The way Tim DiDonato sees it, the Party Bus is cheaper — and a lot more fun — than a DUI.
Like many things that gain popularity, Big Island Party Bus didn’t begin as a commercial venture. Two years ago, one of the vehicles presented itself as a deal too good to pass up to tennis coach DiDonato and a friend who would become his business partner, Ed Doherty, a chiropractor with a busy life. Both are from Waimea; neither were looking to start a bus company.
They took on the first shuttle as a project, something they could ferry their kids around in.
“Then someone wanted to use it, and someone else wanted to use it,” Ed said. “Then we thought, wait a minute, we might be onto something here.”
The creativity kicked in, with DiDonato and Doherty going for bright red and black upholstery, velvet and brass finishes, a rocking sound system, strobe light and fog machine — even a dance pole. A karaoke machine is going in next.
The exterior paint job features the dreamy, quintessential beach and surf scenes of Big Island artist Mike Field.
“It’s a real cool look that sets you apart from a tour bus when you pull up,” DiDonato said.
But it wasn’t until just the past few months that the economic wheels of the business began to really turn.
In that time, the company hired Tyler Green, its first full-time employee. Green handles driving, bookings and marketing. The buses enjoy a growing patronage from local resorts, and DiDonato and Doherty are expanding the fleet from two vehicles to four. One of the new additions, a 2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, will be stripped of seats and outfitted with eight captain’s chairs and other plush furnishings geared to the high-end corporate and private-jet crowd.
“We want to make sure the other two buses are ready to go by the holiday season,” DiDonato said. “The last three months have just gone haywire.”
DiDonato and Doherty acknowledge that getting the word out has required a certain amount of shoe leather — working the concierge desks and offering familiarization tours at the leading resorts.
“You hear about the party bus, and that’s one thing,” Ed said. “When you actually sit in here, that’s totally different.”
The pair are old friends from Colorado, and act like they could have gone to the same fraternity as they play with the fog machine and poke fun at each other about old wedding memories. Doherty’s basic philosophy is simply stated: If it doesn’t make you money or it’s not fun, why bother?
Rolling through a vacation in what could pass for a mini disco hall isn’t a completely new concept. Such rides are popular on the mainland and Oahu.
“Oahu has party buses. They’re jammin’,” DiDonato said. “It’s a niche that wasn’t being filled on the Big Island.”
The rate for the 14-passenger vehicle is $450 for a half day and $800 for a full day. The buses are fully insured and approved by the Public Utilities Commission and for airport pickups, Doherty said.
The buses have been rented for activities ranging from mobile parties to tranquil group tours, zip-line excursions, weddings and other events. The clients get to dictate the type of experience they have, Doherty said. The bus has even parked out in a field where a mobile party was thrown, complete with a DJ. The company has also offered free transportation to youth paddling groups and other worthwhile community events.
The Party Bus approach to alcohol is simple: It’s not the business’ focus, but it will probably be around. Therefore, coolers are provided for beverages but guests bring their own.
Regardless of the level of celebration, the Party Bus’ real draw lies in how it keeps an entire group together through an experience, allowing everyone to be in the same place, doing the same thing and doing it safely, Doherty believes.
“Otherwise, you need to rent three or four vans,” Doherty said. “And someone has to be sober all the time.”
For more information, visit bigislandpartybus.com.