New York’s party buses have become traveling circuses packed with underage drinkers and even strippers — but now the party may be over.
After a 16-year-old was killed poking his head out of the roof hatch of one of the vehicles, and other incidents involving teen drinkers, state Sen. Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) wants to crack down by requiring chaperones on all buses with underage passengers.
His bill would mandate one adult minder for every 20 passengers under the age of 21. For double-decker buses, there would be one chaperone per floor.
The chaperones can be provided by either the bus company or the group hiring the buses, which often feature couches, dance floors and even stripper poles.
In April, the driver of a party bus packed with drunken Long Island high- school students was charged with child endangerment after he drove the group to the Hamptons — as they swilled gallons of whiskey and rum and more than 100 cans of beer.
In 2012, a 16-year-old Queens boy was killed when he stuck his head outside a rooftop hatch on a double-decker party bus and hit an underpass.
The bill proposed by Klein, and other members of the Independent Democratic Conference, would also require buses to have warning systems if doors or windows are opened. And all party-bus passengers would be required to hear a safety warning.
The providers would also have to post permit and registration numbers on their Web sites and printed materials.