Bus company faced investigation after sending out discriminatory ad in midwest U.S.

CHICAGO, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Suburban Express, an Illinois based bus company, was subpoenaed for discriminatory ad against Chinese students, according to a statement made by Illinois State Attorney General Lisa Madigan.

Madigan said Monday that she issued a subpoena to the company over potential civil rights violations, after it told customers in a promotion email that they "won't feel like you're in China when you're on our buses."

Suburban Express, operating shuttles from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) to Chicago and the suburbs, sent the ad via email on Saturday to drum up business for the Christmas holiday season.

"I am concerned that this advertisement may reflect that Suburban Express is discriminating against potential customers," Madigan said in the statement.

"Under the law, access to transportation must not be impacted or based on a person's race or national origin. My office is investigating to determine whether Suburban Express' policies and practices violate the law," She said.

Suburban Express now is being widely condemned for its racist message. Three top administrators for the university said the message specifically insulted members of Chinese, Asian and Asian American communities.

Two student organizations, the Asian Pacific American Coalition and the Illini Democrats, said they will not accept the company's "non-apology."

It was disgusting and I was shocked at the discriminatory ad. I will never ride with his comany, Song Xiangyu, a Chinese Ph.D student of UIUC told Xinhua. Enditem