August 14, 2012
and Democratic National Conventions
20 people-powered Freewheelin pedal buses to offer healthy, fun and green way to get around host cities during the political conventions
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| Photo: Humana |
LOUISVILLE, Ky.--()--If a bicycle built for two catches your eye, how about a bicycle built for nine? That’s exactly what people will see – and ride – at this year’s Republican and Democratic national conventions, courtesy of health and well-being company Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM).
“At Humana, we are committed to helping people achieve lifelong well-being, and Freewheelin is a great way to encourage people to improve their health through exercise and social interaction. People are going to have a great time riding our Freewheelin bus-cycles.”
Keeping with its tradition of making healthy things fun and fun things healthy, Humana will bring 20 Freewheelin pedal buses – or “bus-cycles” – to Tampa during the Republican National Convention (RNC) from August 26-30 and to Charlotte during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) from September 2-6. 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 the host cities.
“Whether it’s a pedal bus, bicycle, hand-cycle or unicycle, pedaling is good for the body, the mind and the environment,” said Mike McCallister, Humana’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “At Humana, we are committed to helping people achieve lifelong well-being, and Freewheelin is a great way to encourage people to improve their health through exercise and social interaction. People are going to have a great time riding our Freewheelin bus-cycles.”
Convention delegates, news media, convention-goers and local residents are all encouraged to take advantage of Freewheelin, which is provided free of charge. The pedal buses will follow pre-set routes in each city, making stops close to the convention perimeter and popular downtown destinations.
Riders can hop on a pedal bus at any of the three Freewheelin stations in each downtown, which 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.
Humana encourages anyone attending the conventions to take part in Freewheelin and join the conversation online: @freewheelin2012 or #freewheelin on Twitter; Facebook at facebook.com/gofreewheelin; or www.freewheelin2012.com.
The Freewheelin Experience
Given all of the political activity that will take place at both conventions, good conversation is sure to be had on a Freewheelin pedal bus. 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 to 380 calories and, 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.
Freewheelin pedal bus stations will be open each convention day from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on the Sundays prior to the conventions from 1 to 7 p.m. Convention-goers can register quickly with any Freewheelin representative at all Freewheelin stations. Leaderboards will foster healthy competition between RNC and DNC riders by tracking miles ridden, calories burned and carbon offset, determining which host city is the healthiest.
Additional details are available at www.freewheelin2012.com.
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
Convention-goers and host city residents will be able to ride on a never-before-seen design created by Humana, International Surrey Company and Euro RSGC Worldwide. The pedal buses were completely assembled from scratch in suburban St. Louis, Mo. by Craftsmen Industries.
Quadra cycles, or surreys, have existed for many years as amusement park or tourist attractions. However, the Freewheelin pedal bus is the first to take the shape of a modern-day automobile.
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.