For Inland Streamliner, Reno's controversial Nevada to Arizona bus company, the end is here

Sam Gross
Reno Gazette-Journal

After less than two months of operation, Inland Streamliner, the controversial Reno upstart bus company offering rides between Northern Nevada and Arizona, is out of business.

The company’s required $5 million insurance policy was canceled as of Wednesday, Aug. 21, according to federal records. And the company’s website, which has previously been attacked online for discriminatory policies and alt-right rhetoric, is down.

Without that federally required insurance, the company has lost its operating authority — the licensing that allows Inland Streamliner to legally operate as an interstate passenger carrier.  

John Wang, who runs the company, confirmed to the Reno Gazette Journal Tuesday evening via email that the company had ended its operations in Nevada. 

In that email, Wang disparaged an RGJ reporter and attributed the demise of his company to the news organization's coverage. 

But the company's short history was also marred with controversy and, according to its customers, questionable business practices. 

That history includes accusations of racist and discriminatory ridership policies, selling tickets for routes they could not guarantee were actually going to happen and abruptly canceling trips or changing pickup/drop-off locations with little or no warning to customers, several of them told the RGJ. 

In those interviews, some customers said they were left stranded when their purchased route was drastically changed or abruptly canceled, one even faced threat of litigation when she attempted to get her money back.

The Inland Streamliner logo next to the word "STREAMLINER" on the side of a bus parked in a northwest Reno neighborhood.

Customer speaks out about her experience with Inland Streamliner 

Dawn Wengert, who bought a round-trip fare on the bus line, is one of those people.

Wengert, who travels frequently between Arizona and Southern Nevada for work, bought a round-trip ticket on Inland Streamliner between her home in Mesa, Ariz., and Boulder City, Nev., where she has a business and second residence.

That trip was supposed to leave on July 31 and return on Aug. 2.

For Wengert, the service Inland Streamliner advertised was perfect. It fit her schedule, the drop-off in Boulder City was walking distance from her house and it seemed easier than flying the budget airline she usually takes.

It worked so well in theory that she even got two more tickets so she could take a friend’s kids along to visit their grandmother, who also lived in Boulder City.

About 10 days before her bus was scheduled to leave, Wengert went online to double-check the status of her trip and found that the drop-off point had been moved from Boulder City to Henderson with no notice.

This wasn’t a big deal, she said, “but why didn’t he contact me?” 

A few days after, she logged on again to print her ticket, but that portion of the website was down and inaccessible. In addition to that, the drop-off site had again changed. This time to a location farther into Henderson.

After several failed attempts to contact Inland Streamliner through email and phone, Wengert asked her credit card company to dispute and cancel the payment. Her money was back in her account the next day.

Not long after, she finally heard back from Wang, who threatened legal action against her.  

“Buyer's remorse and failure to show up at boarding isn't valid cause for a refund,” Wang said in the email, which Wengert provided to the RGJ. 

“Therefore, we've asked the banks involved to decline your chargeback dispute. Should the banks fail to remit funds to Streamliner, Streamliner may prosecute or request arbitration to recover funds, plus any applicable penalties,” the email continued.

In a follow-up email sent a few days later to Wengert, Wang again demanded she cancel her credit card dispute.

Wengert has not heard from him since.

——

Sam Gross is a breaking news reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal who covers wildfires, emergencies and more. Support his work by subscribing to RGJ.com right here.