Teens 'paying a fee' to be allowed to drink on party buses, RCMP tip suggests

Mounties are pumping the brakes on party bus companies that cater to underage drinkers in Surrey – and spreading the word to local parents.

Authorities said the crackdown was prompted by information they received about youths and young adults boozing on party buses in the city, particularly in the Strawberry Hills area of Newton.

The underage passengers were said to be "paying a fee and being permitted to consume alcohol," according to the Surrey RCMP detachment.

In one incident in late August, officers said they caught a party bus driver transporting 40 drunk passengers who were all between the ages of 15 and 18. Police also found open liquor inside the bus.

"We will be continuing to conduct this type of targeted enforcement in our efforts to keep the community safe," Sgt. Ian MacLellan said in a news release. "We are also bringing this information to the public in order to arm parents with information about how youth may be accessing alcohol, in support of parents’ efforts to keep their kids safe."

The driver that was pulled over on Aug. 31 was handed a ticket for having open booze in the bus, plus additional tickets for going over the vehicle's 35-person capacity and not having a proper chauffer's licence.

Police have also spoken to the owner of the bus about the laws that were broken.

Authorities said they're targeting all kinds of "chauffeured vehicles" in the crackdown, including limousines. They asked anyone with information on children getting involved in potentially dangerous or illegal activity to contact the RCMP's parent helpline at 604-599-7800.