TLC sets target of 40 entertainment-transportation permits after annual hearing; operators and downtown advocates spar over impacts

The Metropolitan Nashville Transportation Licensing Commission on its annual entertainment-transportation hearing set a prerequisite finding that 40 entertainment-transportation vehicle permits is the appropriate number to meet the public convenience and necessity in downtown Nashville.

The commission made the finding after staff and outside-study presentations and more than two hours of testimony from business owners, tour operators and downtown advocates. Director Grant Rooker told commissioners they must first make a numeric finding of how many entertainment-transportation providers and vehicles are required before considering individual permit requests.

Why it matters: The finding guides whether the commission will approve new permits or changes to existing permits and frames later enforcement and rulemaking. The commission said the 40-permit finding aligns with the traffic and operations analysis in the Connect Downtown study, which the commission and staff used as a primary data point.

The Connect Downtown study found that “ETVs contribute to about 80 seconds of delay for each vehicle in the entertainment district” and recommended the city consider reducing the number of entertainment-transportation…