Party bus regulation delay could lead to more deaths: critic

Eight months after the B.C. government promised a high-profile push to regulate the party bus industry, stakeholders are still waiting.

The latest frightening tale from the unregulated industry has both grieving moms and party bus operators calling for the B.C. government to do something before someone else gets hurt.

"I'm not even aware that they've done anything," said Julie Raymond, whose daughter Shannon died of a ecstasy and alcohol overdose after a party bus ride in 2008.

"Every time I hear about something that happened on a party bus it's like Shannon died yesterday," she said.

And Phatcat Limousine's Todd Curley said he had high hopes for some government action since a March meeting to discuss options.

"We've been waiting since March," he said. The situation is serious and if something isn't done, "it's only a matter of time before someone is hurt," he said.

The incident that has sparked the debate anew was on November 10, when 17-year-old Mackenzie Gortva was punched in the face and her party bus left her unconscious at an Abbotsford truck stop in the middle of the night.

In February, 16-year-old Ernest Azoadam died after a ride on a party bus. The coroner later determined his death to be unrelated to alcohol or drugs, but it prompted government promises of new rules, and possibly a crackdown.

"I have to ask myself as minister whether there is a place for party buses at all," said Transportation Minister Mary Polak at the time.

When CTV News approached the new Transportation Minister last week, Todd Stone, he said the government was still working.

"We're reviewing a bunch of options," he said, but refused to give any details.

Right now, it's illegal to drink alcohol in any moving vehicle, but lots of passengers do, either in limousines or buses. Some 400 party bus companies operate in B.C., according to Curley.

That has led to the comparison by critics that party buses are bars on wheels.

But actual bars in the province must follow a variety of rules to keep their license to provide liquor, including having trained servers, checking ID at the door to keep out minors, and subjecting to random spot checks to keep dodgy companies honest. Failure can mean fines or a loss of a license.

Party buses have none of this, which means that there are no mandatory ID checks, and no spot checks. Right now, police cannot pull party buses over unless they suspect a traffic violation.

Curley says the problem is worse than that, because the bus driver is caught between passengers, who want to drink, and existing rules.

If there is a violent incident on a bus such as Gortva's, but there is alcohol on the bus, a driver may have an incentive not to call to avoid getting a ticket.

If that motivation was at play in Gortva's incident, the teen is lucky she didn't face anything worse, said Raymond.

"She is lucky to be alive," she said.

Curley pointed to rules in Saskatchewan that he says would bring party buses from a legal grey area.

In Saskatchewan, a vehicle with under 20 passengers can get a liquor license for a $200 application fee and $200 yearly fee.

That kind of system in B.C. would weed out dodgy companies, and result in better trained drivers who would call authorities if drinking got out of hand, Curley said.

Raymond said she would support a licensing system to regulate adult drinking, as long as that led to tougher penalties for people who allowed minors to drink.

But the situation now is unacceptable, she said.

"It will happen again if someone doesn't do something to help," she said.