Party vehicles in Nashville will look a little different after a new vote from the Metro City Council.
Council members voted to place more regulations on "transportainment" vehicles in Nashville during a meeting Tuesday night (October 19), including limiting who can operate the vehicles as well as restricting open containers of alcohol.
Beginning April 2022, the Metro Transportation and Licensing Commission will maintain a permit process for who can operate and maintain the party buses and wagons. The alcohol ban goes into effect December 1, however it may not be forever. Council member Freddie O'Connell, a sponsor of the bill, said they plan to present a permit process that could allow alcohol on board the vehicles in the future, per WSMV.
Many groups have been calling for tighter regulations on the party vehicles, including a group of students at Hume Fogg who said they have been harassed and yelled at by people on board passing transportainment vehicles. Another group, Safe Fun Nashville, are thankful the city council took action to "[bring] us one step closer to making sure downtown is safer fore everyone," per WKRN.
"Nashville has built a reputation as a great place to live, work, and play," said co-organizer Jim Schmitz, "and making sure party vehicles prioritize safety will ensure our tourism industry continues to thrive."
Not everyone is happy about the new bill, including Michael Winters, president of the Nashville Transportainment Association, who said a few party vehicles are giving a bad name to the industry as a whole, especially compared to the bars around town.
"We're talking about 1.5 million riders, you can't take four snippets and deem an industry awful," he said. "If that were the case, I could stand outside any bar at any given night in downtown Nashville with a camera taking photos of what I see on the balconies and inside bars, and if that were the case we should close all bars."
Operators of party vehicles could also face a fine and one year suspension if they receive three noise complaints. According to WKRN, Winters is speaking with attorneys about taking legal action against the decision.