Knox buses will transport the Patriots at Super Bowl

The New England Patriots will get some assistance from Knoxville as the organization heads to Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes- Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Motor Coach Marketing has contracted East Tennessee-based Premier Transportation to provide 25 buses for the big game, and five will be used to transport members of the Patriots organization.

Might Patriots head coach Bill Belichick or Tom Brady be gracing the seats of one of the company’s motor coaches?

Premier Chief Operating Officer Nate Frederick said the buses could be transporting coaches, wives, player personnel or even fans around Atlanta.

The Patriots will face off against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. EST.

The buses will head out for Atlanta at various times throughout the week and will return Monday. Premier is the transportation service provider for UT Vols football and basketball, as well as the Smokies, Maryville College, Carson Newman, UT-Chattanooga and ETSU athletics.

Based in Knoxville, Premier also has locations in Chattanooga and the Tri-Cities. It has a fleet of 51 passenger motor coaches and has provided buses for numerous Super Bowls and other major events in the Southeast. Motor Coach Marketing organizes logistics for big events throughout the country. “Our drivers, they’re used to carrying Vols football, they’re used to carrying the basketball team, they’re used to being in this situation,” Frederick said. But will they get starstruck this time?

“They’re professional, they know how to act accordingly,” he said. “They’re very much focused on doing their job and doing it safely.” Premier motor coaches range in size from 14person shuttles to 81-passenger double-deck coaches. They include amenities such as reclining seats, on-board restrooms, Wi-Fi, Direct TV and DVD players.

Source: Knoxville News Sentinel, by Brenna McDermott

The East Tennessee Economic Development Agency markets and recruits business for the 15 counties in the greater Knoxville-Oak Ridge region of East Tennessee. Visit www.eteda.org

Published February 1, 2019