To those on the sidewalk, it is just a blue bus with tinted windows. But on the inside, it’s a party, and Thomas Parker is your emcee.

Parker, who was born and raised in Champaign, has been the owner of Illini Taxi for just a month and a half, but he and his bus have made stops at nearly every point on the party spectrum.

But driving a literal party around campus has its drawbacks: For every talented singer that steps onboard, there will invariably be a puking kid in the back of the bus. For every hour long vocal bash with a high school girls basketball team, the odds are good that Justin Bieber will be blaring through the speakers. But never say never.

A true entrepreneur, Parker said he has big plans for improving the Karaoke Cab experience. Right now, the 12-passenger van is outfitted with two televisions screens, 2,000 songs and a strobe light. He said he envisions an addition of a digital music library with touchscreens so that patrons can choose their own tunes. He would also like to eventually trade the current bus for a hybrid model.

Parker previously owned Green Taxi, but jumped at the opportunity to upgrade to a cab that provides more than just getting from A to B.

“The opportunity to have something so popular and unique in the town was something that I couldn’t pass up on,” Parker said. “It’s a pretty popular thing. It turns heads.”

On a recent Thursday night, seven students, not all of them from the University, hopped on the Karaoke Bus on the way to Brothers Bar & Grill, 613 E. Green Street. Matt O’Hern, senior in ACES, said that this was not the first time he had used the Karaoke Bus; he said it was a big hit on parent’s weekends.

“My mom’s a big singer, and she loves the Eagles,” O’Hern said. “I do a lot of singing, but I strictly stick to mostly Fergie and a bit of Britney Spears’ new song. I’m all about that.”

O’Hern was the only brave soul among his group to pick up the mic and attempt to throw down 50 Cent’s “In Da Club.” Although his performance during most of the song was debatable, O’Hern was flawless on the chorus, nailing the last word of each line.

“Club … bub … sex … love.”

Krishanna Baker, a student at St. Joseph’s College, said it was her first time on the bus, but knew exactly what she wanted to sing.

“Play some T. Swift!” she said.

Parker finally found a winner. However, as the entire bus launched wholeheartedly into Hoobastank’s “The Reason,” O’Hern mimicked the affectation of Creed lead singer Scott Stapp.

“This isn’t Creed?” O’Hern asked, while his guy friends belted out the lyrics in an ear-shattering falsetto.

While O’Hern represented the usual vocal talent level of Parker’s clientele, he said there have been some standout singers, usually girls.

“A couple of times I’ve had some great singers on here,” he said.

For those who are too shy, or have “cab fright,” Parker has found that “Build Me Up Buttercup” can build confidence for even the most timid singer. Parker said he regularly joins the fun and strings songs together that he thinks they will like.

“Oh I sing, absolutely. You have to,” he said.

In fact, it is the jovial atmosphere that drives Parker, and perhaps the bus itself, until three or four in the morning on some nights.

“The girls sing, but the guys will dance if they’ve had enough to drink, when they’re feeling relax and whatever. They’ll loosen up and sing a little bit, but the girls, they love it,” Parker said.

While Parker does not serve alcohol on the party bus, he does allow 21-year-old passengers to bring their own drinks onboard.

“I just love to sing, no alcohol needed whatsoever,” O’Hern said.

Parker feels that his Karaoke Cab meshes well with the needs of college students out on the town.

“It’s a safety tool for a lot of inebriated students … getting students home, and having a good time in the process,” Parker said. “It’s a nice way to get things started. A lot of 21st birthday parties get started right here.”