TAMPA, FL--August 31, 2012: The Republican National Convention (RNC) may have come to an end, but the fun of taking a spin on a Freewheelin pedal bus lives on next week at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Charlotte, N.C. Health and well-being company Humana Inc. provided the pedal buses -- or "bus-cycles" -- for free use by convention-goers in Tampa for the week of the Republican Convention. Twenty buses are now on their way to DNC host city Charlotte, to be available from Sept. 3-6.
“From elected officials to Tampa residents to delegates, we saw so many people enjoying the Freewheelin experience. We're off to Charlotte, and thrilled to take the pedal buses to the DNC.”
In all, Tampa participants took 1,250 rides on the Freewheelin buses, logging 542 miles in and around downtown. They accomplished this during less than three full days of Freewheelin activity, after the program had to be shut down when Hurricane Isaac was moving through the Gulf near Tampa.
Each pedal bus, which can accommodate eight people and a driver provided by Freewheelin, offers a healthy, fun and environmentally friendly way to get around each host city. The buses follow pre-set routes, making stops close to the convention perimeter and popular downtown destinations.
"What a week of fun, good exercise and great conversations with people from around the country," said Scott Latimer, M.D., Humana's Market President in Central Florida. Latimer led the initial Freewheelin ride when the program opened earlier this week. "From elected officials to Tampa residents to delegates, we saw so many people enjoying the Freewheelin experience. We're off to Charlotte, and thrilled to take the pedal buses to the DNC."
In Charlotte, riders can hop on a pedal bus at one of the two Freewheelin stations that open on Monday, Sept. 3:
- The American Presidential Experience: Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. & South Mint Street
- Legacy Village: East Stonewall Street and South College Street
These stations will also offer complimentary fruit, water and biometric health screenings, such as blood pressure and BMI checks. Both the bus-cycles and the stations are shaded so riders can take a moment to cool off.
Freewheelin pedal bus stations will be open each convention day (Sept. 3-6) in Charlotte from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. except for Wednesday, Sept. 5 when stations will close at 5 p.m. Convention-goers can register quickly with any of the Freewheelin representatives at the Freewheelin stations.
Humana encourages anyone attending the conventions to take part in Freewheelin and join the conversation online: @freewheelin2012 or #freewheelin on Twitter; Facebook; or www.freewheelin2012.com.
The Freewheelin Experience
Given all of the political activity taking place at both conventions, good conversations have occurred -- and will continue to occur -- on Freewheelin pedal bus-cycles. The driver and five riders on the outer seats work together to pedal the bus, while the three riders in the center seats can simply enjoy the ride. Spending just 30 minutes pedaling a bike at a leisurely pace can burn between 140 and 380 calories. For every mile pedaled rather than driven, nearly one pound of carbon dioxide (CO2) (0.88 lbs) is kept out of the air.
The pedal buses not only provide an opportunity to get some exercise, but also provide shaded relief from the summer sun. With no motors, the buses allow people to get around town in an environmentally responsible way while, at the same time, providing a chance to socialize with others from around the world.
Additional details are available at Free Wheelin 2012.
The Freewheelin Story
The Freewheelin pedal bus program is the evolution of the Freewheelin bike-sharing initiative that began as an employee program at Humana's Louisville campus in 2007. Humana then went on to introduce large-scale bike-sharing to the nation at the 2008 political conventions. In partnership with Bikes Belong, the nation's leading bicycling-advocacy organization, Freewheelin took 1,000 bikes and multiple bike stations to Denver for the DNC and Minneapolis-St. Paul for the RNC, supplying individuals with easy and free access to bicycles.
About the Freewheelin Pedal Buses
The pedal buses offer a unique design created by Humana, International Surrey Company and Euro RSGC Worldwide. They were completely assembled from scratch in suburban St. Louis, Mo. by Craftsmen Industries.
About Humana
Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, is a leading consumer-focused health care company that offers a wide range of insurance products and health and wellness services that incorporate an integrated approach to lifelong well-being. By leveraging the strengths of its core businesses, Humana believes it can better explore opportunities for existing and emerging adjacencies in health care that can further enhance wellness opportunities for the millions of people across the nation with whom the company has relationships.
More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company's web site at www.humana.com, including copies of:
- Annual reports to stockholders
- Securities and Exchange Commission filings
- Most recent investor conference presentations
- Quarterly earnings news releases
- Replays of most recent earnings release conference calls
- Calendar of events (includes upcoming earnings conference call dates and times, as well as planned interaction with research analysts and institutional investors)
- Corporate Governance Information
