Heading 1

Local Motorcoach Company Launches “Stuff the Buses” Initiative to Assist Charitable Disaster Relief Efforts in the Region After Hurricane Helene

‍

Knoxville, Tenn. (October 2, 2024) —  Premier Transportation, a Knoxville-based luxury motorcoach company, announced today an initiative to help East Tennesseans and Western North Carolinians recover from the devastation of last week’s storms and historic flooding in the region from Hurricane Helene.

“Stuff the Buses” was launched by the company today to provide a mechanism for transportation of donated items from non-profits and other charitable organizations to local communities affected by catastrophic flooding. Premier Transportation will provide day trips for goods and personnel using its motorcoaches and drivers as needed. All a non-profit or other charitable relief organization needs to do is provide the labor for loading and unloading. Premier will provide free transportation from Knoxville and surrounding areas to locations in Tennessee and North Carolina, Monday through Thursday, for the foreseeable future.

“Our desire to help in this way was born out of our experience last week transporting the East Tennessee State University football team to The Citadel in Charleston. Three of our buses were stranded on the way to the ETSU-Citadel game because of flooding and the closure of Interstate 26. The team was stuck on the buses, and our bus drivers, Mike Boyd, Virgil Davis, and Robert Kublawi were able to keep the team safe. It was a bad situation, but it could have been so much worse. We are grateful.” said Taylor Thomas, general manager of Premier Transportation.

The story was picked up by many media outlets as news of the widespread devastation became clearer after cellular and internet communications were slowly restored.

“After that experience, we considered what we have and what we can give. A lot of people are hurting. We’re in the logistics and transportation business, so we have vehicles that can get needed supplies and personnel from point A to point B, and we have a command center that tracks the movement of all our vehicles in real time with our GPS monitoring system. The ETSU Buccaneers have launched their own ‘Stuff the Bus’ relief effort in Johnson City, so we’re taking their lead and launching what we’re calling ‘Stuff the Buses’ to help in the region,” said Lee Arie, Premier Transportation’s chief financial officer. “We’re using #stuffthebuses as a campaign in our socials to help get the word out and encourage relief organizations to use it, too, so we can help as many folks as possible.”

The company’s available motorcoaches are:

• 45’ – 56-passenger motorcoach – approximately 450 cubic feet of storage under the passenger area. Goods can also be loaded in any unused passenger area.
• 35’ – 40-passenger motorcoach – approximately 280 cubic feet of storage under the passenger area. Goods can also be loaded in any unused passenger area.  
• One 35’ motorcoach that has seats removed – can carry much more cargo in the passenger area as well as under the 280 cubic feet of storage under passenger area.

To take advantage of the program, non-profits, churches, businesses, and charitable organizations with organized relief efforts and items and/or personnel to transport should contact the Premier Transportation operations center at customerservice@gopremiertn.com or by calling toll free at 1-877-337-0279.

About Premier Transportation

‍

With offices in Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tennessee, Premier Transportation was founded in 1998, offering luxury motorcoach charters. The company operates two full-service locations and boasts a fleet of nearly 50 vehicles. The company provides a variety of transportation services, including group charters, shuttle services, and bus rentals for events like school trips, athletic events, business conventions, church group tours, and more. Premier prides itself on offering modern amenities such as Wi-Fi, climate control, and comfortable seating across its fleet​. Premier travels extensively throughout the continental U.S. and Canada and is a member of the International Motorcoach Group (IMG). More information is available on the company’s website at: www.gopremiertn.com