Royal Canadian Mounted Police | San Francisco Travel Blog

Party Bus Altercation Results in One Arrest, Five Injuries

By San Francisco Limousine Specialist on August 21, 2012

One man has been arrested and five people were injured after a recent altercation in Surrey, British Columbia, involving a driver and the passengers of a party bus. A spokesperson with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told reports that the altercation began when the party bus carrying 50 guests pulled into a gas station. They said that as the party bus was being fueled, some inebriated guests got off the bus and began harassing a motorist who was trying to drive into the station.

“This confrontation quickly escalated violently and was fuelled by a toxic mix of alcohol, testosterone, and poor judgment,” said Sgt. Drew Grainger. "This altercation led to weapons being brandished by both parties including edged weapons, bear spray, and a piece of lumber."

The ensuing altercation injured five people, including the chauffeur and one guest who suffered stab wounds. Officers arrested the 22-year-old driver of the car and charged him with assault, and the RCMP is also considering charges against some of the bus passengers.

Sgt. David MacDonald said that officers had a difficult time determining why the altercation occurred and how many people were involved.

“Anybody who was at (the) scene says it was a big mess, a really big kerfuffle and we are going to have to try and figure it out during the daytime hours to get a better grasp on the situation,” he said.

Sad to say, this is the sort of nonsense that gives party buses in San Francisco and across the country a bad reputation. Similar incidents here in the Bay Area have caused club owners and some San Francisco city officials to ask state lawmakers to consider changes to California party bus laws that currently exempt chauffeurs from being responsible for drunken guests. These changes are currently being reviewed in the Senate and are expected to pass.

If and when these changes are passed into law, they won’t change our policy towards underage or excessive drinking and rowdy behavior. We want our Bay Area party bus guests to have a great time, but we also want to make sure that everyone gets home safely. That is and always has been our policy and first priority. So, if you’re looking for a San Francisco party bus rental company that takes the safety of their guests seriously while providing a fun, festive and affordable luxury experience, call us at NLS Limo at 800-339-8936 to reserve your Bay Area party bus today!

Chauffeur Faces DUI Charges After Calling Police to Remove Drunken Guests

By San Francisco Limousine Specialist on July 3, 2012

A chauffeur for a limo service in Vancouver, British Columbia, is facing charges of driving under the influence after he called police in Vernon, B.C., to remove several passengers who became unruly after having too much to drink. A spokesman from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police reported that the chauffeur was transporting 18 people in the back of his limousine recently when he stopped to call the police. When the officers arrived, they noticed that the man smelled strongly of alcohol and administered field sobriety tests to confirm their suspicions. The chauffeur failed the tests and now will likely have to find another type of employment in addition to the criminal charges.

This story describes a common problem in the limousine industry but, thankfully, a very uncommon problem for our San Francisco limousine service. We want our guests to have a wonderful time while they enjoy riding in our limos, party buses, SUV limousines and other kinds of luxury ground transportation, and we go to great lengths to ensure that they do. Frequently, our guests who are of legal drinking age enjoy alcoholic beverages that we provide or those that they have brought for themselves. As long as our modest rules for behavior are observed and no one’s safety is endangered, everything proceeds smoothly, and we accomplish our primary goal of helping our guests safely have a great time.

Occasionally, when guests have had a little too much to drink and violate our safety rules, a chauffeur warns them once, and, in most cases, the day or evening proceeds without incident. On rare occasions where one or more guests disregard their chauffeur’s warning and continue to endanger themselves and the other guests, the chauffeur terminates the rental and returns the guests to their point of departure.

Thankfully, we have never had an incident where one of our chauffeurs was charged with driving while under the influence of anything. Our drivers face a rigorous screening process before they are hired, and we ensure that they are properly dressed, rested and sober before they transport any of our guests.

We take the safety of all of our guests very seriously and go to great lengths to ensure that everyone has a safe, fun and memorable limo experience. We believe that this has been a key factor in our success as a Bay Area limousine service, and we have no plans to change our policies. If you would like to rent a San Francisco stretch limo, party bus, SUV limousine or any of our other luxury vehicles for an upcoming event and want to make sure that everyone has a safe and wonderful time, call us at NLS Limo today at 800-339-8936. You bring the guests, and we’ll provide the safe, fun and luxurious vehicles and professional chauffeur!