Mayor Introduces New City Ordinance To Crack Down On Illegal Party Buses
CHICAGO (CBS) – The city may soon put the brakes on illegal party buses.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel will introduce a new ordinance this week that cracks down on illegal party buses in Chicago, city officials announced.
"The party is over for bus operators who don't play by the rules in the city of Chicago," Mayor Emanuel said in a statement. "This is a smart approach to hold problem operators accountable and boost safety on the many reputable buses throughout the city."
Sponsored by Aldermen Edward Burke and Brendan Reilly, the ordinance will help police identify unlicensed buses and reduce violence among patrons.
"This ordinance will give the City the ability to crack down on party buses and reduce violence," Alderman Edward Burke said in a statement. "There is no excuse for these vehicles to be creating problems anywhere in the city of Chicago."
It will also increase fines for those caught operating illegally, includes new safety measures for all operators and establishes a multi-agency task force to conduct sweeps to find illegal bus operators.
Minimum fines will increase from $100 to $1,000 on the first instance, to deter unlicensed operators. The fine can increase to a minimum of $5,000 for illegal operators. Maximum fines will be raised to $10,000.
"Party buses are a popular and fun service but it's important the operators and riders play by the rules," Alderman Brendan Reilly said in a statement. "This ordinance will improve safety on these buses whether they are downtown or anywhere in Chicago."
The new ordinance will require "clearly-identifiable signage on licensed large charter/sightseeing vehicles to ensure any buses operating without a license are easy to identify and shut down," the Mayor's office stated. "Buses that have 15 or more passengers and will be visiting multiple stops where alcohol can be consumed will be required to install security cameras or have additional personnel onboard. This requirement also applies to trips where alcohol will be consumed on the bus."
In September, the City Council passed a law requiring drivers to call police for rowdy or drunken patrons, as well as if a gun was fired. The new regulations did not reduce problems on board party buses, which prompted Aldermen to sponsor the new ordinance.
The Mayor's office said there has been increased violence in unlicensed buses. At least six shootings have happened on party buses in Chicago in the last year and a half. The most part bus-involved shooting occurred earlier this month in Edgewater.
Qeuntin Payton, 28, and Chaz Johnson, 22, died March 12 after an exchange of gunfire between a dark-colored SUV and someone on a party bus; after the bus stopped at the Dunkin Donuts in the 6300 block of North Broadway in Edgewater. Three people were shot, according to police.
"Shots were exchanged between an individual associated with a private bus that had stopped and an occupant from a dark-colored SUV," 48th Ward Ald. Harry Osterman said in a statement about the shooting.
