Marin cops bust party bus packed with teens, booze and drugs

Police in Marin busted 33 teens with booze, pot and prescription drugs on this party bus Monday near the Larkspur Ferry Terminal, north end of the Golden Gate Bridge. Police in Marin busted 33 teens with booze, pot and prescription drugs on this party bus Monday near the Larkspur Ferry Terminal, north end of the Golden Gate Bridge. Photo: Central Marin Police Authority / / Photo: Central Marin Police Authority / / Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Marin cops bust party bus packed with teens, booze and drugs 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Police slammed the brakes on a group of teens’ rolling booze and drug wingding when they busted a party bus in Marin County that a 16-year-old boy rented online for less than $1,000 and no questions asked, officials said.

The 33 teens, ranging in age from 15 to 17, had been cruising around San Francisco on Monday on what police described as a bus loaded with hard alcohol, marijuana and prescription drugs.

The 63-year-old bus driver was arrested on a string of charges including felony child endangerment and possession of his own drugs, police said.

Authorities were tipped off that the booze-fueled rager was rolling through the parking lot of the Larkspur Ferry Terminal, north of the Golden Gate Bridge around 5:40 p.m. Monday.

When police got to the terminal, they spotted the large black and silver bus leaving the parking lot and turning west onto Sir Francis Drake Boulevard with its door swinging open, officials with the Central Marin Police Authority said.

Officers pulled over the driver, identified as San Francisco resident James Greene, who told them he was taking the teens to their parents and was unaware his youngsters were consuming drugs and alcohol behind his back, police said.

But when officers boarded the bus, they said they could smell alcohol and pot. A quick search revealed 30 bottles of hard liquor, a case of hard lemonade, a jar of weed and a pile of prescription drugs in one girl’s purse, police said.

Officers also found empty alcohol bottles in the bus’s trash cans.

Police then rifled through Greene’s bags and said they found more drugs, drug paraphernalia, prescription drugs, and alcohol.

The bus, operated by Richmond-based Fantastic Voyage Express Transportation, was rented online for $900 by one of Monday’s passengers, a 16-year-old Tiburon resident, police said. He told officers he didn’t have to produce any identification and paid cash to have the driver cruise around San Francisco and Marin for 6 hours.

Representatives for the company showed up at the terminal to reclaim the bus. Police called the teens’ parents, who all live in towns around Marin County, including Mill Valley, Tiburon, Larkspur, San Rafael, San Anselmo, and Kentfield. The parents showed up at the scene to pick up their kids.

The girl who had the purse full of prescription drugs was cited for possession of a controlled substance along with possession of a fake ID.

Greene was arrested on suspicion of felony child cruelty and endangerment, possession of narcotics, controlled substances and drug paraphernalia. Police said he was also busted for having a switch blade. He was booked at Marin County Jail on $10,000 bail.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky