By Jennifer Jezyk
With the purchase of a natural gas-powered tour bus, the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership’s tour program will become both more environmentally and economically sustainable and handicapped accessible. “As stewards of precious philanthropic resources, we are pleased to introduce this bus that will enable us to more sustainably and cost effectively host our free tours of the Atlanta BeltLine,” said Atlanta BeltLine Partnership Interim Executive Director Rob Brawner. “We are grateful to our generous donors who have enabled us to invest in such an impressive new bus.”
Funding for the new bus has been made possible through contributions from Tenth and Monroe, LLC, and SunTrust Bank Trusteed Foundations – the Florence C. and Harry L. English Memorial Fund, the Thomas Guy Woolford Charitable Trust, and AGL Resources.
The new ADA accessible tour bus showed off its many innovative and sustainable features at BusCon – America’s premier bus tradeshow – prior to arriving in Atlanta. The investment by donors to support the purchase of this new Ford F-650 Atlanta BeltLine tour bus will enable the program to run at a significantly lower cost of operation, while demonstrating a number of exciting new features:
- CO2 emission reductions of 13 to 21 percent over traditional gas or diesel buses, as well as reduction of up to 90 percent of nitrous oxides, particulate matter, and carbon monoxide
- Access to AGL Resources renewable fuel, wherein methane gas is cleaned up and used as fuel
- ADA compliant lift and wheelchair accessibility
- Improved audio visual system to enhanced tour experience through photos, renderings, video, and other visuals during the tour
- Atlanta BeltLine-branded wrap that includes removable ad spaces, providing the opportunity for tour sponsors to enjoy heightened visibility on the bus through a new tour sponsorship program.
Since its launch in 2007, the Atlanta BeltLine Bus Tour program has provided free three-hour tours of the Atlanta BeltLine to more than 20,000 individuals and organizations from Atlanta, across the country, and around the world. The tour provides the best access to up-close information and views of the project, and it offers the only opportunity to see the Bellwood Quarry, which will be the future site of Westside Reservoir Park.
Free tour registrations open on the 15th of every month for the following month at www.beltline.org/tours. ADA reservations can be made via email at tours@atlantabeltlinepartnership.org or by phone at 404-446-4400.
