Go New York Tours filed a federal lawsuit on Monday, alleging that two competitors violated US and New York state antitrust laws by conspiring to limit market competition.
Go New York, filed a lawsuit against Gray Line New York Tours Inc, Big Bus Tours Group Ltd, and their affiliates in Manhattan federal court. Go New York is the owner and operator of the TopView fleet, which consists of over 40 double-decker tour buses in New York.
According to Reuters, Gray Line and Big Bus established a joint venture in 2020 and allegedly collaborated to maintain artificially high prices for attraction passes in New York, which provide bus riders with one-price admission to multiple popular tourist spots.
According to the lawsuit, bus companies have the ability to provide passes to tourists through trade partnerships with popular destinations.
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Go New York filed a lawsuit alleging that they were excluded from offering passes to several tourist attractions, including the Empire State Building Observatory and One World Observatory at the World Trade Center. They claimed that their competitors convinced some of these attractions not to do business with them.
Go New York is pursuing legal action to claim damages for lost market share, customers, and revenue, without specifying the amount.
According to Maurice Ross, a lawyer with Barton LLP representing Go New York, the plaintiff has a robust case, and the pleadings provide sufficient information.
Efforts to obtain comments from representatives for Gray Line and Big Bus were unsuccessful, and lawyers for both companies have not yet appeared in the ongoing litigation.
