The Utility and Review Board has quashed an application by Party Bus Atlantic, Inc. to operate in Nova Scotia. Party Bus hails from Newfoundland, where it operates four buses and where the bus industry is not regulated. Its buses there are known for their liquor sales and dance poles. Owner Rod Sheppard, a pharmacist, and partner Keith Culleton, a teacher, assumed they could likewise operate in Nova Scotia without government interference; they brought a $150,000 30-seat bus from St. John’s and purchased a $200,000 45-seat bus in the US, and began business, catering to wedding and stag paries and the like, complete with discoed-up website. When regulators got word of the business in May, Party Bus was required to get a temporary permit while a full application went before the UARB. Other area carriers—Absolute Charters, Molega Tours, Prestige Limousine and Town Limousine Service—objected to the permit. The board rejected Party Bus unequivocally, noting while it’s “unfortunate that the Applicant did not conduct due diligence prior to purchasing their vehicles… there is very little concrete evidence of demand for such [service] in Nova Scotia.”
Read the entire UARB rulinghere.
This article appears in Aug 12-18, 2010.
Ah hahahahaha! “there is very little concrete evidence of demand for such [service] in Nova Scotia” Not from the sort of people on the UARB, that’s for sure. They so represent the average Nova Scotian! Why do we have a legislature, councils and judges when we have them anyway?
Brewnoser – ” Why do we have a legislature, councils and judges when we have them anyway ?”
What a dummy you are.
The answer is simple – because the UARB has been delegated the powers to deal with such a business.
Stupid Newfs, never called a lawyer before starting a business selling booze in Nova Scotia.
A five minute phone call and $500 would have sved them a bus load of money.
Newfies I know are much smarter, but then again they aren’t teachers or pharmacists.
My advice is simple, stay away from the Sheppard drugstore and the Cullerton school.
I’m thinking the common folk should be consulted to see if they would utilize such a service instead of people behind closed doors deciding that for us.
The editor Tim Bousquet, and Brewnoser should get there facts straight before posting something in black and white…..they don’t sell liquor….BYOB and nothing leaves the bus…that’s what we were told before renting the Party Bus…..and 2nd point idiots if you knew anything about the Party Bus those guys have you sign a contract for usuage/damages/fines for the bus…….
I have been on the other so called party buses here in Nova Scotia and they don’t offer a service of such….usually they have staff in back of bus with you (as the client), dirty from previous clients, smaller inside than what party bus was offering…..
and customer service from there drivers is second to none!!…..
The UARB I agree SHOULDN’T have so much authority over manners of public opinion without first consulting to see if the public would like the service instead of a delegated board deciding the fate of what the common folk nova scotian would want!!
I read the UARB article it seem NS doesn’t want freedom of competition here!!
So our government shouldn’t complain about lack of funds for infrustructure when turning away companies that pay taxes and hire local employees.
I would like to know what is going to happen to the Party Bus now in NS? Are they going to stay and fight/appeal if they can? Move on to a more welcoming place/province?
I say bring back THE one and only Party Bus!!…..It’s the party machine of Canada!!
Stupid Newfs? Sounds like the two you are referring to have more education than you do there Joeblow. Let me guess, living home with Mom? These buses don’t sell booze you moron, people bring whatever they drink with them. Mr. Bousquet should investigate a little before he writes such a condemning fact.
As for the AURB, they are deciding for the consumer. What a concept. We’ll keep all the “local boys” working and we’ll keep any small business from outside the Province from starting up. Then they can charge what they like to the people of Nova Scotia and keep competition away. Too bad the UARB didn’t decide the Chain Store rules too! We’d have no Wal*marts, no Costcos, no Shoppers Drug Marts because the UARB would fear that Mr. Smith who owns an 80 year old store in Downtown Halifax can’t compete. They would keep him alive and let him charge us $10.00 for a pack of gum since there is no competition. The UARB has no business meddling in these decisions, the consumer should decide who survives, that’s economy 101.
Of all Provinces, Nova Scotia is the only one that is anti-competitive. There is a reason that there are only two Provinces that regulate Motor Carriers….because it makes no sense.
Justsaying said it best.
Absolutely ridiculous that these guys were shut down. Nova Scotia should be ashamed.
This is exactly why the unelected and unaccountable URB needs to be reigned in. In this particular case it looks like their purpose is to protect exiting service provider interests, rather than consumer interests…
Born2win – I am so uneducated that I know that open liquor in a vehicle is not allowed. A commercial enterprise must have a licence to allow the consumption of liquor and must apply to the URB for such licence.
An educated person would not be so lax or ignorant as to fail to check the rules in a jurisdiction outside of where he/she resides or operates a business.
My defintion goes well beyond a piece of paper although I do have internationally recognised professional qualifications which enabled me to work anywhere in the world with just the production of the documents.
The pharmacist and the teacher cannot claim the same ability.
Finally, the established businesses in Nova Scotia pay property taxes. The bus does not.
Fair competition is fine by me.
Joeblow, you are so full of yourself. All you do is read your own crap and think you are smarter than everyone else. I am sure a job at the URB awaits you.
When you start calling people “dummies” and “Stupid newfs” your argument loses all credibility no matter how smart you are. Maybe when you got your ” internationally recognised professional qualifications” you should have took a course in etiquette.
If you are all for “fair competition” than these guys should be allowed to operate. If you think other existing limousine and bus companies do not allow patrons to bring alcohol on their bus then you are more naive than a 5 year old. And a license? Yeah right.
This is not about alcohol, it is about anti-competition. Nova Scotia is the worst place to do business in Canada, maybe North America.
Let the consumer decide. Even you have to agree with that.