According to the latest and perhaps last tweet from Leap Transit, the private bus startup is still "offline to deal with a regulatory issue." To get technical, Leap received a "Cease and Desist" letter from the Public Utilities Commission just before the tweet, in May. Anyway, while the company settles that in no time, it's definitely "pivoting." Three of its four or five bright blue, Wi-Fi equipped vehicles were last seen up for auction last month. Possibly they weren't hot items, as one of them is now being sold as a "party bus" on eBay for $17,999. While some might see this as an act of desperation on the part of a company laid low, it's definitely possible that the bus was already purchased at auction and is now being resold. Regardless, the vehicle is a surefire investment, not cursed in the slightest by its previous ownership. "[c]ome see this money maker!!!!" reads the eBay ad. Leap's NABI buses were themselves bought used at auction sometime before the company's most recent of two disaster launches.
Though the vehicles were certainly built as wheelchair accessible and allegedly bought that way by Leap, by the time the startup's fleet hit the streets, Leap buses had a cool new look with plenty of bar seating and no wheelchair ramps. A month later, Leap had an ADA suit on its hands. For the company's part, it claimed that as a technology something or other and definitely “not a transportation carrier” it was exempt from that sort of legal thing. Still, Leap CEO Kyle Kirchoff had something to say. "We're sorry to anyone we've offended and we hope to do a better job next time," he Silicon Valley apologized, and soon at least one bus was made accessible. But by May it came out that Leap was operating in a sort of regulatory limbo. While it waited for approval on a final permit to expand outside of San Francisco — which would have subjected the company to looser California regulations instead of stricter San Francisco ones — the PUC and the City couldn't agree on who was in charge of Leap.
A few days later, just as the company introduced a discount from $6 to $2 per ride to increase what anecdotally was terribly low ridership, the PUC ponied up that cease-and-desist. Customers along Leap's sole route between the Marina and the Financial District were left stranded. Leap hasn't been officially pronounced dead because Kirchoff hasn't released a Medium essay about how he piddled away $2.5 million in investments from the likes of Andreessen Horowitz and Marc Benioff. And some say that on particularly foggy nights in San Francisco you can still see a single blue Leap bus, empty save for coffee and juice, gliding down Lombard Street like a ghost ship. Update: As noted in the comments you can also pay to $29,500 outright for what looks to be the same bus on Craigslist. All SFist coverage of Leap (so far!)Conversions Starting @ $22,999 Chevy Traverse, Buick Enclave Conversions Starting @ $29,900 Cadillac, Escalade, Chevy Tahoe Chevy Suburban, Cadillac Escalade ESV
& GMC Yukon XL Conversions Starting @ $25,900 Conversions Starting @ $26,900 talks about the advantages of an ATC conversion over other options. you an owner of an ATC vehicle? If so, we want you to show off your vehicle…and get paid for it! Check out our Vehicles We Convert section if you are looking to see what vehicles we convert and the costs associated with them.For the best viewing experience please update your browser to Google ChromeWhen Cory Moyer's van rusted to the point where it wouldn't pass state inspection, he hit the Internet to find a new one.Not just any van would do. Moyer, of Walnutport, has been a quadriplegic since he broke his neck while teaching gymnastics 21 years ago. He is in a wheelchair and needed a specialized van with a lift and hand driving controls.He thought he found one on eBay, a 1993 GMC Safari described by the seller as well-maintained and lightly used for its age.It was Moyer who felt used when the van arrived in July.
He said his mechanic told him it was in worse shape than his previous one."Vehicle needs serious attention," Blueridge Service & Tire of Walnutport wrote on his state inspection report in August. "Not worth fixing, will never pass inspection with frame rot."Moyer told me he'd asked the seller, a man in Wisconsin with a perfect eBay feedback score, before he bid on the van if there was any rust. The seller said there was a "small amount" on the bottom of the doors and one corner of the rear bumper, according to the auction listing.Moyer told me he confronted the seller after receiving the diagnosis from his mechanic. He said the seller told him he didn't know about the damage, and he couldn't refund his money because he'd already spent the $3,400 Moyer had paid him. The seller did not return my call.Moyer asked eBay for help, filing a claim under its Vehicle Purchase Protection program. It provides up to $50,000 against certain losses during auctions.The undisclosed damage on Moyer's van was not among the losses covered.
While eBay's program does cover undisclosed damage to a vehicle's engine, body, transmission or frame, it doesn't cover undisclosed damage on vehicles that are 10 years old or older.EBay told him he'd have to work it out with the buyer or contact authorities if he believed any laws were broken. It also suggested he leave the appropriate feedback through eBay's system that allows auction participants to rate each other's performance.Moyer told me he'll be leaving feedback, for sure. He said his attorney sent the seller a letter demanding a refund this month, and the seller has not responded. Moyer wants to know why eBay even bothered advertising its Vehicle Purchase Protection program on the listing for the auction he won if it didn't apply."They made me feel nice and cozy and comfy with their vehicle protection plan," Moyer said. "That's the only reason I did it, because I thought EBay's got my back."I posed that question to eBay.Spokesman Todd Witkemper told me the protection was advertised on the listing because a buyer would have been eligible for some of the protections under the program regardless of the vehicle's age, such as paying for a vehicle and not receiving it.
He said the notice about Vehicle Purchase Protection notes that "restrictions apply" and includes a link to the details of the program, which explain the exclusions, including the one about old vehicles not being covered.Moyer told me he hadn't read the fine print, and assumed he'd be covered in all instances if the program were promoted on the auction."If it's not going to be covered, then don't put it on the page," Moyer said.I've never been a big fan of buying vehicles online because there are too many opportunities for something to go wrong, including misrepresentation of condition. Even if sellers don't intentionally mislead you, there could be unknown problems.There are thousands of cars, both new and used, available in the Lehigh Valley area from dealers and private sellers. You can test-drive them and take them to a trusted mechanic to make sure there's nothing major wrong before you put your money down. If a seller won't let you do that, walk away and find another car. There are plenty for sale.
I can see, though, in some cases why you'd shop for a car online. Moyer was looking for a specially outfitted van in his price range. Collectors might be looking for limited-edition models.If you do buy online, make sure to ask the critical questions about damage and history (for example, was it used by a smoker?). If you're buying on eBay, make sure you know the caveats with its Vehicle Purchase Protection program.With any purchase, either in person or online, get a vehicle history report through a company like Carfax or AutoCheck.This is the second column I've written about an eBay vehicle purchase that wasn't covered by eBay's purchase protection. In the previous one, a Lower Milford Township man bought a car from a dealer in Florida. When he flew down to get it, he found it was in awful shape and he refused to take it home.His claim for coverage under eBay's protection plan was denied because he had failed to take possession of the vehicle./watchdog/ for my previous stories about problems with online car purchases, including scams on Craigslist.The Watchdog is published Thursdays and Sundays.