Committee approves separate permit class for seated sightseeing vehicles, establishes 4–6 p.m. permit window

The Transportation Infrastructure Committee on Sept. 2 approved a substitute to BL2025-954 to create a standalone regulatory chapter for seated sightseeing vehicles, a change sponsors said will distinguish tour-type vehicles from party buses and allow a limited 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. downtown operating permit that requires a traffic study.

The bill, sponsored in committee by Councilmember Coop (listed in committee materials as Coop/Coopin), passed the committee vote as substituted, recorded as 11 in favor, 0 opposed. Committee members said the substitute tightens rules on routes, stops and alcohol prohibitions for seated sightseeing vehicles.

Councilmember Coop, the lead sponsor, said the substitute separates sightseeing vehicles from the broader entertainment-vehicle chapter. "This is a bill that I've been hard at work on ... the seated sightseeing vehicles don't serve alcohol," Coop said, adding the new permit would require proof that vehicles can "move the speed of traffic" and operate on an approved fixed route.

Why it matters: Nashville's tourism fleet has diversified, and…