Mayor Karl Dean’s Green Ribbon committee will present on Thursday its recommendations on how to make Nashville one of the “greenest” cities in the country.
The committee will present a summary report of 16 goals and 71 recommendations at a 2:30 p.m. press conference at Shelby Bottoms Nature Center.
When Dean formed the committee he gave its members the charge of making Nashville the greenest city in the south and one of the greenest cities in the nation.
Dean has said a key component of becoming a greener city is improving mass transit.
On Tuesday, the Metro Transit Authority announced it was using six previously purchased hybrid buses, while also beginning a Bus Rapid Transit route on Gallatin Road.
Made by North American Bus Industries (NABI), the buses operate with an alternate fuel system and possess the latest in passenger features, and should help to alleviate the standing-room only issue on some of MTA’s most popular routes.
“These environmentally-friendly buses are a part of our commitment to growing public transit in Nashville,” said MTA CEO Paul J. Ballard. “The buses offer the latest in passenger comfort and amenities as well as help the environment by using less fuel since they are hybrids. We are excited to get them into service and will use them for the initial phase of a planned Bus Rapid Transit project this summer.”
The buses travel highly used routes and make less traffic stops.