With holiday party season upon us, city cracks down on party buses

As holiday party season kicks into full gear, Chicago is continuing to tighten the regulatory noose against party bus operators accused of violating rules aimed at reining in rowdyism and violence.

Since Jan. 1, 385 citations and 22 ceaseand-desist orders have been issued against party bus operators. The crackdown has triggered $300,070 in penalties against operators accused of violating the city’s rigid rules.

A so-called “nights and weekends” team created by the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection has now completed training and started permanent shifts.

That “new and targeted enforcement” — at a time when party bus companies are most active and most complaints are made — has resulted in 510 tickets and 50 cease-and-desist orders since the team got rolling in 2017.

Party bus companies targeted by the city’s crackdown include:

Pink Transportation LLC after police got a tip and found guns, drugs and parole violations.

Millennium Chicago Limousine after the driver of a charter bus reported being shot after a passenger attempted to rob him.

A company doing business as Integrity Chauffeurs after reports that several guns were found on a party bus transporting mourners to a gang-related funeral.

Chicago Transport and Limo, Inc., after a joint investigation with Chicago police found an intoxicated driver and arrested him for driving under the influence.

The party isn’t exactly over for party buses once condemned by aldermen as “rolling cemeteries.” But the multipronged crackdown seems to be working. There were six party bus shootings in 2016. This year, there have been three. The number of illegal weapons recovered and associated with party buses has dropped from six last year to two this year.