Getting too wild and crazy on a party bus could get the bus company fines under a new ordinance proposed in Chicago. View Full Caption shutterstock

CITY HALL — After a number of high-profile shootings and other violence on "party buses" rented by groups of revelers, city aldermen are working on an ordinance that would penalize bus companies for allowing such behavior.

Shootings involving passengers on the private trolley-style buses have increased recently, prompting concerns from police commanders and city leaders.

The increase in party bus-related shootings caused Ald. Brendan Reilly (42) to craft an ordinance that seeks to hold bus companies accountable for the behavior of their patrons. His ordinance was passed by the council's licensing committee Thursday.

Reilly's Downtown ward has seen many of the party bus shootings, since the buses are popular ways for parties to go to the entertainment district in River North.

Most recently, on Saturday night, passengers on two party buses began shouting at each other while parked near the Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's, 600 N. Clark St.

One of the party bus passengers fired a shot into the air as the fight escalated, Reilly said. A suburban man was charged with firing the gun, according to ABC7.

At least nine people have been shot on party buses since October 2015, including five on one bus in South Shore, according to police. In late August, a man on a party bus got off the bus and shot a man near Buckingham Fountain, police said.

The council briefly considered stricter party bus rules in October 2015, when a party bus confrontation led to three shot in the South Loop. But that ordinance did not make it out of committee.

Reilly said the buses "literally turn into a rolling tinder box" and often ferry extremely drunk passengers to area bars, which in turn causes problems for security at the bars.

"The people are already inebriated and over served," Reilly said. "This becomes an issue for the venue security team and the Chicago Police Department."

Reilly's ordinance would require party bus drivers to more closely monitor their guests and remove anyone who is intoxicated or conducting illegal activity.

Failure to do so can net the bus company — not the driver — a fine ranging from $250 to $1,500.

"This ordinance would require some accountability from the trolley driver and ultimately the owner," Reilly said.

Specifically, bus drivers will have to make sure: no one under 21 is drinking, no one is engaged in "disorderly conduct," no weapons are fired, nothing is thrown from the bus and no marijuana is possessed.

If someone on the bus breaks the rules, it would be the driver's responsibility to tell them to stop it, kick the person off the bus, or return the bus to where it picked up its patrons, according to the ordinance language.

The city cannot ban alcohol consumption on the buses, which is allowed under state law, aldermen said.

Some alderman wondered if this was too much responsibility for the bus driver, who would have to discipline drunk and potentially unruly passengers.

"I'm worried about the safety of the bus driver," said Alderman Michael Scott Jr. (24). "Anything can escalate from zero to 10."

Reilly said he believes it will be "standard operating procedure" for any bus driver to "discreetly" call police before disciplining riders.

Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th) offered his support, saying the buses create problems in residential areas, too.

"They're loud and disruptive. It's not just in the central business district," he said.

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