Licensing System for Sydney Party Buses

An accreditation or licensing system for party buses will be established to curb the excesses associated with the booze cruise party bus industry.

The Sun-Herald revealed in May that certain party bus operators were very concerned that a proposed voluntary code of conduct and permit system would allow the smaller ''cowboy'' operators to continue to flourish.

Currently, anyone with a bus licence can make thousands of dollars a night by supplying little more than eskies full of ice and an itinerary of pub and nightclub stop-offs.

The Minister for Hospitality and Racing, George Souris, has decided to act, concerned about reports such as that of an elderly women who looked out of her window earlier this year to see 30 men urinating in unison on the front of her property during a stop.

Sources said he would introduce legislation into Parliament before the end of the year that would require all operators to hold a licence and follow a set of standards.

But the Party Bus Association, headed by Murray Schultz, owner of Karaoke Bus, had been pushing for the adoption of a less restrictive voluntary code.

'''We don't want the government just to introduce this. We want consultation,'' he said.

Story from SMH