NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — In downtown Nashville, if you see a rideshare, it’s typically at peak hours on the busiest days. However, a new pilot program could help streamline the process for those looking to get to and from one of the city’s major attractions: The Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC).
In two weeks, transportation leaders with the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) will start testing a pilot program for people using rideshares to and from TPAC.
Two zones on Deaderick Street near TPAC will be geo-fenced into rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft so drivers will automatically know where to pick up and drop off passengers. Project leaders said the program will address traffic flow, enhance safety for those catching rides and create organization between TPAC pickups and rideshare services.
It’s a move longtime rideshare driver Monique McClain said she could get behind.
“I’m ecstatic because this means that they understand that they want to have a safe pick up and an efficient pick up for the people that want to attend, and a lot of people are turned off by the idea of not being able to be picked up in a proper way,” McClain told News 2.
McClain, also a member of the Tennessee Drivers’ Union, said there has been work to make these changes permanent as they would help solve key issues faced by downtown Nashville rideshare drivers.
“There’s not a good, safe space where you can just stop in the middle of the road and be able to pick somebody up without policemen telling you, ‘Get out of here,'” McClain said.
The pilot program, which will run from Jan. 28 through Feb. 23, was approved during Monday’s Traffic and Parking Commission meeting. Overall, the pilot will cost Metro just over $1,100 it would’ve gotten from parking space.
If the pilot’s successful, a trip fee could be tacked on the price of getting picked up in that area to make up for the cost.
McClain is optimistic about the pilot program.
“This is exactly what we want,” McClain said. “If we can show them how well it works, then maybe other businesses will take inventory of this and say, ‘How about we try it?'”
