Rowdy students limit bus options

Author: Rachel Durfee

Ironically, much of the buzz on campus this academic year has centered on off-campus parties. Increasingly popular among students, off-campus parties have won bonus points this year because they are free from many of the restrictions placed on campus events. The appeal of no guest lists, no keg limits and pretty much no rules at all has students of all class years flocking beyond the boundaries of the College to party on the weekends. Although more off-campus parties increase the number of social opportunities for Middlebury students, a consequent issue of major concern is transportation to and from these off-campus houses/farms/open fields.

Commonly referred to as "beer runs" or "drunk runs" by transit workers, most local transit companies have stopped providing transportation for off-campus parties due to the havoc it causes on the buses and taxis. Betcha Transit, Inc., which shuttled students back and forth to multiple events last year, says it simply was not worth the hassle of their buses being left wrecked and exceedingly dirty. John Sharrow of Mountain Transit, another company no longer shuttling students to off-campus parties, agrees. He says party-goers made a mess of the buses - spilling beer, littering and leaving behind a stench of alcohol and cigarettes that was often impossible to remove the next day.

According to the Betcha company spokesman there was a lot of "unruliness" from drunken students, and drivers were witnesses to "a lot of puking, even defecating" on the ride home. "Through the years it got worse and worse," said Sharrow. But he stressed that damages were the deciding factor in discontinuing the shuttles more than student behavior, although that "was part of [the decision]." Although Betcha Transit may consider reinstating their shuttle services for off-campus college parties, according to a December general survey, no drivers were interested in volunteering for the job. As of now there will be "No more so-called 'drunk runs'."

Last year Lindsey Whitton '05 and friends had trouble finding transportation for a party they wanted to throw during Senior Week at Finius T. Flubberbusters bar just over the state line in Hampton, N.Y. Their first call, to Betcha Transit, proved unfruitful. The company declined the job, reportedly saying they would be unable to find drivers to volunteer for the event and citing recent negative experiences shuttling students back and forth to both a party at an off-campus house and a birthday party also held at Flubberbusters. In the end, Whitton was only able to rent coach buses from The BusBank, a national company whose coaches for the night came from Massachusetts with strict rules and a steep price tag.

Interestingly, companies who have never been hired for late-night weekend transportation seem willing to take on the apparently infamous job. Randall Charlebois of Premiere Coach, which provides 50-person capacity buses, says liability is not a concern, since transit companies are not held responsible for ID-ing drinkers, nor for what happens at or after an event for which they are providing transportation. Says Charlebois, "I'd rather see somebody get somewhere safely than get into their own car." Wanda Robar of Morf's Transport says the company has never done such events either but would be willing to, "So long as [passengers] behave respectfully, 'cause if they don't, they're walking."

Speculation says companies are hesitant to provide transportation due to liability issues, but this conjecture proves unfounded. While Vermont's open container law does prohibit both the driver and passengers from possessing an open container of alcohol in the passenger compartment of a vehicle, the issue is more complex. To avoid losing Federal funds for highways, the state of Vermont adheres to Federal guidelines which, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, dictate that a State's open container laws must "Apply to all vehicle occupants except for passengers of vehicles designed, maintained or used primarily for the transportation of people for compensation (such as buses, taxi cabs and limousines)". Hence transit companies cannot be held in violation of any open container laws in Vermont, even taking into account an interpretation of the law that considers underage drinkers in and of themselves "open containers."

Still, it seems Middlebury students are hard pressed to find a local company to transport guests to and from parties, and if the trend continues, it will only be more difficult in the future.

A word of caution to those seeking alternate forms of transportation: According to Vermont State Law, Title 23, Chapter 13, no. 1014: "A person riding an animal or driving any animal-drawn vehicle upon a road is granted all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a motor vehicle by this chapter except those provisions of this chapter which by their very nature can have no application." So yes, you can be pulled over and even dealt a DUI riding a cow home.