A bright pink school bus covered in stickers has become a common scene on the streets of New York City — with partiers dancing on its handmade bamboo rooftop.
“Hello, we’ve got some celebrities here we are passing through!” Glinda the Good Bus’ loudly dressed owner Michelle Joni Lapidos said as The Post rode tagged along through Manhattan with some college-aged curiosity seekers.
Self-described “social savant” Lapidos brainstormed the bus in 2019 and has been zipping bridal parties, birthday celebrations and more throughout the city since — but this year is bringing the bus back to its roots as a campaign trolley.
Dressed in a blue flight attendant suitdress and red pilot cap, and flanked by her two co-pilots, Lapidos scooped up a party of the New School graduate students while blasting “Empire State of Mind” — and Lapidos played karaoke with the vehicle’s sound system.
While the group dined and drank on the couches on the bus’ roof, co-pilot Addison Dreher tossed out glitter, stickers, bubbles, party hats and more.
Whenever the bus slowed down, co-pilot Luna März danced in the open doorway of the bus and encouraged rush hour passersby to join in on the party.
“It’s very much that feeling of people being taken out of their element of like, ‘Oh, what that!’ I don’t know if I’m addicted to it for personal reasons, but it’s needed and people are ready,” Lapidos said.
This spring marks a return to form for Glinda the Good Bus, which is named in honor of the equally bright and pink witch from the “Wizard of Oz.” Lapidos said she originally bought the vehicle as a campaign vehicle for a bid for president in 2020.
As far as the city Board of Elections would be concerned, the campaign was an informal one. But Lapidos ordered license plates that said “JONI2020” and put out her dreams of being president into the universe.
“There’s the spiritual belief that intention is creation, so each little bit as intention is actually creation,” she explained.
When her mission to become the first female commander-in-chief didn’t pan out, Lapidos found ways to community organize in other ways. She founded a skipping club — which is exactly what it sounds like — and helped brainstorm the Metro Gala, an annual “underground” version of the elitist fashion party.
Plus, Glinda the Good Bus boarded thousands of customers — including many who were picked up off the street.
Birthday girl Ren Hasuda watched the spectacle breeze down the street one evening and knew it would be the perfect spot to host her first-ever birthday in America.
“It’s fantastic! It’s super unique. I wanted to do something special and then saw this on the street — it feels meant to be,” Hasuda told The Post as she sat atop Glinda to celebrate her 32nd birthday.
The environment is an attempt to replicate the “vibes” of Burning Man, an event that Lapidos said changed her life and opened her eyes to a new form of self-expression and community.
Now, Lapidos is attempting to expand the party even further by throwing her hat into the race for Brooklyn borough president.
Lapidos failed to provide a valid cover sheet with her paperwork, technically bumping her out of the race to unseat incumbent Antonio Reynos but the determined bus driver plans to run as an independent on her own line: the “Party Party.”
Her main mission, she explained, would be boosting businesses and nightlife so that Brooklyn is keeping the lights on 24/7. Shouldn’t there be a cocktail hour for the waitresses who work the typical cocktail hour, she asked
Lapidos also hopes to place an even stronger emphasis on the arts, something that has been an integral part of the city, and especially Brooklyn’s, identity for generations.
“Art as inherent is the kind of party that we want to bring. That’s creativity, expression and community,” Lapidos said.
“I also have a vision for the world. I ride around in the driver’s seat of my bus — this is my corner office. I see the world. I see the streets.”
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