Scott Marine is the transit director for Pigeon Forge's Fun Time Trolley.

Scott Marine has lived his entire life in the shadows of the Great Smoky Mountains. Born and raised in Gatlinburg, Tenn., the 55-year-old has been surrounded by nature's beauty and abundance.

But over the years, Marine has sensed a difference in his surroundings living in eastern Tennessee. The air quality has declined, and the range of visibility has lessened, says the transit director for Pigeon Forge's Fun Time Trolley.

"I have seen black and white photos from locations here in the park that appeared to have much more visibility than they do today," Marine says.

The three cities in Sevier County, Tenn., that front the Smoky Mountains – Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville – are bustling with tourists covering miles of attractions. Roads are lined with cars.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has backed Marine's claims, designating Sevier County a non-attainment area. This means the area hasn't met federal clean-air standards to protect public health.

In addition, a 2004 report by the National Parks Conservation Association shows ground level ozone, acid rain and air pollution are severely affecting Smoky Mountains National Park. Air pollution has lessened the average range of visibility in prime locations from 113 miles to 25, the report shows.

Pigeon Forge operates Sevierville's 12 trolleys that run on propane. Eight are propane/electric hybrid buses and four dedicated propane.

"There's been discussion about where that comes from," says Steve Hendrix, assistant city administrator for Sevierville, on the region's poor air quality. "A lot of weather comes this direction, and the mountains do provide a barrier.

"We need to improve on air-quality issues and be more sensitive to it because we are next to a national park."

Joint venture

These concerns, combined with Sevierville's desire to establish its own transit system, led to a Sevierville-Pigeon Forge partnership based on propane.

"Sevierville has grown tremendously over the last few years, and the subject came up for a trolley system in Sevierville, much like Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg have," Marine says.

Since 2005, Sevierville has added 12 propane trolleys – eight propane/electric hybrids and four dedicated propane – to Pigeon Forge's fleet. The Fun Time Trolley Service, which started in 1986, now operates more than 30 vehicles in Pigeon Forge, parts of Sevierville and outside Gatlinburg.

"The state asked us to partner with Pigeon Forge, mainly because we saw a need for the system," says Bryon Fortner, Sevierville's public works director.

The propane/electric hybrid trolleys are made by Ebus Inc. and use a propane-fueled Capstone Turbine auxiliary power unit, shown above to the left.

Pigeon Forge connects Sevierville to the south. The trolley service already had been running north, close to the border. Extending the route into Sevierville made sense, and it fulfilled requests from riders who wanted to visit Tanger Outlet Center at Five Oaks.

"We've been very fortunate," says Hendrix, who oversees Sevierville's transit system. "Since we weren't in the transit business before, we could get into clean-fuel technology without having to retool, rehire or divide resources. You can't underestimate the backbone of the Pigeon Forge system that has allowed us to move in this direction."

Sevierville officials spent much time and effort putting its funding package in place. The 12 trolleys totaled $2.5 million with help from state and federal funding. Each new trolley now costs about $350,000.