US firm sued over discrimination

Washington, April 24 (IANS) The attorney general of US' Illinois state has filed a lawsuit against a transportation company for discrimination and harassment against customers, including Chinese students.

"Suburban Express and (its owner) Dennis Toeppen engaged in illegal discrimination and harassment against college students and their families," attorney general Lisa Madigan said in a statement on Monday.

"I am asking the court to take immediate action to prevent further harm to people who have been targeted by Suburban Express and its owner, and my lawsuit seeks to shut this company down for good," she said.

Suburban Express is a company that provides bus services to students at six universities in the American Midwest, primarily to and from the Chicago area.

According to Madigan's complaint, Toeppen engaged in discrimination against customers, including a December 2017 mass-marketing email to customers that touted bus rides with, "Passengers like you. You won't feel like you're in China when you're on our buses".

The attorney general launched an investigation following the December mass email and decided to sue the company.

Madigan also accused Suburban Express of encouraging its employees to avoid certain students who do not speak English.

Toeppen even publicly shamed or embarrassed customers who posted negative online reviews or mistakenly tried to use the wrong bus ticket. 

He also published full credit card numbers, bank account numbers and other personal information of the customers he targeted.