Guards won’t be needed on charter buses carrying students as long as chaperones promise not to drink
Chicago officials are relaxing the city’s “party bus” rule for school field trips, offering some helpful guidance to motorcoach companies that could have been fined for not having security guards and cameras onboard if they stopped at even a grocery store that sold alcohol.
The ordinance requires a security guard be present if the bus is transporting at least 15 passengers and there is an opportunity for passengers to drink alcohol on the bus or at an interim stop.
A written opinion from the city’s Business Affairs and Consumer Protection division now states that School Groups K-12, where the district has a policy of no alcohol for the chaperones, will be exempt from the rules put in place last year.
In an Oct. 12 email, Rupal Bapat, BACP’s Deputy Commissioner, wrote that security guards are not required for the transport of school-age children. She explained that because the students are under the legal drinking age, and if the trip prohibits chaperones from drinking, there would be no opportunity to drink alcohol on the bus or at stops and, therefore, a security guard would not be required for the transport of school-aged children.
Cherie Hime, Executive Director of the Midwest Bus & Motorcoach Association, points out that Bapat’s message is an “interpretation” of the ordinance, not a change.
In the short term, the association is advising operators to have chaperones sign a no alcohol pledge for the trip and add language to the charter contract stating something such as: “Alcohol is not allowed to be transported or consumed at any establishment if you are a rider on board our coach with school groups grade 12 or under.” In the long term, this is one of the changes MBMCA is looking to make to the ordinance, Hime added.
In 2017, Chicago passed some of the strictest regulations in the industry, requiring a security guard and cameras on board if any bus that starts, ends or stops at any establishment holding a liquor license. The ordinance was prompted by a history of injuries and deaths on party buses — mostly related to drunken passengers. Party buses have been around since the 1990s, catering to bachelor parties, weddings, quinceaneras and out-of-town concerts.
Charter buses that hold Federal DOT Authority are exempt from these local laws because the vehicles are operating under federal law. Even with the changes, companies should take no chances, advises Carl A. Ekberg, Vice President/COO of Chicago Classic Coach.
“Ideally, each group should provide a letter or form with the chaperones’ signatures for backup,” he said.
