This St. Patrick’s Day, a lot of people are celebrating in clubs and party buses. But it may be the last major holiday for Nashville’s transportainment industry before new rules go into effect.
Safety, noise and traffic complaints have been mounting, and city lawmakers say last year was a boiling point, after a passenger fell off a party bus and died.
New regulations have to do with alcohol consumption. Starting next month, party bus goers can only drink alcohol during their ride if the operator has a beer permit.
It’s a small stipulation, but it offers long-overdue clarity to the city’s fuzzy open container law. Previously, unenclosed entertainment vehicles weren’t allowed to sell beer. Under the new law, some alcoholic drinks will only be allowed if the owner gets approved by the Metro Beer Board. And, there will be greater oversight to enforce it.
“To me, the whole purpose of coming to Nashville is to listen to great music and have fun, and having a beer with that is part of it,” says Metro Councilmember Burkley Allen. “But you know, for the consumption of alcohol to be the whole recreational purpose, I think it’s missing the best of what we have to offer, which is great music.”
Allen hopes it’ll be a win-win for party bus owners, tourists and downtown residents.
These rules are made possible because of a new state law that gives cities power to regulate vehicles with 15 or more passengers. Other details will be laid out by the city’s Transportation Licensing Commission in the coming weeks.
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