As holiday revellers rent limos and party buses to celebrate the festive season, Vancouver police are ramping up inspections of the commercial vehicles.
Vancouver Police Department Traffic Unit Sgt. Mark Christensen took to Twitter Monday (Dec. 13) to share a couple of images of a party bus that he pulled over on Sunday night. While the commercial vehicle was licensed for 25 passengers, 28 people were on board. What's more, all of the guests were under 19 and no chaperones were present.
While there will be a $311 fine for overloading, Christensen notes that the Public Transportation Board could impose administrative fines of up to a whopping $40,000 ($1,500 per passenger).
Stopped one of these⬇️last night. Bus and driver licensed for 25 pass. but 28 on board, all under 19! No waivers, no chaperones! $311 fine for overloading. PTB could impose administrative fines of $40K..$1500 per pass! @VPDTrafficUnit @VancouverPD @ChiefPalmer pic.twitter.com/rzDgAvmK63
— Sgt Mark Christensen (@baldguy1363) December 13, 2021
The bus had been hired to "take the teens downtown for a 17-year-old’s birthday party," adds a VPD news release. VPD officers are now recommending 27 counts of failing to provide a chaperone for passengers under 19, allowing open liquor in a vehicle, and operating with too many passengers.
Party buses over the pandemic
Vancouver party bus operators have been a source of contention over the pandemic in the Metro Vancouver region, as some drivers have been caught exceeding passenger limits. Additionally, restaurants and bars had a maximum limit of five people per table in 2020 while party bus companies were permitted to allow dozens of passengers per vehicle.
In a particularly high-profile incident, a 25-year-old man drew criticism for travelling with a group of friends from the Fraser Valley to Downtown Vancouver to party on a weekend. However, he told Vancouver Is Awesome that the group wasn't breaking any rules as there were no restrictions for passenger limits on the commercial vehicles.
Read more about the controversial incident from the summer of 2020.
