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Town in Smokies Adds 2 Hybrid Buses to Fleet September 2004After months of planning, two alternative-fuel shuttle buses were added yesterday to the transit fleet of this tourist town in the Great Smoky Mountains for a six-month demonstration.Relatively quiet and pollution free, the hybrid buses run on electricity and propane. They will travel from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Pigeon Forge and around Gatlinburg beginning in October. The 22-passenger vehicles are paid for through a $152,000 grant from the Department of Energy and the National Park Service. "This is an excellent example of how the park has been able to successfully partner with surrounding gateway communities and other agencies to take a proactive approach in addressing shared air quality and transportation issues," said park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson. Made by EBus Inc. in California, the shuttles are decorated with images of green mountains and native black bears. "There will be no mistaking these buses," Mayor Jerry Hays of Gatlinburg said. "When visitors encounter the bus on the road, they will know that something out-of-the-ordinary is occurring." With 9 million visitors traveling to the Smokies annually, reducing traffic congestion and vehicle emissions are top priorities for the park on the Tennessee-North Carolina border and for adjacent communities. SOURCE: Winston-Salem Journal | ||
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