big Apple’s “bounty hunter” idling law to curb pollution.The American Bus Association contends that the idling law violates bus operators’ constitutional protections by imposing fines on their buses while exempting government vehicles such as MTA buses from enforcement, thus treating similar modes of transportation “unequally.”According to the complaint obtained by The Post, private carriers have received more than 4,000 idling summonses since 2020, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and mounting legal costs.The suit being filed in Manhattan federal court claims the policy unfairly burdens interstate commerce by increasing the cost and risk of entering and operating in the Big Apple and conflicts with federal safety rules that often require buses to idle to maintain critical systems such as air brakes, passenger safety equipment, cabin temperatures for passengers, wheelchair accessibility equipment and emissions-control technology.The lawsuit also calls out the city’s “bounty-style” Citizens Air Complaint program, which offers 25% of collected ticket revenue to private individuals who filed complaints with the city Department of Environmental Protection — with some bounty hunters eligible to collect nearly $1 million, records show.The Big Apple’s Citizen Idling Complaint Program was launched in 2019, with the city even recruiting 1980s punk rocker Billy Idol to promote the effort the next year.“Billy never idles.

Neither should you.Idling is polluting.

Cut your engine off,” the rock star urged in an ad campaign.With fines ranging from $350 to $2,000 for idling and 95% of the complaints substantiated, the rewards add up and have turned the streets into gold for the Big Apple’s citizen enforcers.Under the program, citizen enforcers are awarded 25% of the fines...