My first experience with a San Francisco party bus was about four years ago when I was new to the city. I exited a bar and was immediately confronted with the sight of about thirty dudes wearing the standard uniform of the weekend warrior- crisp button-ups with the sleeves rolled to the elbows- dripping off the sides of a fake cable car on wheels. Everyone was slobbering drunk and one of them pointed at me, heroically focused one eye on my face and slurred, "You….do you like…..to drink?"
The answer seemed obvious as I had just left a bar, but at that moment the light changed and I was never able to continue my conversation with the man, who was whisked into the night with his drunken companions.
The dudes were riding what I later found out was called a "party bus." Every weekend the streets of SoMa, the Mission, North Beach and other drinking hot spots are jammed with the things and the Entertainment Commission has taken note.
According to an article in the Examiner yesterday, party-buses are largely unregulated but have recently come under fire for inspiring things like brawls, double parking and the old standby - public urination. Bauer’s Worldwide Transportation was very likely the company that provided the drunks from four years ago with their fake cable car. They also rent out traditional enclosed coaches. More eclectic offerings include the Teacher With the Bus, a school bus that’s been converted to biodiesel and equipped with solar panels, for the eco-conscious reveler.
The Entertainment Commission hasn't elaborated on what "greater regulation" of the party bus industry will look like, but considering these are same people who brought you the death of Castro Halloween, the future may be bleak. --Andy Wright
Photo Credit: teacherwiththebus.com
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