PHLASH bus makes debut in Center City

For some, the shiny new purple-and-teal buses gliding through Center City may be a little on the PHLASHy side. But for others, with the cheap fare and plush interior, it sure beats wrestling for a parking spot. Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell introduced the new PHLASH buses at a kick-off event last night. Aimed at quickly and efficiently shuttling tourists to downtown hotspots, PHLASH began its first run shortly after Rendell's speech. "It's great for kids [and] it's user-friendly," Rendell said. "It's a wonderful experience for tourists." At $1.50 for a one-way ticket and $3 for an all-day pass, PHLASH will hit historical areas and museums during the day, and nightlife districts in the evening, he said. Buses will pick up passengers at each of the 22 "Day PHLASH Points" and the 27 "Night PHLASH Points" every 15 minutes. Dave & Buster's night club, Penn's Landing and South Street are among the night points, and the day loop will hit the Franklin Institute and the Philadelphia Art Museum. Rendell said he first came up with the idea to bring a bus to Philadelphia that would take visitors directly to main attractions when he spotted a tourist shuttle bus in Phoenix several years ago. "But it was bright, hot pink," he said. "I immediately decided that Philadelphia is not a city that could sustain a hot pink tourist bus." The official name for the bus is spelled in all-capital letters. But Deputy Mayor Denise Goren would not say whether PHLASH is an acronym -- or what the letters stand for. "I was just walking across the street, trying to think of what to call this new entertainment loop, and literally, it came to me in a PHLASH," she said. Although operated and maintained by the city's transportation system, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, PHLASH buses are much more energy-efficient, Goren said. PHLASH is part of the Philadelphia Clean Cities Program, which was developed in 1992 as a partnership between the city and the U.S. Department of Energy, she said. Rendell said the PHLASH project has been one of the most enjoyable projects that he has undertaken as mayor. "There are some real downsides to being mayor -- you get blamed for everything from icestorms to tractor trailer accidents that clog up traffic on the expressway," Rendell said. "But one of the reasons this is a great job is you are able to put into reality some of your ideas." So far, Philadelphia has purchased eight buses, which each cost $187,110. Rendell said the city will purchase more next April. Arthur Loev, a Wharton alumnus and manager of the R & R Uniform Store that supplied the bright purple and yellow PHLASH bus driver uniforms, said he thinks the new automobiles are very "peppy." "They didn't want them to be quite so sedate as SEPTA," he said.

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