Washington regulators are continuing their crackdown on the party bus industry. The state’s Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) announced Wednesday it’s shutting down a company that stranded a group of prom-goers.
We first broke the story of the state’s get-tough approach to party buses back in April. The UTC says safety is its top concern.
What made headlines in this case was the teens were left stranded on prom night and didn’t get a refund. But it’s what happened before that that raises safety concerns. The UTC says on the ride to the prom the bus blew a tire. Even so the driver kept going. The UTC has now ordered Tenacious Party Rides to cease and desist all operations and pay a fine.
Party buses are basically rolling parties with music, dance floors and, often, alcohol. There have been numerous fatal accidents involving these parties-on-wheels across the country, including the death of an 11-year-old girl in Portland in 2012.
We called Tenacious Party Rides, but its phone was disconnected.
This is the third cease-and-desist order issued to a party bus company in Washington since 2012.
