Hours of operation for party buses extended in Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Changes are coming to downtown Nashville traffic after the Metro Transportation and Licensing Commission extended the hours party buses and other entertainment vehicles can operate.
For a couple years, transportainment vehicles like party buses, or ETVs for short, weren’t allowed to operate from 4 to 6 PM at all. The measure was put in place to reduce downtown congestion during rush hour, but party bus operators say all it did was hurt their business.
“If this is a problem, let’s open less hotels, let’s close the bars from 4-6, let’s all take a siesta if traffic is a problem. I don’t think you can pin it on one industry,” said Michael Winters with Nashville Tractor.
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But after debate, the Transportation and Licensing Commission changed the rules.
ETVs are now allowed to operate from 4-6 PM as long as they aren’t operating in a specific part of downtown—from 8th Avenue to the Cumberland River and from Korean Veterans Boulevard to Union Street.
“I don’t think this is going to be the last conversation we have about this,” said one commissioner after the vote. “We are going to work with the industry, we are going to work with the engineers.”
However, despite this being a loosening of restrictions, ETV owners said the change still doesn’t make sense to them.
“[Visitors] want to see the hotspots of Nashville, which is Broadway. They don’t want to see Antioch,” said Upstage Party Bus owner Patrick Kludac.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Emily Lamb, a representative from Old Town Trolley, a hop-on and hop-off sightseeing company, said they would need to shut down if they couldn’t operate at all from 4-6 PM.
Lamb said shutting down Old Town Trolley would trigger layoffs and hurt popular Nashville tourist destinations because they take so many visitors to and from different parts of the city.
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“Many other Nashville businesses will stand to suffer significant financial impact to their detriment as well as the detriment of Nashville’s tax revenue for all of these,” she said.
Until recently, Old Town Trolley was operating from 4-6 PM despite the rules.
While sightseeing buses and party buses both are classified as ETVs, Old Town Trolley says they were granted special permission to continue their service during rush hour.
Other ETV owners were upset Old Town Trolley was given a pass and the Commission denied they had this special permission, which is what led to this special-called meeting and resulting rule change.
The Nashville Downtown Partnership spoke against the change saying the new rule would cause slower-moving traffic and congestion downtown.
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