Money for Buses and Rides for Free
🚍 More money on buses · Teacher hiring spree incentive · FAA reducing flights · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. Mayor O'Connell celebrates his first tax increase and lets you know where the money's going... Cameron Sexton suggests a way to ease the teacher shortage... And much more!
Veteran's Day Screening November 11th, we're hosting a screening at NuMynd Studios of Call Sign Courage, a documentary about the current Under Secretary of the Air Force, Lt. Col. Matt Lohmeier, blowing the whistle on Marxism in the military. RSVP here.
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Choose How You Move One Year Later
From Megan Podsiedlik
It’s been one year since Nashville voted to support Choose How You Move (CHYM) and create Music City’s first dedicated sales tax to fund transit. Yesterday, Mayor Freddie O’Connell held a press conference celebrating the occasion, reminding those in attendance that the implementation of a robust transit plan has been a long time coming.
“We saw our traffic congestion worsen, our infrastructure fall further behind the times, and we saw federal funding go to other communities across America,” said O’Connell.
“We are implementing a total of more than $163 million in infrastructure investments,” shared CHYM Chief Program Officer Sabrina Sussman, who was appointed in April, boasting a resume that includes experience as the Senior Advisor to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
So far, the mayor has allocated tax revenue toward two separate rollouts, including $59.3 million in March for eleven foundational projects and $104 million in October for a slew of new transit projects this October.
The mayor shared a few highlights, including the implementation of contactless payment for WeGo, new safety measures and officers dedicated to transit corridors and buses, and Metro’s partnership with the Titans for free rides on game days.
But CHYM has also had its fair share of setbacks—the latest being the Boring Company’s encroachment on Murfreesboro Pike, which CHYM identified as the priority corridor to implement Bus Rapid Transit lanes to and from the airport.
At the beginning of October, O’Connell told the Nashville Business Journal that the construction of the 19-mile Music City Loop under Murfreesboro Pike “has absolutely caused us to start to re-evaluate our priorities for corridors and how we can deliver the best service models.” This week, Sussman announced that CHYM will shelve plans for Murfreesboro Pike and focus on Nolensville Pike and Gallatin Pike instead.
Sussman also tried to do some damage control regarding the confusing rollout of Nashville’s new Journey Pass, which is a free, three-year bus pass. Initially, it was advertised as being for income-eligible residents only. But based on personal accounts of those who disclosed their experience on Bluesky and spoke with NewsChannel5, the vetting process seemed inconsistent and lax when it came to proof of residency and income.
More than 2,500 newly registered Journey Pass holders have already taken over 14,000 rides. Sussman also shared that the rollout for the “centralized income-based approach" to register for a Journey Pass won't be available until the second phase next year. According to the website, the pass is only available to "Davidson County residents who currently receive social services through select Metro departments and partner agencies."
Lastly, O’Connell did a ribbon cutting in honor of the new queue jump signal installed at the intersection of Murfreesboro Pike and Edge O. Lake Drive. Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure Assistant Director Derek Hagerty explained that the new technology will help buses stay on schedule and cut down on trip time.
“The two-to-four minutes saved along a busy route reduces delays and increases reliability for our buses, which will add up to 10,000 hours of time savings for riders annually on this route,” said Hagerty.
✹ THE SOUTHERN REVIVAL SALON
Join us for a classed-up, cowboy-formal type thing with an open bar, music, and the opportunity to meet some of the most talented and influential people in Nashville. Use the discount code PAMPHLETEER to get 25% off your ticket. (Buy Tickets)
🎓 Cameron Sexton, Speaker of the Tennessee House, has proposed creating an associate-degree program for K-6 teachers as a response to the state’s educator shortage. Tennessee Conservative The plan would allow individuals to become licensed after two years of college plus an internship (and passing the Praxis exam), rather than the current bachelor-degree requirement.
✈️ The FAA will begin reducing flights at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports on Friday if the government shutdown continues, citing mounting strain on unpaid air traffic controllers. Nashville International Airport is not currently expected to be affected, but airlines are warning travelers to prepare for widespread disruptions. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the move is meant to relieve pressure and maintain safety, though it could cancel up to 1,800 flights and 268,000 seats nationwide.
📺 Democrat Aftyn Behn released her first campaign ad in the special election for Tennessee's 7th District. Behn, who received an endorsement from the Democratic Socialists of America's Middle Tennessee chapter during the primary, pits the politicians and their rich donors against the common people, emphasizing their pursuit of "tax cuts for billionaires" and "refusal to release the Epstein files."
DEVELOPMENT
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
🎸 Paul McCartney @ The Pinnacle, 8p, Info
🎻 Verdi’s Requiem with the Nashville Symphony Chorus @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 7:30p, $29+, Info
🎸 Briston Maroney Presents: Paradise! (Night 2) @ The Blue Room, 6:30p, $45.50, Info
🍀 Live Irish Music @ McNamara’s Irish Pub, 6p, Free, Info
🎸 Kelly’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info
🎸 Open Mic @ Fox & Locke, 6:30p, Free, Info
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik and Camelia Brennan.